Invitation for a foreigner to Poland 2026: entry in the register, documents, PLN 27 fee

An invitation entered by the voivode in the register of invitations is the document with which a foreigner shows the consul and the border officer that the means for the stay in Poland are secured, while the host takes on specific financial obligations. Below is the legal position as of 13 November 2026: who can invite, which documents and amounts the office checks, how long it takes, how long the invitation is valid and what the host is liable for. If you prefer a lawyer to prepare and file the application, see immigration matters at our law firm.

Kancelaria Radców Prawnych Bartosz Krajewski prepares applications for entry of an invitation for individuals and companies across Poland, also remotely: we check whether the host meets the conditions, complete the proof of income and housing, file the application as attorney and collect the invitation. Pricing is individual: just describe whom you are inviting and for how long.

What an invitation is and when it helps

Under art. 49(1) of the Act on Foreigners, an invitation confirms that the foreigner has sufficient means to cover the costs of the stay in Poland, including accommodation and food, and the costs of the return journey. It is used for visas to visit family or friends and for private visits, and nationals of visa-free countries can use it at the border check. An invitation does not entitle its holder to work in Poland (the form itself says so, art. 51(2) point 7) and it is not the right route when the purpose of arrival is work.

Nor does an invitation guarantee a visa: the consul assesses the whole application, including the purpose of stay and the intention to return. What to do when a refusal came despite the invitation is described in our article visa refusal and request for reconsideration.

Who can invite a foreigner

The group of possible hosts is defined in art. 49(2) of the Act. An invitation can be issued by:

• a Polish citizen residing in Poland, as well as a citizen of the European Union, an EFTA state or Switzerland living in Poland, or a member of their family holding the right of residence or permanent residence;
• a foreigner who, immediately before issuing the invitation, has stayed in Poland legally and without interruption for at least 5 years, or holds a permanent residence permit or an EU long-term resident permit;
• a legal person or an organisational unit without legal personality with its seat in Poland, for example a company, a foundation or a university.

The five years are counted as for permanent residence: as a rule, no break may be longer than 6 months and all breaks together may not exceed 10 months (art. 49(3) in conjunction with art. 195(4), which also provides for exceptions). A foreigner with a temporary residence card and a shorter stay therefore cannot invite family this way. The route to the status that gives this right is described in our article EU long-term resident and permanent residence.

Documents and money: PLN 515, PLN 200 and the cost of return

The application is filed on an official form set out in the Regulation of the Minister of the Interior and Administration of 16 March 2023 (Journal of Laws item 637). The same regulation sets how much money the host must show. The application is accompanied by:

• proof of means for the stay: at least PLN 515 for each month of the planned stay, counted separately for the host, each family member dependent on the host and each invited person; for a stay shorter than a month the amount is reduced proportionally;
• when you invite a spouse, a child or grandchild, a parent or grandparent, a sibling, a spouse's parent or a spouse's child, at least PLN 200 for each month is enough for the invited person's stay;
• means for the return journey equal to the ticket price, not less than PLN 200 to a country bordering Poland, PLN 500 to another European Union, EFTA country or Switzerland, and PLN 2500 to other countries; a return ticket the foreigner already holds also meets the requirement;
• a legal title to the dwelling where the guest will stay, or proof that you will provide other accommodation, and confirmation of the PLN 27 stamp duty.

Offices usually accept an employment and earnings certificate, a bank statement, a pension decision or a tax return, and for rented housing also the owner's consent. The amounts look low, but they are counted per person and per month: an inviting person who supports three people and invites one person from outside the closest family for a year must show 5 × PLN 515 × 12 months, that is PLN 30,900, plus the cost of the return journey. The law firm calculates this before filing so that the application does not end in a refusal for failure to show means.

Where to file, how long it takes and how long the invitation is valid

The application is filed with the voivode competent for the host's place of residence or seat (art. 51(3)). The case is handled in simplified proceedings (art. 55b), so it should be settled without delay, no later than within a month (art. 35 § 3a of the Code of Administrative Procedure). Only the host is a party, and the finished invitation can be collected by an attorney holding a specific power of attorney (art. 55 and 55a); the stamp duty on a power of attorney is PLN 17.

The invitation is valid for the period for which you invite the foreigner, not longer than 1 year (art. 51(1)). The original is sent to the invited person, who attaches it to the visa application or shows it at the border. If plans change, the host can apply for the entry to be annulled, no later than 7 days before the start of the invitation's validity (art. 52(2)).

What the host is liable for

By signing the application you undertake to cover the costs of the foreigner's stay, including accommodation, food and any medical treatment, the costs of the return journey and the costs of issuing and enforcing a return decision (art. 51(2) point 3). This is not a courtesy declaration: the State Treasury and other entities can claim reimbursement of the costs incurred from the host in court (art. 56), and the host is charged with the costs of a return decision when the guest entered during the invitation period and the grounds for the return obligation arose in that period or after it, because the guest stayed in Poland without a visa or permit (art. 337(2)).

Failure to meet these obligations has one more effect: for 3 years from the end of validity of such an invitation the voivode will refuse to enter another one (art. 50(1) point 6 and 50(2)). If a close person is to stay in Poland longer than a visit, the safer route is a temporary residence permit, which we cover in our article stay with family in Poland.

Refusal to enter the invitation and appeal

The voivode refuses the entry by a decision (art. 52(1)), and art. 50(1) lists 8 grounds. In practice the most frequent are the host not meeting the conditions, failure to show means, housing conditions, false data in the application and the assessment that the purpose of arrival will differ from the declared one. The decision can be appealed to the Head of the Office for Foreigners within 14 days of service, and that decision can be challenged before the administrative court within 30 days. A new, corrected application often works faster than an appeal; which route to take we assess after reading the decision. How the appeal procedure itself works is explained in our article appeal against an administrative decision.

What the law firm does and how much it costs

We check whether you can be the host, calculate the required means for your household, complete the income and housing documents, prepare the form for signature and file the application as attorney, and after the entry we collect the invitation. If the voivode refused, we prepare an appeal or a new application. There is no price list for invitations: pricing is individual and depends on the number of invited persons and on whether the host is an individual or a company. Official fees are PLN 27 for the entry and PLN 17 for the power of attorney.

The firm's office is in Warsaw at ul. Marszałkowska 20/22 lok. 72, phone 537 927 737, and the case can be handled entirely remotely, also for hosts outside Warsaw. Describe whom you are inviting through the page immigration matters, contact the firm. Cases are handled by attorney-at-law Bartosz Krajewski.