...do I have to apply for a new visa?
If you hold a national visa and the last day of its validity will be during the period of an epidemic emergency or an epidemic state, following special regulations introduced on 31.03.2020 and 18.04.2020, the legal stay based on such a visa is automatically extended until the 30th day following the date of cancellation of the epidemic state/epidemic emergency (the state that was last in force). Legal stay under this visa is extended automatically - it does not require any new visa sticker in your passport.
This is an exceptional solution and was introduced due to the need to limit as much as possible the direct customer service by the state administration in the face of the prevailing epidemic. The government of the Republic of Poland reported the introduction of this solution to the European Commission and other countries so that foreigners holding extended documents can travel within the Schengen area. However, until the position of individual states is known, this does not guarantee the entry into their territory. Therefore, before starting your journey, make sure that you will be able to enter the territory of a given country based on an extended document. The best source of information will be the national border services.
If you have received a decision to grant a temporary residence permit for the purpose of performing work that requires higher qualifications, the so-called Blue Card, you may apply for a visa to execute the permit, i.e. enter Poland to collect your residence card. The visa is then issued in a simplified procedure. To obtain this visa, you should contact the Polish consular or diplomatic post in your closest vicinity. The addresses of Polish diplomatic and consular posts abroad are available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
You will find up-to-date information on restrictions on the functioning of The Office of Wielkopolska Province in Poznań HERE.
