Since Poland joined the EU on 1 May 2004, all nationals of the EU and EEA member states, as well as those of Switzerland, have been able to enter Poland without having to obtain a visa, simply based on a valid travel document (passport or national identity card) issued by their state of origin confirming their identity and citizenship.
The current 27 member states of the EU are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
The EEA member states are all EU member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Switzerland is not an EU or EEA member state.
A total of 27 states, including 23 EU states (except for Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland and Romania) and four non-EU members (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), are bound to the full set of rules in the Schengen Agreement, which deals with the abolition of systematic border controls among the participating countries. On 21 December 2007, Poland joined the Schengen Agreement, which means that, as of then, there are no internal borders (on land or water) between Poland and other EU countries. The air borders at airports were internally opened for the other Schengen zone countries on 30 March 2008.
Following the Schengen Agreement, Council Regulation (EC) No. 539/2001 of 15 March 2001 (with further amendments) states that nationals of the following countries are not required to possess a visa for entry and stay as tourists for a period not exceeding three months when crossing the external borders of the Schengen Agreement member states:
Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Canada, Costa Rica, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia (only individuals with biometric passports), Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, the Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Salvador, San Marino, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Ukraine (only individuals with biometric passports; please note the exception below), the United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vatican City, Special Administrative Regions of the Mainland China: Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR.
As a basic rule in Polish law, a foreign national who is a citizen of two or more states will be treated as a citizen of the state whose travel document was used for entry into Poland.
A specific legal regime is in place for UK citizens and their family members who started residing and working in Poland before Brexit and continue to do so after Brexit. Namely, UK citizens and their family members may apply for a temporary residence permit (zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy) or a permanent residence permit (zezwolenie na pobyt stały) to legalize their stay and work in Poland, based on the fact that they were duly authorized to stay in Poland on 31 January 2020 (the day preceding Brexit). In other cases, UK citizens are treated as non-EU citizens, meaning that it is necessary to ensure that their residence (e.g., a Schengen visa-free period) and work authorization (e.g., a work permit) are appropriate for their assignment. UK citizens may stay in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days without a visa.