Poland

The Polish IT sector is one of the most vital and robust industries within the national economy, with good fundamentals and further growth prospects. About 70% of major IT companies in Poland belong to foreign capital, the largest of which are: Microsoft, HP, Google, Oracle, IBM or SAP, which have branches in Poland. Foreign companies are present in almost all regions and large Polish cities but the most popular areas of foreign investments are in the cities of Warsaw and Wroclaw, cities with the most intense educational offer that provide large numbers of young and well-qualified human resources.

The previous wide wave of investments in the IT sector took place before 2008 when international companies were interested in fast acquisition of shares on the new markets. They were buying large, already operating enterprises, which had a stable position on the market, even with higher prices than similar companies from Western Europe. Fusions and takeovers took place among software developers, distributors and system integrators. In 2009 East-Central Europe’s markets stopped being perceived as attractive for investors from the IT industry, but in 2012 the interest in local IT companies increased once again as a result of improving economic condition in the states of this European region. The estimated value of fusions and takeovers of IT companies in East-Central Europe in 2012–2014 will reach EUR 500 million. However, the investors are cautious in making decisions: they look for smaller companies in good financial shape, properly managed and having a stable and diverse group of clients.

The main growth drivers of Polish IT market are: the inflow of foreign investments, EU funds availability and new directions in sector development. Investments undertaken by central and regional institutions are mostly motivated by EU funds which are intensively utilized in IT solutions implementation. The EU funds availability in the 2014–2020 financial perspective ensures continuous and stable growth of administration expenses in this field. Poland is said to be the most effective state in using EU funds for IT projects development due to several reasons: determination in obtaining funds, effective management and broad interest of the local authorities.

The Polish Government plans to invest in key industries, to include the IT sector, a total of US$250 billion (equivalent to 1 trillion PLN) spread out in 25 years, to boost the country’s economy and innovation. The capital for these investments will come mostly from EU funds, the National Treasury reserves and Polish banks, and the long-term vision to include cooperation with international organizations such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Poland is currently booming and storming global markets in the new digital economy ecosystem with its own products such as Wicher3, Live Chat and DocPlanner. The country’s advantage in the tech industry is due largely to such factors as:

• Highly qualified and passionate developers
• Fluency in the English language
• Perception and quick assimilation to the Western culture
• Favorable time zone, allowing all teams to work together, even remotely, at the same time, in the same language, with the same understanding

Polish companies ranked in the top 10 of Technology Fast50 Central Europe in 2015 with world acclaimed Polish products Sky Cash, Traffic Trends and Netguru.

Spring (May) is the ideal season for hiking in Poland’s mountainous border regions. Summer is considered to be the tourist high season and resorts get crowded. From June to August, temperatures are consistently around 24°C (75°F). Autumn is also ideal time to visit Poland and the best time to see the whole spread of the country’s attractions. The golden Polish October is warm and sunny. In winter the temperature drops rapidly, icy Siberian winds blanket many parts of the country with snow from 1-3 months. By mid-December, hotels and lodgings are full.

Public holidays in Krakow, Poland.

Poland observes 11 public holidays, as stipulated in its laws as well as the nation’s traditions. Shops stay closed on every one of them, but museums and other tourist attractions usually open on May Day, Constitution Day, or Independence Day.

Normal working hours are from 8am to 4pm on weekdays and 8am to 2pm on Saturdays. Employees take a 15-minute break if they are working more than 6 hours a day. Employees are allowed an unpaid 60-minute lunch break. Going out for lunch is not common because employees normally bring in sandwiches from home. For shift workers, working hours are normally from 6am-2pm, 2pm-10pm, and 10pm-6am. Most shops that don’t sell groceries are open from 10am or 11am until 6pm in the main cities or 4pm in small towns. Most shopping centres stay open between 10am and 10pm Mondays to Sundays.

In Poland, working practices depend on who you work for. If you work for the government, working practices have not changed from the traditional hours and expectations. For people working in the private sector, especially those working for big multinationals, they tend to follow a more western style of working with longer hours and less time for family.

Since people do not usually eat lunch at work (sometimes it is just more like second breakfast) lunch hours are sometimes extended until 4-5 pm after people are already home from work. In Poland the biggest meal is just lunch (more like dinner).

Time zone. CEST (Central European Summer Time)

UTC/GMT +2 hours.

Daylight Saving Time started on Sunday, March 27, 2016 at 2:00 AM…

Flying is the better way to go into or out of Krakow because it is not well connected to anywhere else. Connecting through Warsaw is advisable since there are modern and efficient express train connecting Krakow with Warsaw, which itself would be worth a day to explore the old town area which was rebuilt from the rubble after WW II.
From Warsaw there are several relatively cheap non-stop flights to both Budapest and Prague that would make for a short travel day.

Business Visa

Schengen C-type visa

The unified Schengen visa (C-type visa valid in Schengen states) entitles the holder to stay in the territory of all Schengen states.

The Schengen visa with limited territorial validity (C-type visa valid only in Poland or with validity excluded for a specified Schengen state/states) only entitles the holder to stay in the territory of the state/states for which it is valid.

National D-type visa

If you intend to stay in the territory of Poland for more than 90 days during one or more visits within a half-year period calculated from the date of first entry, you need to apply for a national D-type visa. The national D-type visa entitles the holder to:
– stay in the territory of Poland throughout the period of its validity;
– move within the territory of other Schengen states for up to three months within a half-year period.

Transit airport visa

A-type airport transit visa.

If you intend to travel by air from a third state to another third state with a stopover at an airport in the Schengen area (in the territory of the Republic of Poland) and also:
(1) you do not intend to leave the international transit area of the airport and
(2) you hold the citizenship of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan or Sri Lanka,
When planning transit through an airport situated in a Schengen state other than Poland, it is advised to directly contact a consulate of the country concerned for visa information.

The A-type airport transit visa only entitles the holder to stay in the international transit area of the airport (it does not entitle the holder to enter Schengen territory or leave the transit area of the airport).

For C- or D-type visa: The duration of stay for foreign nationals in Poland (holders of national D-type visas) or in Schengen territory (holders of unified C-type visas) is indicated in the visa (“duration of stay” expressed in numbers); a stay of this kind is only possible during the validity of the visa (“visa valid from…. to….”).

Documents for C-type Schengen visa application?

1. Travel document:
   – valid at least three months after your planned departure from Poland/Schengen territory; – with at least 2 blank pages; – issued within the last ten years.
   2. Completed and signed visa application form.
   3. Biometric photo.
   4. Visa fee.
   5. Health insurance of at least EUR 30000, valid in the entire Schengen territory.
   6. Supplementary documents, confirming:
   – the purpose of the visit,
   – possession of accommodation;
   – possession of sufficient funds to cover the cost of entry, stay and departure from the Schengen territory or Poland;
   – willingness to leave Schengen territory after expiry of the visa.

The types and number of supplementary documents may differ depending on the consular office.

Documents for a D-type national visa application

1. Travel document:
   2. Completed and signed visa application form.
   3. Biometric photo.
   4. Visa fee.
   5. Health insurance.
   6. Supplementary documents confirming:
   – the purpose of the visit,
   – possession of sufficient funds to cover the cost of entry, stay and departure from the territory of Poland;
   – the necessity of staying in the territory of Poland for more than 90 days within a half-year period.

Notes:

• The consul of the Schengen state which is the main destination of your visit is always the consul competent to process your visa application.
• If you are not planning to visit Poland at all, you cannot submit your Schengen visa application to a Polish consular office.
• If you are going to visit several Schengen states, a Polish consul will be competent to process your application only if Poland is the main destination of your entry into Schengen territory or if Poland is the state in which you intend to spend most of your time.
• If you intend to stay in the territory of Poland and/or any other Schengen states (during one or more visits) for a total of up to 90 days within a half-year period calculated from the date of first entry, or if you plan to pass through Schengen territory (by train, car or plane), you need to apply for aSchengen C-type visa. 

Currency: Polish Zloty

Currency code: PLN

Currency symbol is zł.

Exchange rates:          1PLN= 0.22583 EUR (1 EUR= 4.42801 PLN)

1 PLN=0.25706 USD (1USD=3.89017 PLN)

The official language of Poland is Polish. All official information are usually in Polish only, including street signs, directions, information signs, schedules and announcements at train and bus stations (airports and a few major train stations seem to be an exception to this). Signs in multiple languages are typically found only in popular tourist destinations.

Most of the young people and teenagers know English well enough since English is taught from a very young age (some start as early as 4 years old). But Poles who grew up in isolated towns or communities are not given English lessons. Older Poles, particularly in rural regions speak little or no English at all, but speak French, German or Russian. German is still taught in many schools throughout the country, and is especially popular in the Western districts.

It is wise to refrain from speaking Russian on account of the countries’ historically turbulent relations