Poland has significantly cut the number of humanitarian visas for citizens of Belarus, following increased security concerns and misuse reports.
As the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed, mass issuance of these visas for Belarusian citizens has been restricted. Poland’s humanitarian visa is now available only for Belarusians facing a real threat to their life, health, or criminal prosecution for actions against the Belarus authorities, Schengen.News reports.
Obtaining a visa for humanitarian reasons should be linked to real situations directly related to a threat to the life or health of the applicant and their immediate family or criminal liability for actions directed against the Belarusian authorities.
Following the repression by Lukashenko’s regime after August 2020, Poland was granting humanitarian visas without any verification or controls.
The Polish government kept in place minimal rules for these applicants, with Belarusians being required to submit only a few documents, and also processed humanitarian visas urgently free of charge.
The case is not the same now. Data show that over the past four years, over 53,500 humanitarian visas were granted to Belarusian citizens. On the other hand, in 2024, Poland granted only 500 humanitarian visas to Belarusians, Rzeczpospolita explains.
Poland’s Humanitarian Visa Issued Only Once As a Single Entry
The two main reasons that pushed the Polish authorities to cut humanitarian visas for Belarusians are the misuse of such visas and security concerns.
As the authorities explained, many Belarusians used humanitarian visas to travel to the Schengen member states and for frequent visits to Poland. Moreover, the authorities warned that the Belarusian regime exploited humanitarian visas to bring secret agents to the bloc.
To restore the meaning and purpose of humanitarian visas, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland explained that several changes have been made.
As Rzeczpospolita notes, the humanitarian visa of Poland is now issued only once as a national single entry to ensure that those who need the document have the possibility to safely leave Belarus, but not misuse the visa.
A humanitarian visa is currently issued once, and as a single-entry national visa in order to ensure the possibility of safe departure from the country of origin.
The Ministry further emphasised that Belarusians may apply for a humanitarian visa only once. Reapplication is possible only in exceptional circumstances.
The Ministry also said that if a Belarusian citizen wants to apply for a Polish humanitarian visa from a country other than Belarus, they need to submit additional justification along with their application.
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