Frequently asked questions about COVID-19 quarantine and isolation regulations in Poland
Last update: March 30, 2022
End of covid restrictions in Poland from March 28, 2022:
- From March 28, the obligation to wear masks is lifted (there is an exception – masks must be worn in medical entities and pharmacies).
- From March 28, there is no home isolation for people infected with the coronavirus, no home quarantine for their housemates, no quarantines related to entry to Poland. Persons undergoing quarantine on the date of entry into force of the new regulation (March 28) are obliged to undergo quarantine under the previous rules.
- From March 28, all restrictions on traveling to the Republic of Poland are lifted, which means that there is no longer an obligation to: – showing vaccination certificates when crossing the border, – testing for SARS-CoV-2, – taking the so-called incoming quarantine.
Quarantine rules in Poland from March 1, 2022
Quarantine rules
- Isolation of a person infected with COVID-19 lasts 7 days (7 days if you did not develop COVID-19 symptoms. Your doctor may decide to extend your isolation if required by your health condition).
- The quarantine for the co-household members of a person infected with COVID-19 lasts as long as isolation of a person infected with COVID-19 (meaning 7 days or longer). If you are vaccinated and your quarantine has been imposed because you live with someone with COVID-19, you can take the test. You will be released from quarantine after receiving a negative result.
- From February 11, quarantine imposed after contact with an infected person is lifted (e.g. quarantine at school for children who went to class with a child infected with COVID-19 or quarantine for colleagues of a person in the office infected with COVID-19).
- 7-day quarantine after crossing the Polish border (there are different rules for exempting from quarantine – please see blow).
Quarantine after crossing the Polish border
There is an obligatory 7-day quarantine for Polish citizens and foreigners (counting from the day following crossing the border).
There are different rules for exempting from quarantine – depending on whether the traveler comes from a country within the Schengen Area or from a country outside the Schengen Area.
More about who can enter Poland on the website of Polish Border Control. Information in Polish on the government site: quarantine after crossing the Polish border from the Schengen area and quarantine after crossing the Polish border outside the Schengen area.
Arrivals from the European Union, the Schengen Area, and Turkey:
- 7-day quarantine.
- People vaccinated against COVID-19 are exempt from the quarantine obligation (people who have received a full course of vaccination with a vaccine registered in the European Union). Full vaccination is considered 14 days after the vaccination process is completed.
- People who have been infected with COVID-19 no later than 6 months before the date of crossing the border are released from quarantine. They must present a confirmation document, issued in Polish or in English, e.g. an EU digital COVID certificate.
- Travelers who present a negative test for COVID-19 are exempt from the quarantine obligation. The test will have to be performed no later than 48 hours before crossing the border (counting from the moment of obtaining the test result). Test type: PCR or antigenic (in Polish or English).
- Travelers who are quarantined in Poland after crossing the border, can take a test within 48 hours of crossing the border, the negative result of which will release them from quarantine. Test type: PCR or antigenic.
- Children under 12 years of age are exempted from quarantine requirements when travelling in the care of adults who have presented a negative result to a COVID-19 diagnostic test performed on these adults prior to crossing the border, or in the care of adults who have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
The above rules apply to people traveling from:
- European Union Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Spain, Netherlands, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia , Sweden, Hungary and Italy.
- 4 non-EU countries that belong to the Schengen area – Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein
- Turkey, with which a special agreement has been signed.
- Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City State.
Arrivals from OUTSIDE the European Union, the Schengen Area, and Turkey:
- A person coming to Poland from outside the Schengen area, is required to present a negative COVID-19 test result in Polish or in English, performed before crossing the border within 24 hours, from the time of this test result. The test can be performed at some airports in Poland – before border clearance or 3 hours after arrival (counting from border clearance).
- The obligation to perform the test also applies to vaccinated persons.
- You are not quarantined if your antigen or PCR test is negative and you meet one of the following conditions:
- People vaccinated against COVID-19 are exempt from the quarantine obligation (people who have received a full course of vaccination with a vaccine registered in the European Union). Full vaccination is considered 14 days after the vaccination process is completed.
- People who have been infected with COVID-19 no later than 6 months before the date of crossing the border are released from quarantine. They must present a confirmation document, issued in Polish or in English, e.g. an EU digital COVID certificate.
- If the traveler does not have a negative test result, he or she is obliged to undergo a 7-day quarantine, counting from the day following the crossing of this border.
- Children under the age of 5 are exempt from the obligation to present the COVID-19 test results after arriving in Poland from outside the Schengen area.
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Is quarantine obligatory after crossing the Polish border?
There is an obligatory 7-day quarantine for Polish citizens and foreigners (counting from the day following crossing the border).
There are different rules for exempting from quarantine – depending on whether the traveler comes from a country within the Schengen Area or from a country outside the Schengen Area.
More about who can enter Poland on the website of Polish Border Control. Information in Polish on the government site: quarantine after crossing the Polish border from the Schengen area and quarantine after crossing the Polish border outside the Schengen area.
Arrivals from the European Union, the Schengen Area, and Turkey:
- 7-day quarantine.
- People vaccinated against COVID-19 are exempt from the quarantine obligation (people who have received a full course of vaccination with a vaccine registered in the European Union). Full vaccination is considered 14 days after the vaccination process is completed.
- People who have been infected with COVID-19 no later than 6 months before the date of crossing the border are released from quarantine. They must present a confirmation document, issued in Polish or in English, e.g. an EU digital COVID certificate.
- Travelers who present a negative test for COVID-19 are exempt from the quarantine obligation. The test will have to be performed no later than 48 hours before crossing the border (counting from the moment of obtaining the test result). Test type: PCR or antigenic (in Polish or English).
- Travelers who are quarantined in Poland after crossing the border, can take a test within 48 hours of crossing the border, the negative result of which will release them from quarantine. Test type: PCR or antigenic.
- Children under 12 years of age are exempted from quarantine requirements when travelling in the care of adults who have presented a negative result to a COVID-19 diagnostic test performed on these adults prior to crossing the border, or in the care of adults who have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
The above rules apply to people traveling from:
- European Union Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Spain, Netherlands, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia , Sweden, Hungary and Italy.
- 4 non-EU countries that belong to the Schengen area – Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein
- Turkey, with which a special agreement has been signed.
- Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City State.
Arrivals from OUTSIDE the European Union, the Schengen Area, and Turkey:
- A person coming to Poland from outside the Schengen area, is required to present a negative COVID-19 test result in Polish or in English, performed before crossing the border within 24 hours, from the time of this test result. The test can be performed at some airports in Poland – before border clearance or 3 hours after arrival (counting from border clearance).
- The obligation to perform the test also applies to vaccinated persons.
- You are not quarantined if your antigen or PCR test is negative and you meet one of the following conditions:
- People vaccinated against COVID-19 are exempt from the quarantine obligation (people who have received a full course of vaccination with a vaccine registered in the European Union). Full vaccination is considered 14 days after the vaccination process is completed.
- People who have been infected with COVID-19 no later than 6 months before the date of crossing the border are released from quarantine. They must present a confirmation document, issued in Polish or in English, e.g. an EU digital COVID certificate.
- If the traveler does not have a negative test result, he or she is obliged to undergo a 7-day quarantine, counting from the day following the crossing of this border.
- Children under the age of 5 are exempt from the obligation to present the COVID-19 test results after arriving in Poland from outside the Schengen area.
Traveling to Poland by plane – a traveler location card
- Travelers arriving in Poland by plane must fill in a traveler location card (Karta Lokalizacji Podróżnego) with their expected address in Poland. The location cards can be filled in online (https://aplikacje.gov.pl/app/klp/#/home) before the trip. If you don’t the airline crews will distribute paper cards to fill in.
What is quarantine?
Quarantine is the isolation of a healthy person due to exposure to infection, e.g. after contact with a person suffering from coronavirus.
Who is quarantined in Poland?
- People who are referred for the SARS-CoV-2 virus test.
- People living with an infected (isolated) person.
How many days is the quarantine of a person who lives with someone infected with coronavirus?
The quarantine for the co-household members of a person infected with COVID-19 lasts as long as isolation of a person infected with COVID-19 (meaning 7 days or longer). If you are vaccinated and your quarantine has been imposed because you live with someone with COVID-19, you can take the test. You will be released from quarantine after receiving a negative result.
When do you need to automatically quarantine yourself?
Cases of “automatic” quarantine, without contact from the authorities:
- Quarantine for people who live with someone who has been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This quarantine lasts for the entire period of isolation of the household member who has been diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 virus infection.
- Automatically imposed quarantine the day after the covid test is ordered by the primary care physician – it lasts until a negative result is obtained (if you receive a positive test result, you will be directed to isolation).
- After crossing the borders (see the first questions in this post: Is quarantine obligatory after crossing the Polish border?).
Automatic quarantine notifications have been implemented. +48 22 10 43 705 is the number from which a message is sent about quarantining people who are in the government database and have a quarantine imposed.
What are the rules during quarantine in Poland?
- You cannot leave your place of residence (the ban also includes walking the dog, going to the store or to the doctor).
- In the event of symptoms of the disease (malaise, fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.), be sure to report it to your general practitioner (medical phone consultation).
- It is mandatory to install the “Home Quarantine” application (Kwarantanna domowa). Here you will find more information about the application as well as links to install. Since which moment do you have to use the application? The obligation to install the application arises when you receive an SMS encouraging you to download and install the application. This SMS means that your data is already in the system and you can activate the application. Activate the application after arriving at the place of quarantine. Only adults (18+) are legally required to use the application.
- You cannot change the quarantine address while the quarantine is in progress.
- A person under quarantine does not need to obtain permission to leave the place of quarantine or isolation (or inform the police about it) if the purpose of leaving the apartment is to undergo a test.
What is isolation?
Isolation applies to people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (quarantine turns into isolation).
After how many days is the isolation ending?
Isolation of a person infected with COVID-19 lasts 7 days (7 days if you did not develop COVID-19 symptoms. Your doctor may decide to extend your isolation if required by your health condition).
Can an isolated/quarantined person who lives in a house go outside in their own yard?
Yes, but the person must be careful and keep a distance from their neighbors.
Source of information: www.gov.pl/web/koronawirus.
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