If a person or an organisation in Poland wants to invite you, Polish law has a special document: the invitation (zaproszenie). An invitation for a foreigner to Poland is entered in the register of invitations (ewidencja zaproszeń) by the voivode (wojewoda). The rules are in Articles 49 to 57 of the Act on Foreigners (ustawa o cudzoziemcach). This guide explains them and why travel medical insurance is a separate requirement.
The purpose of an invitation for a foreigner to Poland
A foreigner may present the invitation as a document confirming that they have enough money for the planned stay in Poland, including accommodation and food. It may also confirm that they have enough money for the journey back to the country of origin or residence, or transit to a third country which will grant them permission to enter (Article 49(1) of the Act on Foreigners).
Article 25(1)(2)(b) of the Act also requires a foreigner entering Poland to have, and to show on request, enough financial means for the stay and the journey back or transit, or a document confirming that such means can be obtained lawfully. At EU level, the Visa Code allows Member States to require applicants to present proof of sponsorship or of private accommodation, or of both, on a form drawn up by each Member State (Article 14(4)).
Who can invite a foreigner
The inviting person (zapraszający) can be any of the following (Article 49(2)):
- A Polish citizen living in Poland.
- A citizen of another EU Member State, of an EFTA state that is a party to the EEA Agreement or of Switzerland, a UK citizen covered by the Withdrawal Agreement, or a family member of such a person, living in Poland and holding a right of residence or permanent residence there.
- A foreigner who, immediately before the invitation is issued, has stayed in Poland legally and continuously for at least 5 years, or who holds a permit for permanent residence or a residence permit for a long-term resident of the EU.
- A legal person or another organisational unit that has no legal personality, such as a company or another organisation, with its seat in Poland.
How long the invitation is valid and what it contains
An invitation entered in the register is valid for the period stated in it, which can be no longer than 1 year (Article 51(1)). The period is written as dates (Article 54(5)). How days in the Schengen area are counted is a separate matter, explained in our guide to the Schengen 90/180-day rule.
Among other things, the invitation states the purpose of the stay, the address where the foreigner will stay, whether the inviting person provides accommodation in their own dwelling, and the degree of kinship between the inviting person and the foreigner (Article 54).
How the inviting person applies
The invitation is entered at the request of the inviting person (Article 51(2)). The entry is made by the voivode responsible for the inviting person’s place of residence or, for an organisation, its seat (Article 51(3)). The request is made on a form. Among other things, the form contains data that later appear in the invitation, the number of foreigners invited in the year before the application, the inviting person’s financial and earning capacity, the accommodation conditions and a written statement that the data are true.
With the completed form, the inviting person files (Article 53(1)):
- documents confirming that the inviting person can cover the costs of the foreigner’s stay, including accommodation and food, and of the journey back or transit;
- a document confirming the legal title to the inviting person’s dwelling, if it is given as the place of accommodation, or a document confirming that the inviting person can provide accommodation elsewhere.
The duty to confirm the cost of the return journey is also met if the inviting person shows that the foreigner has a return ticket to the country of origin or residence (Article 53(2)).
What the inviting person promises
In the application, the inviting person makes a commitment (Article 51(2)(3)): to cover the costs connected with the foreigner’s stay, including accommodation, food and possible treatment; the costs of the journey back or of transit; and the costs of issuing and enforcing a return decision. Insurance is a separate requirement, described below.
If the inviting person does not fulfil the obligations resulting from the invitation, the State Treasury or other entities may claim from the inviting person, in court proceedings, the repayment of the costs named in the commitment that they incurred in performing their statutory duties. This does not include the costs of issuing and enforcing a return decision (Article 56).
When an entry is refused or invalidated
Article 50(1) lists the situations in which the voivode refuses to enter an invitation or invalidates an existing entry. They concern, among other things, the requirements for the inviting person, proof that the costs can be covered, the accuracy of the application and the purpose of the stay.
One situation is a failure to fulfil the obligations from an earlier invitation. Under Article 50(2), this applies if the inviting person applied for a new entry before 3 years had passed after the end of the validity of the earlier invitation.
Why travel medical insurance is a separate requirement
An invitation may be presented as a document confirming financial means (Article 49(1)). Insurance is a different condition: Article 25(1)(2) of the Act on Foreigners lists it in letter a and the financial means in letter b.
For entry on a national (D) visa (wiza krajowa), letter a requires proof of one of two things: health insurance as defined in the Polish act on healthcare services financed from public funds, or travel medical insurance valid for the planned stay in Poland, with a minimum insured amount of EUR 30,000. The Polish rules are described on our national D visa insurance page.
For a Schengen (uniform) visa, Article 15 of the Visa Code sets the insurance rule: applicants shall prove that they hold adequate and valid travel medical insurance. It shall be valid throughout the territory of the Member States, cover the entire intended stay or transit, and have minimum coverage of EUR 30,000 (Article 15(1) to (3)). These conditions are set out on our Schengen visa medical insurance page.
Treat the invitation and the insurance as two separate requirements when you prepare your documents.
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Can another person collect the invitation?
Yes. The invitation can be collected by a proxy, that is, a person who holds a special power of attorney to collect it (Article 55 of the Act on Foreigners).
Does an invitation entitle me to work in Poland?
No. The application form for the invitation contains a notice that the invitation is not a document entitling the foreigner to take up work in Poland (Article 51(2)(7) of the Act on Foreigners).
Can the inviting person ask for the invitation to be invalidated?
Yes. The voivode issues a decision invalidating the entry on its own initiative or at the request of the inviting person. The request must be filed at least 7 days before the start of the validity period (Article 52(2) of the Act on Foreigners). The invitation ceases to be valid on the day on which that decision becomes final (Article 52(3)).
How much money must the inviting person have?
The amount is set in a regulation of the minister responsible for internal affairs, which also sets the templates of the invitation and of the application form (Article 57(1) of the Act on Foreigners). The minister is to take into account the possibility of different amounts depending on the place of accommodation, the length of the stay and the family ties between the inviting person and the invited foreigner (Article 57(2)).
The inviting person applies for the invitation. Your insurance is a separate step that you can arrange online. Our calculator needs the date you were born and the dates when cover should begin and end; choose Poland or Schengen and the premium appears. Questions? Use our iletişim sayfası or call an adviser at Polisarium on +48 22 299 11 11.
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