How to get Polish entry/exit stamps in passport when entering the Schengen area in a country other than Poland

This isn't just just to get a stamp for curiosity sake, but to officially document visits to Poland.

When going to Poland from my part of the US, cost effective flights do not fly directly to Warsaw, but enter the Schengen area through other European cities then fly on to Warsaw. My passport would be stamped in that entry city, then the Warsaw flight would be considered 'local'.

Yes, I can fly through Chicago or Toronto then take Lot direct but for some reason those flights are running double the cost.

When entering/exiting Poland to/from other Schengen countries, how does one document their presence in Poland specifically?

If you're staying for more than a month you can register with the local authority:

welcome.uw.edu.pl/during-your-stay/registration-of-address/

Thank you, it sounds like I can register of my own free will if my visit is under 30 days?

"If you entered Poland on the basis of an agreement which enables the abolition or limitation of the visa requirement, you can register on the basis of a stamp placed in the travel document, which confirms the submission of an application for a residence permit."

In other words I can go there and just get a stamp?

It wouldn't.

Unless you went through the barrier to landslide rather than stayed airside. To stay airside as a transit passenger, your luggage would need to be checked in through to Warsaw though, assuming you bring checked in luggage at all.


It wouldn't be a passport stamp. It would be a registration and you'd get a bit of paper.

Using Frankfurt as an example (I'm sure other airports may be different), On their site (frankfurt-airport.com/en/flights-and-transfer/transferring-at-fra.html) it says:

Admittedly, It's been a few years since I've been to FRA, but I seem to remember different terminals for international (non-Schengen) flights and 'domestic' (intra-Schengen) flights, and to go from one to the other we had to 'pass the border' and got our entry stamp there. I can't imagine that a flight from FRA to WAW would require passport checks from people disembarking because wouldn't they assume everyone has already cleared passport control?

Yes, you might have to go through the Schengen border there in which case your stamp would be from Frankfurt.

Even within the EU you don't pass the Schengen border (leaving or entering) without passport control. International airports always have separate Schengen/Non-Schengen departure (after check in before going to the gate) and arrival areas (the bus takes you to a separate entrance to get to luggage claim).

A few years ago flying to Croatia from Poland (Iand back) with a Munich layover I was checked both ways.

There will normally be no passport control from FRA to WAW.

How long are you planning on being in Poland?

In general for an American citizen the idea is that you have X number of days in Schengen within Y period of time (I forget the exact details).

If you'll be applying for a longer term visa, then keep your tickets and/or boarding passes for good measure though I would assume the Polish government has access to flight records for establishing how long you've been in Poland.

Yes, that's how it is now.

It is for proving presence in Poland while in possession of a Polish permanent residency (not the EU one).

How would one prove a short stay (if the situation ever arises)? Longer stays could be proven with leases, etc as stated above.

Let's use this trip as an example:

Fly from US through FRA to WAW
Stay 2 weeks
Fly back the same way.

I would have 2 FRA stamps in my passport, but none from Poland. Wondering how I can get Polish stamps as proof of presence.

@jclhol
If you do not enter into Poland from outside the Schengen area, you will not get a stamp. The passport stamp for residency only takes place when you have your in person meeting and give your finger prints. The last time I did that was a few years ago, but the wait time in Krakow was about eight months.

If you're staying in a hotel, you'd have proof. Otherwise you could use any bank statements that show credit/debit card use for the period of your stay. You could also get a mobile/cell phone sim card. You need to show ID/Passport when you register your mobile number. It would prove you were in Poland at that time. You could even set up a doctor's appointment at a private medical service for something simple like a blood pressure check. Then you'd have a record of that. There are lots of ways you can document a visit.

As others have said you can keep tickets etc. If they're e-bookings you can print off the bookings and keep the. A stamp in the passport is not a thing anymore.

For 20 years, I haven't had a passport in which anything could be stamped, I only have a plastic ID card that cannot be stamped.