Summer 2004 issue

A Note To Tourists

TRAVELLING TO POLAND THIS SUMMER? CHECK YOUR PASSPORT AND YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE!

If you’re planning a trip to Poland this summer, you’d better check two things: your passport and your health insurance!

American citizens visiting Poland must have valid passports. Check the dates of validity in your passport: if it’s about to expire, renew it now! Poland will not admit you unless you have a valid passport. If you ask us to issue an emergency passport at the airport, it will cost you $60/quarter hour of consular time, and the procedure usually takes at least two hours. Remember, too, that American passports for children under sixteen are valid for five, not ten years (unlike Polish passports for juveniles).

If you have dual nationality, remember that you must bring valid American and Polish passports. From our perspective, Polish-American citizens are Americans; from Poland’s perspective, Polish-American citizens are Polish. Each country requires its citizens to enter and leave with their own national passport. If you are or can be deemed a Polish citizen, you may be barred from departing Poland until you get a Polish passport. In the summer season, that process could take up to two months.

Finally, check your health insurance! New regulations adopted as a result of Poland’s joining the European Union May 1 enable Polish immigration to ask you for proof of medical insurance or sufficient financial resources in case of an accident or hospitalization while in Poland. If you can’t show that (a) your health insurance covers you in Poland; (b) you have traveler’s health insurance; or (c) you have financial resources of at least 400 zlotys/day, you might be denied admission. Medicare does not cover travelers in Poland.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Welcome to our Readers || All Visa Applicants To Be Fingerscanned || A Note to Tourists || 2004 Elections Swiftly Approaching || Windfall Elimination Provision || ASSISTING VICTIMS OF CRIME IN POLAND || ASSISTING THOSE ACCUSED OF CRIMES || VISA REFUSALS AND AMERICAN CITIZEN SERVICES || The Diversity Visa Program || Work And Travel Program Brings Polish Students To the United States || How Can I Get Answers To My Consular Questions?