Poland student visa: national D visa and residence permit for studies

You need admission to full-time first-cycle, second-cycle or long-cycle master's studies, or to a doctoral school, at an institution in Poland. For the residence permit the university must be approved by the Minister of the Interior for admitting foreigners, or at least not be subject to a ban on admitting foreigners; the ministry publishes the list.

Consulates may also ask for proof of Polish or foreign-language skills at the level needed for the programme, and for Erasmus+ students a confirmation from the sending university.

The Office for Foreigners checks three things: living costs, the return journey and tuition. After deducting real housing costs, you must have more than PLN 1,010 a month if you live alone, or PLN 823 per person in a family. For the return to a non-EU country you need PLN 2,500 per person. If studies are paid, you show that the semester or year has been paid.

Funds may be held in złoty or foreign currency, converted at the National Bank of Poland rate on the last working day before the application. Consulates typically accept your own bank statement for the last 3 months, a notarised sponsor letter with the sponsor's statement, or a scholarship letter.

You first obtain a D visa for studies at the Polish consulate responsible for your place of residence or its visa centre. National visas are normally decided within 15 days, and for study visas the decision may take up to 30 days when documents must be checked. The D visa is valid for up to one year and allows 90 days in any 180 in other Schengen states.

To stay beyond the visa, apply in Poland for a temporary residence permit for studies. Since 27 April 2026 such applications are filed only electronically in the MOS portal, signed via login.gov.pl; the university adds its own electronically signed attachment. The stamp duty is PLN 340 and the residence card PLN 100.

Permits are not renewed automatically: apply for a new one before the current one expires. Later permits cover the remaining studies plus 3 months, up to 3 years. Graduates of Polish universities can then apply once for a 9-month permit to look for work or prepare a business.

A residence permit for full-time studies gives free access to the Polish labour market, so no work permit is needed. You must inform the voivode in writing within 15 working days if you stop studying, are removed from the student list or finish early.

A refused D visa can be reconsidered by the consul on request within 14 days, for a fee set by the consulate. A voivode's refusal of a residence permit can be appealed to the Head of the Office for Foreigners within 14 days of delivery, in writing through the voivode; the appeal should be decided within 90 days.

If the permit is finally refused and you have no other basis to stay, you must leave Poland within 30 days.