A foreigner who wants to extend the period of stay based on a Schengen visa or a
national visa is obliged to apply for a visa extension at least 3 days before the
end of the period of stay indicated in the visa.
An application submitted after the deadline shall not be examined.
A foreigner who applied for an extension of visa within the above-mentioned deadline
is given a stamp in a travel document by a voivode, which confirms the submission
of the application. If the deadline for submission of the application was observed
and the application does not contain any formal defects or defects were completed
on time, the stay of a foreigner on the territory of the Republic of Poland is considered
legal from the date of submitting the application until a final decision on the
extension of the Schengen visa or the national visa is made. The period of stay
in the Republic of Poland on the basis of the extended visa cannot exceed the period
of stay provided for a given type of residence visa.
If Schengen or national visa extension proceedings are suspended at the request
of the foreigner, their stay at that time will not be considered legal.
Putting a stamp on the travel document does not entitle the foreigner to travel
within the territory of other Schengen states, while the foreigner may leave for
their country of origin.
National visa may be extended once. The period of stay on the territory of the Republic
of Poland on the basis of the extended visa shall not exceed the maximum period
of stay provided for the national visa, (1 year).
Visa validity period does not always correspond to the period of stay to which the
visa entitles.
The foreigner has the obligation to leave the Republic of Poland before the
period of stay indicated in the visa ends and before the visa expires, unless the
foreigner has a valid document authorizing him/her to stay in the Republic of Poland.
A foreigner staying outside a hotel facility, a facility providing accommodation
in connection with work, education, medical treatment or leisure has the obligation
to register his/her temporary stay not later than before the end of the fourth day
of his/her stay, counting from the moment of crossing the border of the Republic
of Poland.
In the course of proceedings a foreigner may be asked to appear in person in an
office in order to explain crucial circumstances necessary for a decision to be
made and may be obliged to submit other documents which will enable precise clarification
of the case and making a decision whilst taking into consideration both the public
interest and the right interest of the foreigner.