Required Documents

Visa applicants must bring to the interview:

• Valid Passport


• Application Forms


• Proof of Payment


• Photograph


• DHL Express Form


• Any Unexpired Visa


• Other Documents

Passport Validity

Applicants must have a valid passport.

Normally passports must be valid for six months beyond the date an applicant intends to depart the U.S.  Poland has an agreement with the USA to honor the validity of its passports for an additional six months beyond the expiration date shown in its passports. If the passport is valid for less than six months, the visa can be issued but the applicant's stay in the USA will be limited to the expiration date of the passport. 

If your passport with a valid USA visa was lost or stolen and you are applying for a new visa you must present a police report.

You are highly encouraged to report the loss of your passport with a valid U.S. visa to the Consular Section by e-mail at publicwrw@state.gov. Please provide your full name, date of birth, the number of your lost passport, the date of issuance of your visa and your telephone number.  This will help protect you so others will not be able to steal your identity.

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Application Forms

All applicants must complete an electronic application form DS-156 which must be completed on-line.  Hand written applications will not be accepted.  Please see our tips on completing your DS-156.  Some applicants may also need to complete additional forms - please see Forms.

A Supplemental NIV Application form DS-157 is required for all men between ages 16 and 45 regardless of nationality; all visa applicants (men and women) from Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria, who are 16 and over.  Applicants for A, G and NATO visas are not required to complete form DS-157.  Consular officers may, at their discretion, request form DS-157 from applicants not listed above on a case-by-case basis.

Supplemental NIV Application form DS-158 is required for F, M and J visa applicants who are 16 and over (including dependants).

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Proof of Payment

The visa Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee, payable only in Polish Zlotys at the prevailing exchange rate to the Embassy's account:

Ambasada USA 00-540 Warszawa Al. Ujazdowskie 29/31, Citibank Handlowy w Warszawie SA, account no: 33 1030 1508 0000 0005 0035 0016.

Applicants are encouraged to pay the application fee at the Polish Post Office (Poczta Polska). The Embassy has an agreement with Poczta Polska whereby applicants do not have to pay any handling fee (oplata manipulacyjna) for this service.  Applicants who elect to pay through banks may incur transaction fees of up to 25 zl. We do not accept payments from entities other than Poczta Polska or a bank.

Receipts must contain the original stamp of a post office or a bank as well as the applicant's name, the bank account number and the words "oplata wizowa."  Proof of electronic payment must bear a bank stamp.  Persons who appear at the Embassy/Consulate with receipts that do not contain this information will be turned away and required to reschedule their appointment at a future date. 

Each applicant must provide an individual receipt/proof of payment containing his/her name. This includes members of the same family and business colleagues traveling together. For example, if a mother, father, and two small children apply, we will need four separate receipts – one for each family member. Similarly, if five persons from the same company apply together, we will require 5 individual receipts. Applicants who do not appear with individual receipts will be required to make a payment following our requirements and reschedule their appointments.

The receipt(s) are kept for the Embassy's records and are not returned to the applicants.

Note: The application fee is not a visa issuance fee. All applicants, regardless of citizenship and place of application, pay the non-refundable application fee. There will be no refund of the fee, regardless of whether the visa is ultimately issued or refused. 

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Photograph

A recent photograph must be securely attached to the application and must meet all of the following State Department regulations:

1. Recent (taken within the last six months);


2. Dimensions: 5cm square;


3. Color;


4. White or off-white background that is not patterned or busy;


5. Face must measure 3cm from the top of the head to the chin;


6. Applicant's face must face camera directly and not be looking down or to either side;


7. Both ears must be exposed;


8. No sunglasses;


9. No head coverings or hats, except for religious reasons. Even for religious reasons, head coverings or hats cannot obscure any part of an applicant's face. 

 

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DHL Express Form

Every resident in Poland applicant must fill in a separate DHL Express Form to be used to return the passport to the applicant after visa issuance. Only family members residing at the same address are permitted to have their passports sent in one package and, therefore, use one form. Belarusian applicants must fill in a DHL Express Form with an address in Poland or return to Embassy Warsaw two working days after their visa interviews to pick up their passports and visas. Embassy Warsaw cannot courier visas to Belarus.

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Any Unexpired U.S. Visa

If your current U.S. visa has not yet expired, you are required to bring it to your visa interview. If it is in your old passport, then you must bring the old passport to the interview.

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Other Documents

Interview and application forms are designed to elicit all necessary information. Applicants may want to consider bringing along documents that they feel are useful, but the consular officer may not choose to look at them if it appears that additional documents won't make a difference in the adjudication.

Certain categories of nonimmigrant visas require special documentation that can be furnished only by an authority in the United States. These categories include:

• Students, who must have a valid Form I-20 issued by the prospective school/college/university, signed and dated by the student, as well as proof of payment of the SEVIS fee. For the most up-to-date information about how to pay the SEVIS fee, please click here.   
                     
• Exchange visitors, who must have a valid Form DS-2019 issued by the sponsoring organization, signed and dated by the applicant, as well as proof of payment of the SEVIS fee. For the most up-to-date information about how to pay the SEVIS fee, please click here. 
                     
• Temporary workers, trainees, intra-company transferees, athletes, entertainers, cultural exchange visitors and religious workers all of whom must have a specific petition filed on their behalf and approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).          

Court and Police Records

Applicants who have been arrested or convicted for any offence or crime must provide a letter of conduct during the interview with the consular officer. You should gather any documents which relate to your offence and any subsequent conviction, including court records, arrest sheets and charge sheets. All court records should be translated into English.

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- Non Immigrant Visa Types -

• Academics and Researchers • Athletes, Artists & Entertainers • Au Pairs • Business • Crew Members & Seamen • Cultural Exchange Visitors • Diplomats & Government Officials • Domestic Employees • Employment • Exchange Visitors • Employees of Int. Organizations & NATO • Internships • Journalists • Religious Workers • Students • Summer Work and Travel Program • Tourists • Transit • Treaty Traders

- Useful Links -

• Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs • US Citizenship and Immigration Services • US Customs and Border Control