Poland’s embassy in Doha has announced a change that will soon apply to all overseas outposts using the e-Konsulat appointment system for short-stay (type C) Schengen visas. Beginning 1 March 2026, applicants must choose one of three purpose-of-travel categories—Tourism/Other, Business, or Family & Friends—when reserving a slot. The first appointments under the new taxonomy go live in the night of 21 February.
Why it matters. Poland’s consular network struggles with bot-driven booking and scalping, particularly in high-demand markets such as India, the Gulf and West Africa. Breaking the queue into clearer purpose streams should, officials say, reduce no-shows and allow consuls to allocate more daily capacity to business travellers during peak trade-fair seasons. Long-stay national-visa bookings remain unchanged.
Operational impact for corporates. Mobility and travel teams arranging Polish trips from Qatar and neighbouring jurisdictions must ensure employees select the “Business” category; bookings made in the wrong bucket may be refused at the counter, causing project delays. Travel agencies should update training materials and automated form-fillers this week. The embassy hints that similar filtering will be rolled out at missions in India and Nigeria later this year.
![Warsaw simplifies e-Konsulat bookings: three purpose-based categories from 1 March]()
Need a hand steering through these new requirements? VisaHQ can monitor slot releases, pre-check your paperwork and book the right category on your behalf—whether you’re travelling for business, tourism or to visit family. Explore our Poland services at https://www.visahq.com/poland/
Context. The move follows last month’s internal audit which showed up to 28 % of slots in Doha were lost to speculative holders. Poland has already introduced CAPTCHA, SMS verification and paid premium queues in some countries; purpose-based triage is the next layer.
Practical tips. • Inform travellers that the drop-down menu has changed. • Check confirmation e-mails—category appears in the subject line. • Supporting documents must match the declared purpose (e.g., invitation letters for business). • If the wrong category is chosen, delete and re-book rather than appear at the window.
Long-term outlook. Polish consulates are expected to integrate e-Konsulat with the EU’s upcoming Uniform Visa Application Platform in 2027, allowing cross-mission transfers of unused slots and real-time data on demand.
Why it matters. Poland’s consular network struggles with bot-driven booking and scalping, particularly in high-demand markets such as India, the Gulf and West Africa. Breaking the queue into clearer purpose streams should, officials say, reduce no-shows and allow consuls to allocate more daily capacity to business travellers during peak trade-fair seasons. Long-stay national-visa bookings remain unchanged.
Operational impact for corporates. Mobility and travel teams arranging Polish trips from Qatar and neighbouring jurisdictions must ensure employees select the “Business” category; bookings made in the wrong bucket may be refused at the counter, causing project delays. Travel agencies should update training materials and automated form-fillers this week. The embassy hints that similar filtering will be rolled out at missions in India and Nigeria later this year.
Need a hand steering through these new requirements? VisaHQ can monitor slot releases, pre-check your paperwork and book the right category on your behalf—whether you’re travelling for business, tourism or to visit family. Explore our Poland services at https://www.visahq.com/poland/
Context. The move follows last month’s internal audit which showed up to 28 % of slots in Doha were lost to speculative holders. Poland has already introduced CAPTCHA, SMS verification and paid premium queues in some countries; purpose-based triage is the next layer.
Practical tips. • Inform travellers that the drop-down menu has changed. • Check confirmation e-mails—category appears in the subject line. • Supporting documents must match the declared purpose (e.g., invitation letters for business). • If the wrong category is chosen, delete and re-book rather than appear at the window.
Long-term outlook. Polish consulates are expected to integrate e-Konsulat with the EU’s upcoming Uniform Visa Application Platform in 2027, allowing cross-mission transfers of unused slots and real-time data on demand.
