Note: Last update of this article occurred on December 16th.
Can I travel to Poland?
Yes.
From 13 June 2020 Poland has restored full border traffic within the internal borders of the European Union. This means that you can travel freely and cross the internal borders of the European Union. The travellers have the right to free entry, exit and transit through the territory of the Republic of Poland. They do not have to undergo a quarantine. When planning a trip abroad, you should take into account the restrictions in the neighbouring countries.
The restrictions, including the limitations concerning the entry of foreigners into Poland and quarantine, still apply at the external border of the EU.
The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises to avoid unecessary foreign travel. Travelers should take into account possible difficulties in returning to the country, air traffic restrictions, the obligation to undergo quarantine or self-isolation, as well as to conduct additional medical examinations ordered by local authorities.
1. High-risk countries
List of countries with the highest number of Covid-19 cases:
- 🇬🇪 Georgia
- 🇷🇸 Serbia
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇭🇷 Croatia
- 🇲🇪 Montenegro
- 🇱🇹 Lithuania
- 🇸🇮 Slovenia
- 🇭🇺 Hungary
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇲🇰 North Macedonia
Due to the very high number of new infections, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends avoiding unnecessary travel to the Kingdom of Spain (in particular to the Community of Madrid, the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, Aragon, La Rioja, Basque Country and Navarre), to Montenegro, to Croatia, and to Malta.
- 🇲🇦 Morocco
- 🇨🇻 Cape Verde
- 🇹🇳 Tunisia
- 🇱🇾 Libya
- 🇧🇼 Botswana
- 🇿🇦 South Africa
- 🇳🇦 Namibia
- 🇲🇷 Mauritania
- 🇩🇿 Algeria
- 🇸🇿 Eswatini
- 🇺🇸 USA
- 🇵🇦 Panama
- 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
- 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇴 Columbia
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇦🇷 Argentina
- 🇵🇾 Paraguay
- 🇨🇱 Chile
- 🇵🇫 French Polynesia
- 🇵🇸 Palestine
- 🇯🇴 Jordan
- 🇱🇧 Lebanon
- 🇮🇷 Iran
- 🇮🇱 Israel
- 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
- 🇧🇭 Bahrain
- 🇰🇼 Kuwait
- 🇶🇦 Qatar
2. Who can enter Poland?
- Polish citizens,
- foreigners who are spouses or children of citizens of the Republic of Poland or remain under the constant care of citizens of the Republic of Poland;
- holders of a Pole’s Card,
- heads of diplomatic missions and members of the mission’s diplomatic and consular staff, i.e. persons having a diplomatic rank and members of their families;
- people who have the right of permanent or temporary residence in the Republic of Poland or a work permit,
- foreigners who run a means of transport designed for the transport of persons or goods, and whose transit takes place as part of their professional activities consisting in the transport of goods or persons,
- citizens of European Union Member States, European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) Member States – parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation and their spouses and children, when traveling through the territory of the Republic of Poland to their place of residence or stay,
- pupils and students receiving education in the Republic of Poland;
- foreigners who fly an aircraft within the meaning of Article 2 item 1 of the Act of 3 July 2002 – Aviation Law, onboard an international law who are the citizens of: Georgia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of Tunisia, the Commonwealth of Australia or hold a right of residence in the territory of the aforementioned countries,
- foreigners who arrive due to their participation as a competitor, member of the training staff, medical doctor, physiotherapist or a referee in international master league sports events organised in the territory of Poland by an international Olympic or Paralympic sports federation or other body recognised by the International Olympic Committee or organised by an international continental sports organisation being a member of such federation, as well as accredited journalists, after presenting the Border Guard with a proof of the competition, the date and the nature of participation with an appropriate letter issued by the organiser of such sports event or certified by the relevant Polish sports federation,
- persons who cross the border of Poland based on national visa for the purpose of repatriation in order to arrive in Poland as the repatriated person’s closest family member,
- foreigners with a permanent residence permit or a long-term resident’s European Union residence permit, in the territory of other European Union Member States, a Member State of the European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) – parties to the agreement on the European Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation and their spouses and children, when traveling through the territory of the Republic of Poland, to their place of residence or stay.
In particular cases not listed above, the chief of the Polish Border Guard post may allow foreigners to enter the territory of the Republic of Poland, after obtaining the consent of the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Border Guard.
3. Restrictions on International Flights
From 9 December 2020, civil aircrafts travelling internationally from airports located within the territories of the countries listed below are prohibited from landing in Poland:
- 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- 🇲🇪 Montenegro;
- 🇬🇪 Georgia;
- 🇯🇴 the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan;
- 🇦🇲 Republic of Armenia;
- 🇽🇰 Republic of Kosovo;
- 🇷🇸 Republic of Serbia;
- 🇲🇰 Republic of North Macedonia;
- 🇺🇸 The United States of America, with the exemption of airports located in the states of Illinois and New York.
The ban does not concern flights chartered before 8 December 2020;
The ban of flights also does not apply to countries which have notified Poland about the implementation of solutions ensuring that only passengers with a negative result of a diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2 will be allowed to board aircrafts. The list of such countries shall be published in the announcement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Effective until: 31 December 2020
Both in the case of international and domestic flights it is mandatory to: provide hand disinfectants on board of the aircraft and conduct disinfection of the aircraft:
- once every 24 hours when performing passenger flights,
- after each passenger flight with an infected person, or a person in whom an infectious disease is suspected,
- before and after each passenger flight of at least 6 hours;
- have flight attendants hand out traveller locator forms for health purposes and collect the completed forms – if a passenger is crossing the border in order to travel to his or her place or residence or stay in the territory of Poland.
Updated information can be found here
