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Booking a U.S. Visa Appointment in Poland
Applicants in Poland book through USTravelDocs, not AIS, and there are two posts — the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw and the U.S. Consulate General in Kraków.
Nothing can be booked until the DS-160 is submitted and the visa fee has activated. The general sequence is on how to book a U.S. visa appointment; this page covers what Poland publishes and does not repeat elsewhere.
We read the Poland USTravelDocs pages on 18 September 2026.
Poland is in the Visa Waiver Program, so many short tourist and business trips need an ESTA rather than a visa. The applicants who still need an interview are largely students, exchange visitors, workers and immigrant-visa applicants — which is why the medical-envelope exception below matters more here than at most posts.
Bags are measured against a sheet of paper
Poland gives a yardstick anyone can check at home:
Large shoulder bags/purses – bigger than the size of an A-4 format page – and zip folders [are not permitted]. Applicants may bring one plastic bag or folder with application related documents, or a small purse or handbag.
A-4 is 210 × 297 mm. If the bag is bigger than a sheet of printer paper, it does not come in.
Poland does store your phone
Two sentences that most posts do not offer:
Cellular telephones must be left with Embassy/Consulate security personnel.
There is no facility at the Embassy/Consulate to store prohibited items (aside from cellular telephones).
So the phone is handled at the door. Everything else is not — and Poland is unusually blunt about where "elsewhere" is:
Luggage, such as suitcases, backpacks, briefcases, and other travel bags... cannot be brought to the Embassy/Consulate and cannot be left outside the Embassy/Consulate on the sidewalk or with individuals waiting outside. You may wish to leave your luggage in your hotel room or a train station locker.
That is written for someone travelling in from another city for the morning — which, with two posts serving the whole country, is a large share of applicants.
Sealed medical envelopes are the stated exception
Sealed envelopes and packages are prohibited at every post we have read. Poland writes in the exception that immigrant-visa applicants need:
Sealed envelopes or packages, except for sealed envelopes containing medical exam results.
And on the bag rule:
Immigrant visa applicants may bring their visa application materials and the sealed envelope with the results of their medical examination.
Do not open that envelope. At posts that publish no exception, ask before you travel rather than assuming Poland's rule applies — Bangladesh, for instance, tells applicants to remove documents from sealed envelopes before the interview.
There is nowhere to park
There is no parking available at the Embassy/Consulate and cars cannot stop or stand on the street in front of the building. Visa applicants and ACS customers arriving by car should park in one of the paid public parking spots near the Embassy/Consulate or arrange to be dropped off down the street.
Malaysia names a specific car park; Poland does not, but the instruction is the same in substance — plan the last hundred metres on foot.
The rest of the prohibited list
Battery-operated or electronic devices such as cameras, laptops, recording devices or portable music players. Food and drink. Cigarettes, cigars, match boxes, lighters. Sharp objects such as scissors, pen knives or nail files. Weapons or explosive materials of any kind. The list is explicitly not exhaustive.
Admission is limited to American citizens seeking ACS services, and visa applicants and ACS customers with a confirmed appointment.
If you are asked for more documents afterwards
A refusal under 221(g) means something is missing or the case needs further processing. In Poland, documents requested under a 221(g) letter go to Mail Boxes Etc., which delivers them to the post.
Why no slots appear
- The fee has not activated. Check the method you used on the Poland fee guide.
- You are checking one post only. Warsaw and Kraków are separate calendars; look at both.
- You may not need a visa at all. Poland is in the Visa Waiver Program — for a short tourist or business trip an ESTA may be the right route, and no interview slot is needed.
- You created a profile on AIS instead of USTravelDocs. It will never show Polish appointments — see which appointment site is yours.
- The DS-160 was saved but never submitted, so no confirmation number exists.
Frequently asked questions
How large a bag can I take into the embassy in Warsaw?
Nothing bigger than an A-4 page (210 × 297 mm). One plastic bag or folder of application documents, or a small purse or handbag.
Will they keep my phone?
Yes. Cellular telephones must be left with security personnel. Phones are the only item the posts store.
What do I do with my suitcase?
Not bring it. It cannot come in and cannot be left on the sidewalk or with someone waiting outside. The posts suggest a hotel room or a train station locker.
Can I bring my sealed medical exam envelope?
Yes — that is the stated exception to the sealed-envelope ban, and immigrant-visa applicants are told they may bring it.
Where do I park?
Nowhere at the post. Use paid public parking nearby, or be dropped off down the street; cars may not stop in front of the building.
Do I need a visa if I am Polish?
Often not, for short tourism or business — Poland is in the Visa Waiver Program and an ESTA may apply. Students, exchange visitors, workers and immigrant-visa applicants still need a visa and an interview.
Official sources
- USTravelDocs Poland — scheduling and interview pages, read 18 September 2026
- U.S. Embassy in Poland