Travellers to Poland May Need Four Times More Cash Under Draft Plan

Poland's interior ministry has put forward a draft regulation that would require foreign nationals entering the country to show considerably more money than they do today. Under the proposal, the standard daily financial requirement would quadruple, with separate thresholds for tourists, students and certain other groups.

Key facts

• Short visits (up to four days): at least 1,000 złoty (about €229), up from 300 złoty (about €69)
• Longer stays: 300 złoty per day for the whole visit, up from 75 złoty (about €17) per day
• Students and researchers: 2,020 złoty (about €462) for the first two months, up from 1,270 złoty (about €291)
• Visitors with prepaid accommodation and meals: 130 złoty (about €30) per day, minimum 650 złoty (about €149)
• Start date: 30 days after publication in Poland's Journal of Laws, if adopted

What is changing?

Foreign visitors staying up to four days would generally need to hold at least 1,000 złoty, compared with 300 złoty now. For stays longer than that, the requirement would rise from 75 złoty to 300 złoty per day, calculated for the entire length of the visit.

Travellers with prepaid accommodation and meals, along with certain other categories of visitors, would face a rate of 130 złoty per day and a minimum of 650 złoty — up from 20 złoty per day and a minimum of 100 złoty. Students and researchers would need 2,020 złoty for the first two months of their planned stay. The draft also allows funds to be demonstrated in foreign currencies.

Who is affected?

The revised thresholds apply to foreign nationals subject to Poland's entry requirements. The draft sets out separate provisions for tourists, students and certain other groups, but the material does not name specific nationalities or list which travellers are exempt.

Why is this happening?

Poland's interior ministry pointed to inflation and rising living costs over the past decade, arguing that the existing thresholds no longer reflect actual subsistence expenses. According to the draft's explanatory notes, the new amounts would move Poland closer to the financial requirements applied in Schengen countries with comparable living costs, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania and Estonia.

What this means for travellers

Nothing changes yet: the text is still a draft, published on the Government Legislation Center's (RCL) website. Travellers planning a trip to Poland should factor in the higher proposed amounts and confirm the figures that apply to their category of visit before departure.

No date has been announced for adopting the regulation. If it is approved, it would take effect 30 days after its publication in Poland's Journal of Laws.