Teacher, tutor, coach, childcare worker, animator, camp leader, nanny, paediatric clinician, swimming instructor, school bus driver. If the job involves minors, a Polish employer must vet the candidate before allowing them to start - and for a foreigner that pack is considerably heavier than for a Polish citizen.
The rules come from the ustawa o przeciwdziałaniu zagrożeniom przestępczością na tle seksualnym i ochronie małoletnich, known informally as the Kamilek Act. The key point: this is the employer's duty, not an option. Failing to check is punishable by arrest, restriction of liberty or a fine.
The general KRK procedure - forms, fees, e-KRK and the paper route - is covered in our main guide to the Polish criminal record certificate.
What exactly gets checked
Three checks, each different in nature:
| What | Where | Cost | Who does it |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSTPN - restricted-access register | rps.ms.gov.pl | PLN 0 | employer |
| RSTPN - public register | rps.ms.gov.pl | PLN 0 | anyone |
| KRK certificate in the required scope | e-KRK or an information point | PLN 20-30 | the candidate |
RSTPN (Rejestr Sprawców Przestępstw na Tle Seksualnym - the sex offender register) is checked by the employer directly and free of charge on the Ministry of Justice site. Access to the restricted part requires an account. The printed query and its result must stay in the employee's file - that printout is the proof the duty was discharged.
The KRK certificate is produced by the candidate. It is not just any criminal record extract but one covering the statutory scope: chapters XIX and XXV of the Criminal Code, articles 189a and 207, and the Anti-Drug Addiction Act. In practice it is simpler to request the full certificate, which covers that scope.
How to obtain it online, at what price and with which traps, we cover in our piece on e-KRK.
What a foreigner must add
This is where the difference bites, usually discovered at the hiring stage.
First: a certificate from the country of citizenship. A candidate with foreign citizenship submits an extract from their own national criminal register - not a Polish one. For a Ukrainian that is the Ministry of Internal Affairs certificate, for a Turkish national the adli sicil kaydı, for a Belarusian the MVD certificate.
Second: the 20-year rule. The candidate files a declaration, made under criminal liability for false statements, listing every country where they lived continuously for at least 12 months during the last 20 years - other than Poland and their country of citizenship. For each such country they attach a criminal register extract.
A real example. A Ukrainian national, 34, hired as a childcare worker at a private nursery in Warsaw. Her history: Ukraine (citizenship), Poland (current), two years in Italy in 2015-2017, eight months in the Czech Republic in 2019. She needs a Polish KRK certificate, a Ukrainian certificate and an Italian one (over 12 months). The Czech Republic falls below the threshold, but must still be listed truthfully in the declaration.
Third: translation. Foreign certificates are filed with a sworn translation into Polish. Whether an apostille is needed depends on the country: bilateral treaties exempt Ukraine, Belarus and Russia; most other countries need one. We map that fork in apostille or consular legalisation.
Fourth: countries with no register. If a country has no criminal register or it is inaccessible, a declaration to that effect replaces the certificate - again under criminal liability.
How long a certificate lasts
The statute sets no expiry for a KRK certificate, but practice is uniform: no older than three months on the day work starts. School and nursery HR departments count it that way, and arguing costs more than a fresh PLN 20 extract.
Separately: the check happens before the person is allowed to start, not afterwards. It covers volunteers, interns, people on civil-law contracts, and family members helping in a family business that works with children.
Who is actually covered
The statutory wording is broad: upbringing, education, recreation, treatment, psychological counselling, spiritual development, sport, other interests of minors, and care for them. In practice:
- schools, kindergartens, nurseries, children's clubs;
- private tutors and language schools;
- sports clubs, coaches, swimming instructors;
- summer camps and day camps;
- healthcare: paediatrics, dentistry, psychology;
- animators, hobby groups, music schools;
- nannies and carers, including those on civil-law contracts;
- parish structures working with children.
A separate duty that is easy to forget: organisations working with minors must have standardy ochrony małoletnich (child protection standards) - an internal procedural document that inspectors do check.
Employer liability
Allowing someone to start without the checks is an offence punishable by arrest, restriction of liberty or a fine. Liability falls on the person who made the decision: the head teacher, the nursery owner, the club president.
The practical takeaway: keep three things in every employee file - the RSTPN query printout with its result, the original KRK certificate, and for foreigners the national certificates, the residence declaration and the sworn translations.
What we do
We close the foreign part of the pack - the part that normally stalls:
- Requirement audit - which countries the 20-year rule actually captures in your case.
- Obtaining foreign certificates - Ukraine, Belarus, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Georgia, EU countries, under a power of attorney and without you travelling. See certificates from your country of origin.
- Apostille or consular legalisation where required.
- Sworn translations of every certificate.
- The Polish KRK certificate, including where you have no PESEL yet: how that works.
- A ready pack for the employer, described and ordered so HR does not send you round a second time.
Timelines and pricing sit on the service page. The foreign part typically takes two to four weeks, so start before signing the contract, not after.
Frequently asked questions
Is a single KRK certificate enough to work in a school? No. The employer must also check the RSTPN, and a foreigner adds national certificates plus the residence declaration.
I lived in three countries for six months each. Do I need certificates from all of them? No. The threshold is 12 uninterrupted months in one country. The declaration must still list the facts truthfully.
Who pays for the certificates? The statute puts the duty to submit documents on the candidate. Some employers reimburse it, especially where staff are scarce, but that is contractual, not statutory.
My home country takes three months to issue the certificate. What then? Start early. In some jurisdictions we can accelerate through the consulate or a local representative.
Does the RSTPN check apply to volunteers and interns? Yes. The statute speaks of being allowed to carry out the activity, not of the type of contract.
I have a residence card but no PESEL. Can I still get a KRK certificate? Yes, at a KRK information point at a court, on passport details. The e-KRK online channel does not work without a PESEL.
Working with children in Poland in 2026 is not one certificate and a handshake. It is a pack that takes a foreigner weeks to assemble and reaches into the registers of three or four countries. Start before the employer asks.
Tell us which countries you have lived in and where you are being hired - we will assemble the full pack, translations and legalisation included.
This material is informational. Individual employers and inspectors may differ in their requirements - consult a lawyer about your situation.