Polish Embassy Washington DC – 4 Easy Steps to Apply for Poland Schengen Visa

Poland is a Schengen country with a lot to keep its visitors amused. Cities, like Warsaw, are rich in culture and it’s great to spend the day discovering the museums or wandering through its old town. Wroclaw has a vibrant center and its bridges are perfect subjects for avid photographers. The countryside is unspoilt and you’ll find beautiful forests, mountains, and lakes with opportunities for bird watching, cycling, or hiking. In this article learn more about how to apply for Poland visa at the Polish embassy in Washington, DC, Poland visa appointment booking, Processing time at the Poland visa application center, flight itinerary for Poland visa, hotel bookings for Poland visa, Schengen travel insurance for Poland visa application, and Poland Visa Application Process at the Washington DC embassy.

Poland Schengen Visa

In 2027, 823,101 Poland Schengen visas were received by all of the embassies and consulates around the world. 3.92% of them were refused. The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington DC received 348 applications and rejected 137 of them (39.4%).

Applying for Poland Schengen Visa from the United States

If you are a non-US citizen but you live in the United States on a permanent basis, you need to apply for a visa if you wish to travel to Poland. However, you must hold a valid visa or residence card and you must be able to prove your residency status.

Each if the visa missions for Poland in the US looks after residents within its consular jurisdiction, so if you live in Alabama, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, the American Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Guam, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, you may apply at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington DC.

Types of Schengen Visas Offered at the Polish Embassy in Washington DC

There are 2 types of visas offered by the Embassy of Poland in Washington DC and the one you apply for will depend on the duration and purpose of your trip:

1. Schengen short-stay visa (type C) – for stays up to 90 days for the purposes of tourism, visiting family or friends, business trips, economic or cultural activities, international conferences, sports events, and airport transit
2. National long-stay visa (type D) – for stays over 90 days for the purposes of employment, residence, study, religious reasons etc

Schengen visas are usually issued as single, double, or multiple entry which relates to the number of times you can enter the country during the dates of the visa. National visas are issued as single or multiple entry.

Schengen Visa Application Process at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington DC

The embassy takes around 15 days to process visa applications, but some cases could take longer. It is your responsibility to apply on time. You can apply up to 90 days before your intended travel dates, so apply well in advance to allow for your application to be processed.

It’s a good idea to take a look at the embassy’s website to understand what you need to do and how to go about applying. If you fail to comply with the requirements, your application could be rejected.

To help you apply for your Poland visa, here a few steps to follow.

Step 1: Book an appointment and complete your application form online

Making appointments with the embassy or visa application center is generally free and can be done yourself. However, If you are running short of time or not sure which consulate to apply to or have no idea on how to get this done yourself then not to worry, we will make the appointment for you for a small service fee!

Booking a visa appointment using our services is pretty simple! All you have to do is follow the 3 simple steps below:

1. Visit the link to schedule the visa appointment
2. Submit the appointment details, visa you are applying for, consulate you need the appointment for, the country you need the appointment IN and make the payment
3. Receive appointment confirmation in email

You can make an appointment on your own by following below steps:

1. The first step is to make an appointment in order to submit your application to the embassy. Go to their website and and click on: “Consulate” and then “Visas”:
2. On the next page, scroll down to: “Visa forms, Online Registration, Appointments” and click on the link:
3. Next, click on the link where it says: “Go to visa registration”:
4. You will be directed to the registration system – e-Konsulat. Click on the type of visa you are applying for:
5. On the next page, read the instructions and verify the image at the bottom before continuing:
6. Then, you will be able to choose a day and time for your appointment:

When you have made your appointment, you will be able to complete your application form online too. Please note, you need to complete the application form within 1 hour of making your appointment. If you don’t do this, the appointment will be cancelled and you’ll have to start again.

You need to submit a hard copy of the electronically registered, completed, dated and signed application form, so make sure you print it at the end.  You will also receive an email with a PDF copy of the application form within 24 hours of you registering it on the system.

Step 2: Get your documents ready

Make sure you get all the necessary documents together for your visa application. Different visas require different documents, so it’s a good idea to have a look before you begin. You can find the list of requirements for Schengen visas and National visas on the embassy’s website.

You also need to provide originals AND photocopies of everything, so don’t forget to do this.

Documents to get ready include:

1. Application form – this MUST be registered on the embassy’s booking system
2. 1 color passport-size photograph, plain white background, and neutral facial expression. Taken no more than 6 months ago
3. Passport valid for at least 3 months after your return to the US, with at least two free visa pages, issued no longer than 10 years ago. Your passport’s data page is also required
4. Valid permanent residence card or visa including re-entry document with at least 3 months remaining beyond your trip
5. Proof of residence – driver’s license or utility bill
6. Confirmed return flight reservation
7. Confirmed hotel reservation
8. Letter of invitation from your host in Poland (individual or company etc) including an address and a copy of the host’s ID
9. Schengen Travel insurance for emergency medical, hospitalization and repatriation with a minimum of €30,000 ($50,000)
10. 3 x bank account statements or other proof of regular income, e.g. last 3 pay slips, or student loan agreement. Funds to cover expenses in Poland should be at least $40 per day
11. Letter from employer or tax return and the original business registration if self-employed
12. Reference letter from the US employer and the Polish employer stating job role and reason for traveling to Poland
13. Evidence of any events that you are taking part in
14. Proof of sponsorship, the purpose of visit, contact details, and the address of the accommodation and itinerary (for those undertaking activities in an educational institution)
15. Visa for next destination (if required) and documents proving your intention to leave the Schengen area before the visa expires
16. Admission letter from a Polish school/university
17. Notarized confirmation of financial support from a parent, guardian, or sponsoring company with bank statements from the last three months
18. Work permit issued by Wojewoda in Poland and/or a certificate of employment
19. Marriage and/or birth certificate
20. Pre-paid, self-addressed envelope for return shipment

If you’re planning to obtain your flight reservation for visa without paying for the ticket, all you have to do is follow the 3 simple steps below:

1. Visit the Visa Reservation website to choose the right package
2. Submit the travel details and make the payment online
3. Receive flight itinerary in email

Step 3: Attend your appointment

When the day of your appointment arrives, remember to do the following things:

1. Arrive early – if you are late, you will have to reschedule your appointment
2. Take ALL your documents – if you forget anything and/or fail to provide all the required documents, the embassy will not accept your application
3. Dress smartly – make a good impression by not turning up dressed too casually

When the embassy starts to look over your application, they may ask for further information if they need to clarify anything. They may ask you questions like:

1. Are you meeting anyone in Poland?
2. What do you know about Poland?
3. What is your job?
4. Do you know anyone in the Schengen area?
5. Do you have any children?

Don’t jeopardize your Schengen visa interview at the last minute. Use this comprehensive and thorough visa interview guide to crack the visa interview!

If they ask you anything, just answer politely and honestly. They are only trying to gain all the facts in order to make a decision about your visa.

You will also pay the fee for your visa. This can be paid for in cash, cashier’s check or money order payable to the Embassy of Poland. Please note, regardless of the outcome of your visa application, this fee will NOT be refunded to you.

If this is your first time applying for a visa for Poland, you will have to provide a fingerprint scan and a digital photograph to be stored on the Visa Information System (VIS).

Step 4: Receive your visa

When a decision about your visa application has been reached, you have 2 options:

1. Collect your passport from the embassy
2. Have your passport returned to you by mail

There are 2 outcomes of your visa application:

1. Approved – you will find your Poland visa attached to one of the pages inside your passport
2. Rejected – your visa application may have been rejected for a specific reason

Typical rejection reasons include:

1. Passport was issued 11 years ago – if your passport has been issued longer than 10 years ago, you must obtain a new one before applying for your visa
2. Proof of residence was missing – you must prove where you live, so you must include a driver’s license or utility bill
3. Lack of funds – you must be able to prove that you can afford your trip to Poland, so you need to include bank statement etc., with enough funds deposited in it (I.E $40 per day)
4. You have applied for the wrong type of visa – you must apply for the correct visa and the one you need will depend on the length of your trip to Poland (Up to 90 days or exceeding 90 days) and your reason for traveling there (Tourism, business, employment etc)
5. Admission letter was not included – if you are planning to study in Poland, you must include an admissions letter from the Polish university/school etc

Contact details for the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington DC

Address: 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

Email: washington.consular@msz.gov.pl

Tel: (202) 499 1700

Fax: (202) 328 6271

Please note, due to the high number of incoming calls, you should check the consulate’s website before you contact them via phone or email

Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 9.00 am – 1.00 pm and Wednesday: 1.00 pm – 4.00 pm

Conclusion

All you have to do to apply for your Poland visa is:

1. Make an appointment and complete your application online
2. Get your documents ready
3. Attend your appointment
4. Receive your visa

Then, all you need to do is to get ready for your exciting adventure in Poland!

At Visa Reservation, we strive to simplify the visa process by providing free visa consultations, cover letter templates and no objection letter templates for our clients from US, UK, Canada, Philippines, India, China, UAE, Europe, Nigeria and globally. We also offer flight itinerary for visa, travel medical insurance, hotel reservations for visa , Book Visa Appointment, Travel Guides, Visa Interview Guides and many more. To learn more about how we can help you with our visa services, please feel free to contact us today.

See Also

How To Apply for Poland Schengen Visa at Polish Consulate in NYC, New York

How To Apply for Poland Schengen Visa at Polish Consulate in Los Angeles, California

Worldwide Visa Requirements