Visas to the U.S.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT VISAS TO THE U.S.A.

Polish citizens do not need to obtain a visa approval before coming to the USA. However, citizens of countries covered by the US Visa Waiver Program, including Poland, are required to have electronic ESTA registration before departing to the USA.

Polish citizens who have a valid B1/B2 visa do not need to obtain ESTA registration until its validity expires.

Anyone can freely apply for a visa at the consulate instead of obtaining ESTA registration, but there is no such obligation towards Polish citizens after November 11, 2019 (also in the event of refusal to issue ESTA registration, you can apply for a visa at the US consulate).

Citizens of countries covered by the Visa Waiver Program who traveled to or stayed in North Korea, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, or Yemen on or after March 1, 2011, and in Cuba after January 12, 2021, are not permitted to travel to or be admitted to the U.S. under this program. Citizens of Visa Waiver Program countries who are also citizens of Cuba, North Korea, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, or Syria are also no longer eligible to travel to or be admitted to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program.

Countries exempt from the obligation to have a visa approval before entering the USA: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Korea South, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Hungary, United Kingdom, Italy.

Serwis Konsularny offers assistance with ESTA registration, completing the online application for a visa commitment, organizing a meeting at the consulate, paying for the visa and providing all consultations on obtaining ESTA registration, a visa commitment to the USA and all non-immigrant visas.

ESTA registration is issued for 2 years or until the expiry of the current passport. When registering, a single stay is limited to 90 days. The visa is issued for biometric and non-biometric passports, in the most popular category B1/B2, i.e. for tourist and business purposes, usually for 10 years as a multiple visa. A visa at the border is usually granted for a stay of up to 180 days, but the officer may grant permission for a shorter period at his discretion. The visa expiration date is the last day on which you can enter the United States using a given visa. The visa does not specify how long you can stay in the United States. Length of stay is determined by the Department of Homeland Security at the point of entry into the United States.

When obtaining a visa, persons exempt from the obligation to meet in person with the consul are persons whose previous visa is valid or expired less than 72 months ago, is applying for the same visa at the same consulate, and has not changed their personal data. The remaining persons are children up to 14 years of age and persons over 80 years of age (unless they have not been refused a visa within the last 2 years).

When applying for ESTA registration or a visa, you must present the full set of documents required by the embassy. Incomplete documents will be rejected or held with a request for completion. Serwis Konsularny has no influence on the decision to issue ESTA registration or a visa.

In the case of ESTA registration, it will be issued for 2 years or until the end of the validity of the passport (if it is valid for less than 2 years at the time of registration). In the case of a visa, the passport should be valid at the time of stay in the United States, currently there are no restrictions on the validity of the passport when applying for a US visa for Polish citizens.

In the case of a visa, if your passport expired earlier than the visa it contained, you can still travel to the United States on the basis of it, as long as it has not been destroyed or canceled. In this case, you must travel with two passports – the old one with a valid visa and the new one. The visa cannot be punched when canceling the old passport (this should be taken into account when exchanging passports).

The only photo accepted for a visa application and a visa is a photo of the so-called biometric for US visa, colorful, en-face, both ears visible, white background, 5 cm x 5 cm.

You must bring your passport, confirmation of completing the online application, possibly a photo (if there is a problem with logging it to the application electronically) and the visa fee to the meeting.

After the meeting, the passport should be returned free of charge to the selected passport collection point of the UPS courier company in Warsaw or Krakow or by UPS courier service, paid in cash on delivery, to the indicated address. In case of collection from a UPS point, the passport must be collected within 9 business days of receiving information from the Embassy that the passport is ready – otherwise UPS will send the passport back to the Embassy. You can collect your passport directly at the embassy only in exceptional cases after making arrangements with the consul, but obtaining this consent is very difficult.

VISA CATEGORIES:

A-1/A-2 Diplomats and government representatives

A-3 Support staff for A1/A2 visa holders

B-1/B-2 People going on business or tourist trips

C-1 Transit

C-1/D Aircraft or ship crew members

E-1/E-2 Investors and entrepreneurs

F-1 Students and pupils

G-1-4 Representatives of international organizations

G-5 Support staff for G-1-4 visa holders

H Temporary work and internship (H-3)

I  Journalists

J-1 Au-pairs, interns, scientific/student exchange, “Work and Travel” program

L Employees delegated to the American branch of the company

M-1 Students – vocational training

NATO 1-6 NATO representatives

NATO 7 Support staff for NATO visa holders 1-6

O People with exceptional talents or achievements in science, art, education, business or sports

P Athletes, artists and entertainers

Q Cultural exchange

R Religious workers