Entering Poland to cost more: MSWiA proposes higher financial means for foreigners

What MSWiA proposes

On 14 October 2026 the Ministry of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA) published a draft regulation amending the regulation of 23 February 2015 on the financial means required from a foreigner entering the territory of the Republic of Poland, the documents that may confirm the possibility of obtaining such means, and the purpose and duration of the planned stay (Dz.U. 2015 poz. 326, consolidated text: Dz.U. 2017 poz. 2122). The draft has number 1351 on the legislative work list and has been sent for inter-ministerial agreement, public consultation and opinions in the Government Legislation Centre (RCL).

The change concerns the amounts a foreigner must show when entering Poland. According to the draft, the regulation would enter into force 30 days after its publication.

Current and proposed amounts

Stay of up to 4 days. At present a foreigner must show at least PLN 300 (or the equivalent in foreign currency). In the draft: PLN 1,000.

Stay longer than 4 days. At present: PLN 75 for each day of the planned stay. In the draft: PLN 300 for each day — four times more.

Preferential rates. They apply to participants in tourist events, youth camps and sports competitions, foreigners whose costs of stay in Poland have been prepaid, patients at medical and spa facilities, and participants in international holiday-work programmes (provided that work is not the main purpose of the stay). At present: PLN 20 per day, not less than PLN 100 in total. In the draft: PLN 130 per day, not less than PLN 650 in total. The explanatory memorandum states that prepaid accommodation and meals do not remove the need to have funds for additional or unforeseen expenses.

Studies, education and research. This applies to foreigners who come to start or continue studies or education, carry out development work, take part in training or in scientific research. At present: PLN 1,270 for the first two months of the stay. In the draft: PLN 2,020.

What it means in practice

Examples (the editorial team’s own calculation based on the amounts in the draft): for a 4-day stay the required amount would rise from PLN 300 to PLN 1,000. For a 10-day stay from PLN 750 (10 × PLN 75) to PLN 3,000 (10 × PLN 300). For a 30-day stay from PLN 2,250 to PLN 9,000. For a person starting studies — from PLN 1,270 to PLN 2,020, that is PLN 750 more.

The amounts set the minimum a foreigner must show on entry. The regulation also lists documents that may confirm the possibility of obtaining such means. The assessment in a specific case is carried out by the Border Guard (Straż Graniczna) during the border check.

Separately from subsistence funds, funds for the return journey apply. According to MSWiA, if a foreigner has no return ticket, they must show an amount equal to the value of the ticket used to arrive, but not less than PLN 200 (arrival from a country neighbouring Poland), PLN 500 (from another EU Member State) or PLN 2,500 (from a non-EU country).

Why MSWiA wants to raise the amounts

According to the explanatory memorandum, the current amounts have remained unchanged since 2016, and between 2016 and 2025 cumulative consumer price inflation reached about 56.6% (GUS data quoted in the memorandum). As a result, PLN 75 a day no longer reflects real living costs.

The second reason is compliance with European Union law. Art. 6(1)(c) of the Schengen Borders Code (Regulation (EU) 2016/399) requires a third-country national entering for a stay of up to 90 days in any 180-day period to show sufficient means of subsistence — for the stay and for the return or transit. Under Art. 6(4) the means are assessed against the average cost of cheap accommodation and food in the given Member State, and Member States notify their reference amounts to the European Commission. According to the memorandum, PLN 75 is only about EUR 17–18 a day, while the proposed PLN 300 is about EUR 70 — a level close to Croatia, Slovenia and Estonia.

MSWiA derives the PLN 2,020 for students and researchers from the income criterion in social assistance. According to the memorandum, in 2015 the amount of PLN 1,270 was set as twice the then criterion for a single person (PLN 634). Since 1 January 2025 this criterion has been PLN 1,010 (Council of Ministers regulation of 12 July 2024, Dz.U. 2024 poz. 1044), and 2 × PLN 1,010 gives PLN 2,020.

Where the draft stands

On 14 October 2026 the draft was sent for inter-ministerial agreement, public consultation and opinions in the RCL. It is only a draft: the amounts and the date of entry into force may change during the work. Until the new regulation is published and enters into force, the current amounts apply.

If the draft is adopted in its present form, the new amounts will apply 30 days after the regulation is published in the Dziennik Ustaw (Journal of Laws).