COVID-19 vaccination in Poland
Last update: January 1, 2023
Vaccinations against COVID-19 for children from six months to four years of age available in Poland from December 12, 2022
- The vaccination consists of 3 doses of the vaccine – two given 3 weeks apart and a third dose 8 weeks after the second dose.
- Vaccinations are carried out with the Comirnaty vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech).
- A doctor qualifies a child for vaccination.
- Vaccinations are performed in 6,900 vaccination centers in Poland.
- The referral for vaccination is issued automatically from December 12, 2022, when the child turns 6 months old.
Booster vaccination against COVID-19 for children 5-11 years old
- On October 3, 2022, booster vaccinations began in a group of children 5-11 years old in Poland.
- The interval between the first vaccination and the booster is 6 months.
Omicron-targeting COVID-19 boosters are now available in Poland
- A second booster dose can be taken by people over 12 years of age.
- You can sign up for a vaccination 3 months after the last vaccination. A second booster immunization referral is issued automatically.
Booster dose for children 12-18 years old
- A booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine for children 16-18 years of age: Vaccinations with a booster from January 25.
- A booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine for children 12-15 years of age: Vaccinations with a booster from January 28.
- Comirnaty (Pfizer-BioNTech) is used in the booster vaccination of 12-18 year olds (also, if the person was vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine). An interval of at least 5 months after the completion of the two-dose COVID-19 vaccination is required.
COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11
- Vaccination against COVID-19 of children aged 5 to 11 starts in Poland from December 16, 2021.
- Starting from December 14, you can register your child via phone (number 989) or in the e-registration/e-rejestracja (marked: “kwalifikacja lekarska / Pfizer 10 mcg”).
- The Pfizer pediatric dose for children aged 5-11 is one-third of the strength given to people aged 12+ (two shots, three weeks apart).
- Vaccinations for children 5-11 years old and 12-15 years old are combined with a medical examination, the doctor qualifies the child for vaccination (therefore there are fewer COVID-19 vaccination points for children than adult vaccination points, where a pre-vaccination medical examination by a doctor is not necessary).
How to report that a vaccine has been received outside of Poland and how to receive a booster dose and the EU COVID-19 Certificate
Anyone who has been vaccinated against COVID-19 can have the data entered into the Polish vaccination registration system and can receive the EU COVID-19 Certificate.
You will find detailed info and requirements on this website: https://www.gov.pl/web/szczepimysie/jak-zglosic-szczepienie-wykonane-poza-granicami-polski-i-otrzymac-dawke-przypominajaca-oraz-unijny-certyfikat-covid-19-ucc (scroll down for English).
COVID-19 vaccination in Poland – news & updates
- From March 1, 2022, a new vaccine was approved for use in Poland – Nuvaxovid.
- A fourth dose of the vaccine is available from February 2022 to people who suffer from immune disorders.
- Vaccination against COVID-19 with booster dose available in Poland to all aged 18+ from November 2, 2021. Anyone over the age of 18 will be able to have an additional vaccine 6 months after being fully vaccinated (starting from the day of the second dose in the case of Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Moderna; Johnson & Johnson is a one-dose vaccine). The referral will be available 6 months after the previous dose has been administered. A booster dose is Pfizer or Moderna, regardless of the vaccines used in previous doses.
- Changes in regulations from October 19 regarding people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 outside Poland. A person who has been vaccinated against COVID-19 outside Poland with a vaccine approved in the European Union may obtain an EU digital covid certificate or be released from the obligation to undergo quarantine after crossing the Polish border. Vaccines registered in the European Union: Pfizer, Moderna, Astra-Zeneca, Johnson & Johnson (more in English about other covid vaccines under rolling review). To obtain this, you must provide the entity carrying out vaccination against COVID-19 with:
- the original certificate of vaccination against coronavirus,
- a translation of this certificate into Polish by a sworn translator,
- a declaration containing the consent of this person or their representative statutory for the processing of personal data related to the issuance of the EU digital covid certificate.
“EU Digital COVID certificate” available in Poland from June 1, 2021
- The Certificate is available in Poland from June 1. It will become available in all EU member states as of July 1, 2021.
- The Certificate includes proof that a person has either been vaccinated against COVID-19; received a negative test result (PCR tests or antigen tests); recovered from COVID-19.
- The Certificate is available in two languages – Polish and English.
- The Certificate can be obtained on paper at vaccination centers or from the doctor / nurse at the clinic (in the case of a person who recovered from COVID-19 and a person with a negative Covid-19 test result).
- The Certificate can be downloaded starting from June 1 from your Online Patient Account (Internetowe Konto Pacjenta: https://pacjent.gov.pl/internetowe-konto-pacjenta). You log in using the trusted profile (profil zaufany) created by your bank account. People who have an online bank account at cooperative banks, PKO Bank Polski, Bank Pekao, Inteligo, BOŚ Bank can log in with the same data as they log into their online bank account. Select the “Certificates” tab (Certyfikaty), and then click “Download QR code” (Pobierz kod QR).
- The Certificate can be downloaded after June 25 from applications: mojeIKP application or mObywatel application.
- The Certificate can be downloaded only by people who:
- are fully vaccinated – either have received two doses of vaccination or have received a single dose of vaccine. The certificate is valid from 14 to 365 days after the last dose has been administered
- have been tested negative for coronavirus (the certificate is valid for 48 hours)
- have recovered from COVID-19 (the certificate is valid from the 11th to the 180th day after obtaining a positive test result).
- The certificate is free, valid in all EU and Schengen zone countries, available in a national language and English. It can be digital or paper.
- The Certificate will recognize all COVID-19 vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency (Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford/AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson). Member states will also be free to accept other vaccines.
- More in English about the Certificate.
Vaccinations of foreigners in Poland
If you do NOT have a PESEL number and you have the right of residence in Poland because you work, study or your family is here:
- Then ask your primary care physician (lekarz podstawowej opieki zdrowotnej) to issue you an e-referral (e-skierowanie) for vaccination.
- If you do not have a primary care physician assigned, go to the clinic and sign up (the clinic will assign you a primary care doctor who can provide you with an e-referral). More about the healthcare system in Poland in our post.
- Then sign up for vaccination for a specific date.
- The primary health care physician has the right and should issue you an e-referral for vaccination via the “gabinet.gov.pl” application. When issuing a referral, in the field “patient data”, the physician should select “other identifier” (instead of “PESEL number”) and enter the number of the identity document you use. Ideally, it should be a passport number or a foreign ID card.
- Do not forget to bring the identity document, the number of which you have given to the doctor, to the vaccination. Remember to use exactly the same document that was used to issue your e-referral at each stage of the vaccination process.
All foreigners who have the right to stay in Poland have access to free vaccination against COVID-19 in Poland, including:
- a person studying in Poland,
- a foreign PhD student,
- a foreigner with a work permit,
- a diplomat,
- a spouse or child of one of the abovementioned persons with the right to reside in Poland.
Foreigners who reside in Poland can be vaccinated in Poland on the same terms as Polish citizens. If you have a PESEL number, you can register for vaccination in accordance with the below instructions.
Source of information: https://pacjent.gov.pl/aktualnosc/e-skierowanie-na-szczepienie-dla-cudzoziemcow.
How can I register for vaccination in Poland?
- You can reserve a vaccination slot in 3 ways:
- Online: https://pacjent.erejestracja.ezdrowie.gov.pl/. With fast registration (Rejestracja bez Profilu Zaufanego) you enter your name, PESEL number, and phone number. With full registration (Rejestracja przez Profil Zaufany) you log in using the trusted profile (profil zaufany) created by your bank account. People who have an online bank account at cooperative banks, PKO Bank Polski, Bank Pekao, Inteligo, BOŚ Bank can log in with the same data as they log into their online bank account.
- Through the free hotline number 989 (24/7).
- Contacting directly a vaccination center (here you will find the list/map of vaccination centers in Poland: https://www.gov.pl/web/szczepimysie/mapa-punktow-szczepien#/.
- When going for vaccination, it is recommended that foreigners have a passport with them and a notification granting a PESEL number (powiadomienie o nadaniu numeru PESEL), unless they have a residence card in which the PESEL number is entered.
- You do not need to register yourself, another person can do it for you if they have your data. You can also register, for example, your partner with one phone call.
Click here to read our post on current covid restrictions in Poland.
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