COVID-19 rules
Countries may restrict travel or bring in rules at short notice. Check with your travel provider for changes.
If you test positive for COVID-19, you may need to stay where you are until you test negative. You may also need to get treatment there.
Read TravelHealthPro’s general COVID-19 advice for travellers.
Passport validity requirements
To travel to Poland, you must follow the Schengen area passport requirements.
To enter Poland (and all Schengen countries) your passport must:
- have a ‘date of issue’ less than 10 years before the date you arrive. Passports issued after 1 October 2018 are now valid for only 10 years, but for passports issued before 1 October 2018, extra months may have been added if you renewed a passport early
- have an ‘expiry date’ at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave
Contact the Polish embassy in the UK if your passport does not meet both these requirements.
Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.
You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document, or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.
Dual Nationals
If you are also a Polish national (dual nationality), you must enter and exit Poland using a Polish passport or Polish national identity card. There are regular cases of Polish border guards allowing dual nationals to enter on their British passport, but only allowing exit using a valid Polish passport or Polish ID card.
Children born to Polish national or British-Polish dual national parents in the UK are automatically granted Polish citizenship, regardless of the child’s place of birth, and the requirement to exit Poland using valid Polish documentation will apply.
Find more information on how to apply for a Polish passport in the UK before travelling to Poland from the Polish Embassy in London (in Polish). Check with the Polish Embassy in London if in doubt about your circumstances.
Passport stamping
Make sure you get your passport stamped.
If you’re a visitor, your passport must be stamped when you enter or leave the Schengen area (which includes Poland). Border guards will use passport stamps to check you haven’t overstayed the 90-day visa-free limit for stays in the Schengen area. If your passport was not stamped, border guards will presume you have overstayed the visa-free limit.
If your passport was not stamped, show evidence of when and where you entered or left the Schengen area (for example, boarding passes or tickets) and ask the border guards to add the date and location in your passport.
If you live in Poland, read our Living in Poland guide for passport stamping information.
At the Polish border, you may need to:
- show a return or onward ticket
- show you have enough money for your stay
Residents
If you live in Poland, see our Living in Poland guide for entry requirements and the Polish Border Guards guidance.
Visa requirements
You can travel to countries in the Schengen area (including Poland) for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. This applies if you travel:
- as a tourist
- to visit family or friends
- to attend business meetings, cultural or sports events
- for short-term studies or training
If you are travelling to Poland and other Schengen countries without a visa, make sure your whole visit is within the 90-day limit. Visits to Schengen countries within the previous 180 days before you travel count towards your 90 days.
To stay longer, to work or study, for business travel or for other reasons, you will need to meet the Polish government’s entry requirements. Check with the Polish Embassy what type of visa and/or work permit you may need.
If you are travelling to Poland for work, read the guidance on visas and permits.
If you stay in Poland with a residence permit or long-stay visa, this does not count towards your 90-day visa-free limit.
Vaccination requirements (other than COVID-19)
At least 8 weeks before your trip, check the vaccinations and certificates you need in TravelHealthPro’s Poland guide.
Customs rules
There are strict rules about goods that can be brought into and taken out of Poland. You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.
Taking food and drink into the EU
You cannot take meat, milk or products containing them into EU countries. There are some exceptions for medical reasons, for example certain amounts of powdered infant milk, infant food, or pet food needed for medical reasons. Check the rules about taking food and drink into the EU on the European Commission website.