The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Ukrainian side, has been involved — for a period of time now — in the preparation to provide consular assistance during UEFA EURO 2012 and the efficient issuing of visas for football fans and UEFA EURO 2012 participants.

The citizens of only two countries whose teams are to play in the Euro 2012: Russia and Ukraine, are required to have Polish visas. Poles and the citizens of the other EU Member States, on the other hand, do not need Ukrainian visas for the period of up to 90 days. However, they do need a valid passport to cross the border.

1. For the Euro 2012 participants (football players, referees, doctors, UEFA and FIFA staff) Polish consular posts will issue free-of-charge, long-term, multi-entry visas on the basis of the original letter by the UEFA or national football federation; personal appearance in the consulate is not required.

2. Fans (citizens of countries required to have visas) will receive visas on the basis of the original UEFA EURO 2012 tickets. It does not, however, deprive the consular post of the right to refuse to issue visas to persons whose names are to be found in the Schengen Information System (SIS) or included in the list of persons whose entry to Poland is undesirable.

3. Organised groups are allowed to submit collective visa requests – personal appearance in the consulate is not required. Organised groups applying for visas for UEFA Euro 2012 will be given preferential treatment.

4. For the duration of UEFA EURO 2012 all Polish consulates in Russia and Ukraine will provide a separate visa corridor, requiring no early registration of the visa application online submission date.

5. A maximum number of visa desks are to be operational within the limits of a given consulate infrastructure. After teams qualify to the following stages of the tournament (if Russian or Ukrainian teams qualify to quarter- or semifinals in Poland), consulates in these countries will operate in a two-shift system, also on Saturdays and Sundays.

6. Fans arriving in Poland for UEFA EURO 2012 without valid tickets may apply for regular tourist visas after a standard visa application procedure. Consular posts will make every effort to process such applications without delay.

7. They appeal to all football fans required to have visas to Poland, in particular to fans from Ukraine and Russia, to start appropriate consular procedures as soon as possible – visa applications for UEFA EURO 2012 may be submitted as early as March 2012.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)