What is a work permit

A work permit is an administrative decision (Art. 7 para. 1 of the Act on the Conditions for Permitting the Entrusting of Work to Foreigners, hereinafter: the Act on Entrusting Work). The application is submitted by the employer, not by the foreigner. The employer is also the only party to the proceedings (Art. 8 para. 1 and Art. 12 point 1).

A work permit does not give the right of stay. You can work if you have the permit and at the same time are staying in Poland legally, e.g. on a specified visa, on the basis of a temporary residence permit or visa-free (Art. 3 para. 3). Citizens of Venezuela, Georgia and Colombia cannot work on a work permit during a visa-free stay (§ 1 of the regulation of 31 July 2026, Journal of Laws 2026, item 1072).

Four types of permits

  • For a Polish employer - ordinary work under a contract with a Polish entity. Issued by the voivode (Art. 26 para. 1 and Art. 30 para. 1).
  • In connection with holding an office - for a member of the management board of a company, a person managing the affairs of a limited partnership or a commercial proxy (prokurent). Issued by the voivode (Art. 35 and 36).
  • In connection with posting - when a foreign employer posts you to work in Poland. Issued by the voivode (Art. 40).
  • For seasonal work - issued by the starost (Art. 46). See: seasonal work.

Conditions of an ordinary permit

  • work under a contract with a Polish employer,
  • remuneration not lower than that of employees in a comparable position and not lower than the minimum wage,
  • working time from 1/4 to a full-time position (Art. 30 para. 1).

The voivode will refuse the permit, among others, when your occupation is on the starost's list because of the situation on the local labour market (Art. 31 para. 1) or when the work is to start later than 12 months after the application is submitted (Art. 13 para. 1 point 3). The voivode also checks the employer, e.g. whether the employer pays contributions and taxes (Art. 13 para. 1 point 1).

Application and fee

The employer submits the application and documents only through the ICT system of the minister responsible for labour. An application submitted in another way is left unexamined (Art. 8 paras. 2 and 3). The application must include, among others, a scan of all completed pages of your passport and proof of payment of the fee (§ 2 of the regulation, Journal of Laws 2025, item 1629). The fee for each application is (§ 2 of the regulation, Journal of Laws 2025, item 1622):

  • 200 PLN - work up to 3 months,
  • 400 PLN - work longer than 3 months,
  • 800 PLN - posting,
  • 100 PLN - seasonal work.

The fee is not refundable, unless the voivode refuses because of the limits on permits or the limit on the employment of foreigners (Art. 10 para. 4).

Validity

The permit is issued for a definite period, no longer than 3 years (Art. 15). The period is shorter, up to 1 year, e.g. when the employer has been running the business for less than a year or the work does not exceed half of a full-time position or 20 hours a week (Art. 34 para. 1).

After the permit is issued

  • The employer concludes a written contract with you before allowing you to work (Art. 5 para. 1), with the conditions from the permit (Art. 17 para. 1 point 1).
  • Before entrusting the work, the employer gives the voivode the contract or its copy in Polish (Art. 17 para. 1 point 2).
  • A new permit is not needed, e.g., when the name of the position changes without a change of duties or when the workplace is taken over. The employer notifies the voivode of this within 7 days (Art. 18 and Art. 20 para. 1).
  • The employer also notifies the voivode when you did not start work within 2 months, interrupted it for more than 2 months or finished it earlier than 2 months before the end of the permit (Art. 19).

A work permit expires by operation of law, among others, on the day you receive a permanent residence permit or an EU long-term resident permit (Art. 24 point 1). The difference between a work permit and a residence and work permit is explained in the guide work permit and residence. When you change employer, see changing employer.