Contract with a foreigner: language and form

A written contract before work starts

Entrusting work to a foreigner requires concluding a contract with the foreigner in writing before allowing the foreigner to work. An exception concerns members of the management board, persons managing the affairs of a limited partnership and commercial proxies (prokurents) (Art. 5 para. 1 and Art. 6 para. 1 point 2 of the Act on the Conditions for Permitting the Entrusting of Work to Foreigners, hereinafter: the Act on Entrusting Work). This applies to every contract, not only an employment contract. Work without a written contract is illegal entrusting of work (Art. 2 point 2 letter f). More about the types of contracts: employment contract or civil-law contract.

The contract is in Polish, and the foreigner does not know Polish

The Act does not require the contract to be drawn up in the foreigner's language. If, however, the contract is in Polish and the foreigner does not speak Polish, before signing you must present its content to the foreigner in writing in a version understandable to the foreigner. You keep this version for the period of work and 2 years from the end of the year in which the legal relationship ended (Art. 5 para. 2 and Art. 4 para. 6). The provision speaks of an “understandable” version, does not indicate a specific language and does not mention a sworn translator.

A contract in a foreign language

If the contract is drawn up in a foreign language, you keep its translation into Polish. The translation must be made by a sworn translator from the list kept by the Minister of Justice. You keep it for the same period (Art. 5 para. 3).

A Polish version for the office

With a work permit and a declaration, you give the authority the contract or its copy in Polish through the ICT system, before entrusting the work (Art. 17 para. 1 point 2, Art. 68 para. 1 point 2). The contract must therefore exist in Polish too. You enter the conditions from the permit or the declaration in the contract (Art. 17 para. 1 point 1, Art. 68 para. 1 point 1).

Information about trade unions

Separately, you inform the foreigner in writing, in a language understandable to the foreigner, about the right to join trade unions. This duty applies to work under an employment relationship and under civil-law contracts, and paras. 2 and 3 apply accordingly (Art. 5 para. 4).

An employment contract and the Labour Code

An employment contract is concluded in writing. If this was not done, before allowing the employee to work the employer confirms to the employee in writing the parties to the contract, its type and its conditions (Art. 29 § 2 of the Labour Code).

Consequences of violations

The lack of a version of the contract understandable to the foreigner or failure to give the contract to the authority is a petty offence punishable by a fine from 1 000 PLN to 3 000 PLN (Art. 84 para. 6). Work without a written contract is illegal entrusting of work, punishable by a fine from 3 000 PLN to 50 000 PLN (Art. 84 para. 1). See: penalties and employer duties in 2026.