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Poland Business Harbour in Poland

A Polish government programme for relocating IT specialists, start-up founders and technology-sector companies: a simplified visa procedure plus a package of help with registering a business and moving staff and their families. Applications are suspended: the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has suspended its involvement, and the programme's website carries a notice of suspension.

Source: gov.pl — Poland Business Harbour

Who could obtain it

The programme divided applicants into three tracks. Each track requires its own document confirming the purpose of the trip. Applications are currently suspended, but the requirements for the tracks have not been removed from the official gov.pl pages.

IT specialists

  • Citizenship of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia or Ukraine — the simplified procedure is designed for them
  • Technical education in IT or at least a year of experience in the sector
  • Experience is proved by an employment record book, work contracts or the tax returns of a sole trader
  • A document showing interest from a company that is a partner of the programme is required
  • A partner's recommendation is also required for those working as sole traders
  • Documents do not have to be translated into Polish

Start-up founders

  • A document on admission to the Poland Prize programme is required
  • The route begins by approaching a Poland Prize operator — an accelerator or a fund
  • The operator examines the application as a priority and decides on the fast visa track
  • After arrival, the operator and PARP help with the formalities: the work permit, company registration and legalising long-term stay

Small, medium and large businesses

  • A document on admission to the programme of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) is required
  • PAIH advises on moving a company or setting up a branch
  • The agency helps to choose a location and office and to find business partners
  • Information on tax reliefs and grants for new investments is prepared separately
  • Support in dealings with the administration — including on visa matters and legalising stay

What it costs

Participation in the Poland Business Harbour programme0 PLN

Documents to gather

The list of documents is published on the 'Visa' page of the programme's website. The same package is submitted for a spouse and children.

  • A completed and signed national visa application form, printed from the e-konsulat system
  • A current biometric photograph measuring 3.5 × 4.5 cm
  • A passport issued within the last ten years and valid for at least three months beyond the planned date of return
  • The passport must have at least two free pages for the visa
  • Copies of every passport page carrying data and endorsements
  • A health insurance policy for the period of the visa, valid in the EU, with cover of at least 30,000 euro
  • For an IT specialist: a diploma in technical IT education or documents on a year's experience in the sector
  • For an IT specialist: a document showing interest from a company that is a partner of the programme; a recommended template is published on the programme's website
  • For a start-up founder: a document on admission to the Poland Prize programme
  • For an entrepreneur: a document on admission to the PAIH programme
  • Translations of documents into Polish are not required

How the process runs

The procedure is set out on the programme's pages for IT specialists and start-ups. The decision to issue a visa is taken by Poland's diplomatic missions.

  1. 1

    Check the status of the programme

    The programme's website carries a notice of its suspension, and the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a communiqué on the suspension of its involvement. Until the suspension is lifted, the remaining steps are not available.

  2. 2

    Obtain confirmation of the purpose of the trip

    An IT specialist obtains a document showing interest from a partner company, a start-up founder obtains confirmation of participation in Poland Prize, and a company obtains confirmation from PAIH.

  3. 3

    Book an appointment to file at the consulate

    You need to contact the Polish consulate and complete the visa application form. Once an appointment is booked, the documents are submitted in person at the consulate, through a visa centre for a fee, or sent by post. Applications under the programme were examined as a priority.

  4. 4

    Declare that you are moving with your family

    You must tell the consul straight away if you intend to come with your family. The same set of documents is prepared for a spouse and children.

  5. 5

    Await the consul's decision

    2–5 weeks

    The timeline depends on the country, the number of applications filed and the workload of the consular office. The visa was usually issued within two to five weeks of applying to the consulate or visa centre.

  6. 6

    Enter Poland on the national visa

    Once the application is approved, the consulate issues a national visa. With it the applicant crosses the border and enters Poland.

  7. 7

    Legalise long-term stay

    To stay beyond the period of the visa, a foreign national applies for a residence permit at the voivodeship office for their place of residence. There is no need to leave Poland to do so.

Timelines and rights

Work

IT specialists are advised to apply on the general basis: an ordinary work visa, where the requirements are met, confers the right to work in Poland.

Who you can bring with you

Participation in the programme allowed visas to be obtained for the family members of an IT specialist and of relocated company staff.

Spouse
Submits the same set of documents to the same consulate.
Children
The documents are prepared on the same basis as for the main applicant.
Children continuing their education at Polish schools
Are entitled to additional hours of Polish language tuition.
All family members
The consul is told about the move with the family straight away when the filing appointment is booked.

Renewal and the grace period

The Poland Business Harbour visa could be obtained only at Polish diplomatic missions outside the EU. It cannot be extended inside Poland. To stay longer, a foreign national applies for a residence permit at the voivodeship office for their place of residence; there is no need to leave Poland to do so. Holders of a visa marked «Poland Business Harbour» are entitled to work in Poland without a work permit for the period of the visa, and to run their own business.

Frequently asked questions about Poland Business Harbour

Is the programme running now?
No. The Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, decided to suspend the ministry's involvement in the Poland Business Harbour programme until decisions are taken to guarantee proper vetting of the firms and foreign nationals who benefit from it. The communiqué was published on 26 January 2024.
What is offered instead of the programme?
The ministry states that foreign nationals seeking work in Poland's IT sector may apply for a visa on the general basis and, where all the requirements are met, obtain a visa with the right to work in Poland. Separately, the ministry undertook to work on improving visa procedures for the business sector.
How did the programme's visa differ from an ordinary work visa?
The main difference was the ability to work in Poland without obtaining a work permit and the right to run your own business. Participation in the programme also allowed visas to be obtained for the family members of an IT specialist or of relocated company staff. It was enough for the employer to place a scan of the visa in the employee's personnel file.
Can you set up as a sole trader and work under B2B contracts?
Yes. Beneficiaries of government programmes, including PBH, register a business in Poland on the same terms as Polish citizens. The basis is the Act of 6 March 2018 on the participation of foreign entrepreneurs in economic activity. Registration is done through the CEIDG system or in person at the city or gmina office; the foreign national needs a registered address in Poland.
How long did the visa take?
The waiting time depended on the country, the number of applications filed and the workload of the consular office. The visa could usually be obtained within two to five weeks of the foreign national applying to the consulate or visa centre.
Is participation in the programme paid?
No. Participation in the PBH programme is free both for the company and for the employee, and no additional obligations are imposed on them. The notice on the programme's website says so directly: on filing an application the applicant bears no costs other than health insurance.
Can documents be filed outside the country of citizenship?
Under the current rules, a visa application is filed in the country of residence — as a rule the country of citizenship — or in the country where the foreign national holds a permanent residence permit. In exceptional situations, with the consul's agreement, the visa may be obtained in other countries outside the Schengen area; this requires an appointment through the e-konsulat system, and the consulate may require reasons to be given.
What did a start-up receive besides the visa?
Start-ups went through the operators of the Poland Prize programme. At the first stage — soft landing and development — a start-up could receive a grant of no more than 50 thousand zloty for activities lasting up to three months. At the second stage, for teams with a documented business partner, the grant reached 250 thousand zloty for acceleration.
How did a company get onto the programme's list of partners?
A Polish firm completed an application form setting out its need for IT staff. Once checked, the application was published on the programme's page for IT specialists. The check took around 30 days; questions about changing details and about the status of an application were sent to govtech@kprm.gov.pl.
What law was the programme based on?
The programme has no separate statute. The government bodies ran it within their existing tasks and powers, so there was no need to create a legal basis of its own. The right to work without a work permit is laid down by the regulation of the Minister of Development, Labour and Technology of 20 November 2020.

Other ways to move to Poland

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Poland.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.