An official invitation could be used to demonstrate sufficient recources to sustain oneself in Poland and cover the costs of return. A foreigner should have an invitation when crossing the border.
Attention: An invitation does not exempt a foreigner from the necessity of filing a visa application.
The inviting entity must file an invitation with the pertinent voivode. The locations of voivodeship offices can be found here
Who can invite a foreigner?
- A Polish citizen residing in Poland;
- The citizen of another EU state, Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein or Switzerland with the right to reside in Poland.
- Any other foreigner who has been continuously residing in Poland for at least five years or has a permit to settlr or long-term EU residency permit;
- A legal entity, e.g. company, diplomatic mission etc.
An invitation should contain:
- Personal data of the inviting party (last and first name, date and place of birth, citizenship, residence address, profession, ID or REGON number);
- Personal data of the invited person and family members (same as above + relationship to the inviting party);
- A written commitment to cover the foreigners’ living, return and healthcare costs if necessary;
- Indication of the place of residence of the foreigner;
- Duration of visit;
- Purpose of visit;
- The name of the institution where the invitation is submitted (typically the Office for Foreigners in the voivodeship office);
- Invitation date and number;
- Signature of the inviting party.
What documents do I have to submit?
- the relevant form, see here
- a commitment to incur costs associated with foreigner’s housing, medical care, return from Poland;
- current bank statement with the information on the closing balance on the account (the account balance should cover the period of the visit, i.e. PLN 515 per each foreigner per month of stay)
- employment certificate together with the information on the monthly salary and type of employment agreement; one should document funds in the amount exceeding PLN 515 for a person, each supported family member and each invited foreigner
- a decision on pension valorisation; one should document funds exceeding PLN 515 for a person, each supported family member and each invited foreigner.
- PLN 200 for a return trip to a country bordering the Republic of Poland
- PLN 500 for a return trip to a European country
- PLN 2500 for a return trip to a non-European third country.
Example: I want to invite a foreigner from Vietnam for 6 months, I do not support anyone. The required balance on the bank account is PLN 515 x 6 months + PLN 2500 the cost of the ticket to his/her place of residence = PLN 5590
Example: I want to invite a foreigner from Belarus for the period of 6 months. I am a sole provider for one child. PLN 515 x 3 persons (inviter, invited foreigner, child) + PLN 200 the cost of the ticket to the country of origin = a monthly salary exceeding PLN 1,745 net documented with a certificate of the employer
Example: I am a pensioner, I do not support anyone, I invite a foreigner from Belarus for 6 months. PLN 515 x 2 persons (inviter and invited) + ticket cost of PLN 200. One should present a document confirming the amount of pension exceeding PLN 1,230 net.If the above-mentioned costs are covered jointly with a spouse, one should present a written consent of the spouse to cover the costs, together with documents confirming the spouse's funds. Costs of a return trip of the invited foreigner to the country of origin or residence are as follows:
- documentation attesting to the right to the residence where a foreigner will be accommodated (or proof of accommodation elsewhere);
- proof of payment of tax duty (27 PLN).
The voivode has the right to reject an application for registration of an invitation.
Appeal procedure
The applicant may appeal against such a decision within 14 days since the reception of negative decision before the director of the Office for Foreigners. An applicant can also appeal against the decision of the director of the Office for Foreigners. In order to do so, he must file an appeal with the administrative court, within 30 days of receipt of the negative decision.How to calculate the amount of funds that I should document?
- for a bank account - at least PLN 515 per each month of the planned stay;
- for an employment certificate - PLN 515 for a person monthly( for a foreigner, the person and each family member supported by the person and for each invited foreigner);
- at least PLN 200 - for the immediate family (a descendant, an ancestor, a spouse, spouse's parents or the inviter's siblings);
- PLN 200 for a return trip or a transit to a country bordering on the Republic of Poland;
- PLN 500 for a return trip or a transit to a European country;
- PLN 2,500 for a return trip or a transit to a non-European third country.
The inviter should additionally have funds to cover the costs of accommodation if a foreigner is staying at a place other than the inviter's premises (e.g. costs related to flat lease or hotel accommodation).
The inviter should have funds to cover the costs of the invited foreigner's return trip to his/her place of origin or residence or his/her transit to a third country that will permit the entry, equal to the price of the ticket to this country, however, no less than:
Can I appoint a representative?
The party may file an application in person or through an appointed representative. The power of attorney should be attached during the submission of the application together with a confirmation of payment of the stamp duty of PLN 17 (a sample power of attorney).Persons exempt from the stamp duty for the power of attorney are: a spouse, a lineal descendant (e.g. son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter), an ancestor (e.g. mother, father, grandmother, grandfather)
The invitation should be collected in person or by a representative having a special power of attorney to collect it
How long will I wait for the issue of the invitation?
The Voivode will issue a decision immediately after the completion of the investigation procedure within 30 days.
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