Poland’s Inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program
FACTSHEET
- As of September 30, 2019, Poland has completed all necessary bilateral security agreements and has met the required B1/B2 visa refusal rate, and has qualified to be nominated for membership in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, which means Polish citizens are able to travel to the United States for business and tourism in most cases without a visa.
- The final category B1/B2 (tourism/business) visa refusal rate for Polish nationals worldwide for the fiscal year ending on September 30, 2019 was under 3%.
- Beginning from November 11, 2019, Polish citizens have been able to travel to the United States without visas, upon obtaining an approval from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) online. Travelers are encouraged to apply for ESTA at least 72 hours before the planned trip.
- Visa-free travelers must have passports with embedded computer chips, and must obtain an ESTA, which currently costs $21 and is valid for up to two years for multiple trips to the United States.
- Travelers should only use the official ESTA website at “esta.cbp.dhs.gov”.
- Polish citizens wishing to travel in the United States for longer than 90 days, or who wish to engage in activities requiring other visa categories (e.g., to work or to study in the United States) still need to apply for the appropriate category of visa. Polish citizens who are denied ESTA also need to apply for a visa.
- Complete details on the Visa Waiver Program (including ESTA) are available on the U.S. Embassy’s website: https://pl.usembassy.gov, as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s ESTA website at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov, and the State Department’s travel website at http://travel.state.gov.
