In some jobs a criminal record certificate is a matter of employer trust. In others it is written into statute as a condition of entry, and without it the licence is simply not issued. In that second category a foreigner needs not one document but a set: the Polish one plus a national one.
Here are the sectors where we assemble those packs most often.
The general KRK procedure - forms, fees, e-KRK and the paper route - is covered in our main guide to the Polish criminal record certificate.
Where a certificate is a statutory condition
| Sector | Requirement | Who needs the certificate |
|---|---|---|
| Physical security | entry on the list of qualified security staff | the employee |
| Road transport | carrier good repute | the operator and the transport manager |
| Taxi and passenger transport | passenger transport licence | the operator and drivers |
| Finance, insurance | KNF and sector-specific requirements | board members, agents, brokers |
| Bookkeeping, tax advisory | licensed bookkeeping, tax adviser status | the person carrying out the activity |
| Detective services | detective licence | the detective |
| Firearms | firearms permit | the applicant |
| Healthcare and care work | sector rules plus employer requirement | staff |
| Work with minors | the Kamilek Act, a separate regime | everyone admitted to the activity |
The last row runs its own regime, with the RSTPN register and a check of countries of residence over 20 years - we cover it separately.
Security: qualified security staff
Entry on the list requires confirmed qualifications, medical and psychological opinions, and no conviction for an intentional offence or an intentional fiscal offence.
For a foreigner, three things are added: a residence title carrying the right to work, Polish sufficient for the role, and a certificate from the country of citizenship.
A practical note: request the full KRK certificate rather than a narrow scope. The police commander maintaining the list reviews all entries.
Transport: carrier good repute
The requirement is doubled. Good repute is verified for the operator and for the transport manager holding a Certificate of Professional Competence.
What goes to the road transport inspectorate or the district office with the carrier authorisation application:
- declarations of no criminal record from each board member;
- a KRK certificate where the authority requests one;
- for foreigners, a certificate from their country of citizenship with a sworn translation.
Good repute is lost not only by a conviction but by a run of transport offences - we wrote about ITD penalties here.
Finance, bookkeeping, insurance
The list of requirements is broader than expected:
- board members of financial institutions undergo suitability assessment;
- insurance agents must show no conviction for offences against property, documents or economic transactions;
- tax advisers and providers of bookkeeping services face their own professional requirements;
- beneficial owners and board members face bank AML checks generally.
For the company itself, a collective entity certificate is often needed too - covered separately.
What a foreigner adds
The pattern is identical across all the sectors above:
- The Polish KRK certificate - PLN 20-30, online or at an information point. Without a PESEL, a second channel applies.
- A certificate from your country of citizenship - the Ukrainian interior ministry certificate, the Turkish adli sicil kaydı, the Belarusian, Georgian or Kazakh equivalent.
- Legalisation - bilateral treaties exempt Ukraine, Belarus and Russia from apostille; most other countries need one. How to identify your case.
- A sworn translation into Polish, always.
Timings: the Polish certificate from one day, the foreign one from two weeks to three months. The second is usually what sets your start date.
How fresh it must be
There is no single rule; the benchmarks are:
- licensing authorities - no older than three months;
- tenders and public procurement - up to six months;
- employers in regulated sectors - three months on the date of admission.
Ordering far in advance makes no sense: at PLN 20 it is simpler to pull a fresh one for the specific filing.
What we do
- Establishing the exact list for your licence or role - it differs by sector, which is where most of the confusion lives.
- Obtaining the Polish certificate under a power of attorney, including without a PESEL.
- Requesting foreign certificates without you travelling - more on that.
- Apostille or consular legalisation where required.
- Sworn translation and assembling the pack for the specific authority.
Timelines and pricing sit on the service page.
Frequently asked questions
My conviction was spent. What will the certificate show? Once a conviction is expunged the entry is removed and the certificate comes back clean. The periods depend on the sentence and are calculated case by case.
The conviction was in my home country, not Poland. Is it visible? Not in the Polish register - which is exactly why licensing bodies require the national certificate. Concealing it makes no sense: discrepancies surface, and the consequences outweigh the conviction.
Can I work in security with a conviction for a negligent offence? The statute speaks of intentional offences. Each case is assessed individually by the police commander; the legal classification decides, not the existence of an entry.
Who pays for the certificates in regulated sectors? Usually the candidate, though some employers in transport and security reimburse it.
Is a certificate needed when renewing a licence? As a rule, yes - renewals typically involve a full re-check of the conditions.
My home country takes three months to issue one. Start before signing the contract. In several jurisdictions we can speed things up through a consulate or a local representative.
In regulated sectors a criminal record certificate is not an employer's preference but a condition of entry. For a foreigner that always means two or three documents, and assembling them takes weeks rather than days.
Tell us the role or licence you are pursuing - we will draw up the exact list and assemble the pack.
This material is informational. Licensing authorities differ in their requirements - consult a lawyer about your situation.