Just days into the new year, Polish consular posts on five continents have begun charging higher prices for almost every service. The updated tariff, published as an annex to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regulation of 29 October 2025, entered into force on 1 January 2026 and lifts most categories by roughly a quarter. A D-type national visa issued in Chicago now costs USD 218, while a temporary passport processed outside office hours has soared to USD 118.
Warsaw argues the increase simply reflects a decade of inflation and higher logistics costs for secure documents. Consular officials note that some fees, such as notarial deeds and civil-status acts, had not been updated since 2013. They claim the extra income will finance cybersecurity upgrades, additional staff and better appointment-booking systems, ultimately shortening queues for visa applicants and expatriates.
Against this backdrop, VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) can shoulder the paperwork and fee calculations for travellers and HR teams alike. The service auto-fills Polish consular forms, checks document completeness, and converts the revised fees into local currency, minimising the risk of underpaid or incomplete submissions and ensuring a smoother, faster application experience.
![Polish consulates worldwide raise most fees by 20-25 % under new 2026 tariff]()
For corporate mobility teams, the hike is immediate and global. Employees renewing passports or applying for entry visas at Polish missions in New York, Mumbai or Manila will all pay the new rates. Companies that bulk-refund consular charges must update internal expense policies or risk under-reimbursing staff. Where applicants must advance the money personally, higher upfront costs could deter short-term assignees.
Practical tip: finance departments should adjust per-diem guidelines to reflect the new visa costs, and mobility managers should circulate the ministry’s official fee table so travellers are not caught out. Service providers such as VisaHQ have already embedded live pricing data into their booking engines, enabling HR to budget accurately for 2026 deployments.
Longer term, analysts expect consular revenues to stabilise after an initial spike. Demand for Polish visas—particularly from Ukraine, India and the Philippines—remains robust, driven by labour shortages in manufacturing and logistics. Unless Warsaw announces further increases, the new tariff is likely to stay in place for several years.
Warsaw argues the increase simply reflects a decade of inflation and higher logistics costs for secure documents. Consular officials note that some fees, such as notarial deeds and civil-status acts, had not been updated since 2013. They claim the extra income will finance cybersecurity upgrades, additional staff and better appointment-booking systems, ultimately shortening queues for visa applicants and expatriates.
Against this backdrop, VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) can shoulder the paperwork and fee calculations for travellers and HR teams alike. The service auto-fills Polish consular forms, checks document completeness, and converts the revised fees into local currency, minimising the risk of underpaid or incomplete submissions and ensuring a smoother, faster application experience.
For corporate mobility teams, the hike is immediate and global. Employees renewing passports or applying for entry visas at Polish missions in New York, Mumbai or Manila will all pay the new rates. Companies that bulk-refund consular charges must update internal expense policies or risk under-reimbursing staff. Where applicants must advance the money personally, higher upfront costs could deter short-term assignees.
Practical tip: finance departments should adjust per-diem guidelines to reflect the new visa costs, and mobility managers should circulate the ministry’s official fee table so travellers are not caught out. Service providers such as VisaHQ have already embedded live pricing data into their booking engines, enabling HR to budget accurately for 2026 deployments.
Longer term, analysts expect consular revenues to stabilise after an initial spike. Demand for Polish visas—particularly from Ukraine, India and the Philippines—remains robust, driven by labour shortages in manufacturing and logistics. Unless Warsaw announces further increases, the new tariff is likely to stay in place for several years.
