What is a declaration of entrusting work

A declaration of entrusting work to a foreigner is a simpler basis for work instead of a work permit. A Polish employer submits it through the ICT system, and the starost enters it in the register of declarations (Art. 61 para. 1 and Art. 64 para. 1 of the Act on the Conditions for Permitting the Entrusting of Work to Foreigners, hereinafter: the Act on Entrusting Work). A refusal of entry is made by a decision (Art. 65 para. 5).

Citizens of which states

From 1 December 2025 the declaration may concern citizens of four states: Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine (§ 2 of the regulation, Journal of Laws 2025, item 1617). A citizen of Georgia to whom work was entrusted on the basis of a declaration entered before 1 December 2025 may work on its terms until the declaration expires (§ 3 of that regulation).

Citizens of Ukraine under temporary protection have free access to the labour market. See: notification of the work of a citizen of Ukraine.

Conditions

  • work in Poland under a contract with a Polish employer (Art. 6 para. 2),
  • work outside the sectors in which seasonal work permits are issued,
  • a period of work in the declaration of no more than 24 months,
  • start of work no later than 6 months after the declaration is submitted (Art. 61 para. 1).

A declaration that does not meet these conditions is left unexamined (Art. 61 para. 2). The starost will refuse entry, among others, when the remuneration is lower than that of comparable employees or lower than the minimum wage (Art. 65 para. 1 point 1).

Fee and time limit for entry

The employer submits the declaration together with the fee (Art. 63 para. 1). The fee is 400 PLN (§ 2 point 5 of the regulation, Journal of Laws 2025, item 1622). The starost enters the declaration or refuses entry within 7 working days at the latest, and in cases requiring clarification - within 30 days (Art. 66).

Duties of the employer after entry

  • concluding a contract with the conditions from the declaration and giving you the entered declaration (Art. 68 para. 1 points 1 and 5),
  • giving the starost the contract or its copy in Polish before the work is entrusted (Art. 68 para. 1 point 2),
  • remuneration not lower than the minimum (Art. 68 para. 1 point 3),
  • notifying the starost of the start of work within 7 days of its start, and of its non-start - within 14 days of the work start date given in the register (Art. 70 para. 1).

When you do not start work or finish it before the date in the declaration, the employer must notify the starost of this. The entry of the declaration is then invalidated by operation of law (Art. 70 paras. 2 and 5).

Changes without a new declaration

A new entry is not needed, among others, when the registered office or name of the employer changes, the workplace is taken over, working time is increased to a full-time position, the name of the position changes without a change of duties and an employment contract is concluded instead of a civil-law contract (Art. 69 points 1-5).

The right to work and stay

You work in accordance with the declaration if you are entitled to stay in Poland, e.g. on a specified visa or visa-free (Art. 3 para. 3). The declaration does not give the right of stay. After at least 3 months of work under an employment contract, the employer may submit an application for a work permit for the same position. You may then keep working until the decision, if the application was submitted before the end of work under the declaration (Art. 71 para. 1). The rules of the permit are described in the guide work permit.