In short
- Since 1 July 2025, many first-year applicants need NAWA's written statement before applying for a student visa.
- Universities ask for B2 in the language of instruction, shown by a certificate or their own test.
- Full-time students at approved Polish universities can work without a work permit.
Polish universities teach in Polish and in English, and they admit students from all over the world. Since 1 July 2025, though, the student visa process asks for more before you apply, and a missing document now means a refusal. Here is how it works for the 2026/27 academic year.
What changed in July 2025
A 2025 law aimed at closing gaps in the visa system changed what consulates ask for. Many applicants for a national (D) visa for studies must now hand in a written statement from NAWA, the National Agency for Academic Exchange, together with the visa application. The statement confirms that your school certificate entitles you to start higher education in Poland.
If you need the statement and don't submit it, the visa is refused. Consulates don't help to obtain it and don't act as intermediaries with universities or NAWA.
Who needs the NAWA statement
You need it if you are starting the first year of a bachelor's (first-cycle) or long-cycle master's programme, and your secondary school certificate:
- isn't from an EU, OECD or EFTA/EEA country;
- isn't an International or European Baccalaureate;
- isn't recognised under an agreement that binds Poland.
If an education superintendent (kurator oświaty) has already recognised your certificate by decision, that decision can be used instead.
The language rule: B2
Applicants with qualifications from outside the EU, EFTA and OECD must show knowledge of the language of instruction at B2 or higher. That means B2 English for an English programme and B2 Polish for a Polish one. Universities say which certificates they accept, and some run their own test or interview. Check with your university before you book an exam.
Is this your situation? Two minutes will tell.
The order of steps
- Choose a programme and check its admission rules and deadlines.
- Prepare your documents: your certificate or diploma with an apostille or legalisation, the transcript, and sworn translations into Polish (or English, where the university accepts it).
- Apply to NAWA for the recognition statement, if you need it. Do this early.
- Get your language certificate, or sit the university's test.
- Apply to the university and receive your admission letter. The university decides on admission.
- Apply for the D visa for studies at the consulate, with the admission letter, the NAWA statement and the rest of the consulate's list.
- In Poland, before the visa expires, apply in MOS for a temporary residence permit for studies. The stamp duty is 340 zł; the residence card costs 100 zł, or 50 zł at the reduced rate for students.
Leave enough time
Each step depends on the one before it. NAWA issues the recognition statement free of charge through its online system, but allow up to 60 days. Apostilles and sworn translations take time too, and language exams run on fixed dates. Universities' admission rounds and consulates' appointment calendars don't wait. As a rule of thumb, start with the documents and the NAWA statement as soon as you have chosen a programme.
Working while you study
Full-time students at Polish universities approved by the Interior Ministry can work without a work permit or a declaration, as long as they keep their student status. Work during an internship that is part of the programme doesn't need a permit either. Graduates of Polish universities are exempt too. Keep your student card or diploma at hand: the labour inspectorate asks for it.
Part-time (extramural) students and students of language courses don't have this exemption.
Where we help
We help students from Central Asia and many other countries through every step: legalising and translating documents, the NAWA statement, the language certificate, the application and the residence permit after arrival. See study at a Polish university.
Questions
Yes. Many Polish universities run bachelor's and master's programmes in English. You then need B2 English, shown by a certificate or the university's own test.
The NAWA statement for the visa applies to first-cycle (bachelor's) and long-cycle master's programmes. Second-cycle master's applicants still need their diploma recognised and B2 in the language of study.
A national D visa for studies lets you enter and start. Before it expires, you apply in MOS for a temporary residence permit for studies, which covers the rest of your programme.
Sources
Written by Legacy Advisory team
General information, not advice on your case. Rules change; check the date above.