What the refusal decision contains

The refusal to issue a national visa is made by a decision, issued on a form (Art. 75 paras. 1 and 2 of the Act on Foreigners). The decision gives the legal basis and the reasons for the refusal, and instructions on the application for reconsideration and the manner of filing it. In the case of a Schengen visa the decision is given on the standard form from Annex VI to the Visa Code (Art. 32 para. 2). Write down the date of delivery - the deadlines run from it.

The most common grounds for refusal

The grounds for refusing a national visa are listed in Art. 65 para. 1 of the Act on Foreigners. They include, among others:

  • an entry in the list of foreigners whose stay is undesirable, or an entry in the Schengen Information System (points 1 and 2),
  • a lack of sufficient financial means or of health or medical insurance (points 3 and 4),
  • reasons of security and public order (point 5),
  • false data, false information or a forged document (point 7),
  • failure to show the purpose or conditions of stay (point 8),
  • doubts about the intention to leave Poland before the end of the validity of the visa or about the credibility of the statements on the purpose of stay (points 9 and 10).

For a Schengen visa the grounds are given in Art. 32 para. 1 of the Visa Code. They include a false travel document, no confirmation of the purpose and conditions of stay, no means of subsistence, 90 days already used in the current 180-day period, an entry in the SIS, a threat to public order and serious doubts about the authenticity of the documents or the intention to leave before the end of the validity of the visa.

Reconsideration of the case

Against a decision of the consul or of the Minister of Foreign Affairs an application for reconsideration of the case by the same authority lies. Against a decision of the commander of a Border Guard unit, for example one issued at the border, an appeal lies to the Commander-in-Chief of the Border Guard (Art. 76 para. 1).

  • Deadline. You submit the application within 14 days of the delivery of the decision (Art. 76 para. 2).
  • Examination. The authority examines the application within 14 days (Art. 76 para. 3).
  • A decision upholding the refusal. It is issued on a form and gives the reasons. For a Schengen visa it also contains a statement of reasons and instructions on a complaint to the administrative court, the amount of the court fee and the possibility of applying for an exemption from costs (Art. 76 paras. 4 and 5).

The Visa Code gives persons who were refused a visa the right to appeal. The proceedings are conducted against the state that took the final decision, according to its national law (Art. 32 para. 3). The procedure is described in the instructions in the decision.

A new application and fees

Instead of an application for reconsideration you can submit a new visa application. This makes sense when you remove the reason for the refusal, for example by supplementing the confirmation of the purpose of stay, insurance or means of subsistence. If a Schengen visa was refused at the border, the stamp duty paid is not refunded (Art. 77d, applies to applications from 5 March 2026).

Deadlines for issuing a national visa

A national visa is issued or refused within 15 days of submitting the application. In justified cases the deadline can be extended to 30 days (Art. 74a paras. 1 and 2). For visas for the purpose of studies, scientific research, an internship and European voluntary service a 30-day deadline applies (Art. 65 para. 1f). See also work visa and student visa.

A visa refusal does not decide your other residence matters. If a letter is unclear, we can explain it - see explaining letters and decisions.