Poland rewrote the rules for hiring foreigners. The Act of 20 March 2025 on the conditions for permitting work to be performed by foreigners came into force on 1 June 2025, replacing a framework previously scattered across several statutes. By 2026 the reform is complete: since 1 June 2026 praca.gov.pl carries an electronic module for the information procedures around work permits.
Three changes matter most: everything is filed electronically, the labour market test is gone, and employers carry more duties.
What changed
| Before | Now |
|---|---|
| Paper or electronic filing, your choice | praca.gov.pl only; paper is left unexamined |
| Starosta's labour market information mandatory | abolished |
| Declaration fee PLN 100 | PLN 400 |
| Notifications partly on paper | electronic, with an expanded module from 1 June 2026 |
| Temporary work agencies loosely regulated | entry in the employment agency register required |
Electronic only. Applications for work permits, seasonal work permits and declarations of entrusting work go exclusively through praca.gov.pl. Anything filed in another form is left without examination - not rejected with a chance to fix, simply not processed.
The labour market test is gone. The starosta's certificate that no Polish worker could be found is no longer required. That removes 14 to 30 days of waiting and the main source of delay.
Declarations cost more. The fee rose from PLN 100 to PLN 400 - a visible cost line for employers hiring seasonal workers at scale.
The duties employers forget
The new act expanded information obligations, and inspections by the labour inspectorate and the Border Guard now focus on exactly those.
The employer must report:
- the foreigner starting work;
- the foreigner failing to start within the set period;
- termination of the employment;
- changes to conditions affecting the permit's validity.
For Ukrainian nationals a separate rule applies: the work notification must be filed within seven days of work starting, through praca.gov.pl. It took effect on 5 March 2026 alongside the act winding down the special Ukraine legislation - the rest of those changes sit in our article on PESEL UKR.
A missed notification is not a formality. It grounds sanctions against the employer and triggers a legality check across the whole team - we cover the fine levels separately.
What it means for the worker
For a foreign candidate the changes are mostly good:
- Faster. Without the labour market test the procedure lost several weeks.
- More transparent. The application status is visible in the system.
- But stricter on dates. The employer reports your start date, so any mismatch between paperwork and reality surfaces automatically.
One point deserves emphasis: a work permit does not legalise your stay. These are two separate documents. The permit grants the right to work; the residence card grants the right to be in the country. Their dates must be synchronised, or you end up allowed to work but not to stay. The routes are compared in our piece on type A permits and declarations.
Changing employer
A type A permit ties to a specific employer, position and conditions. Changing jobs requires a new permit, and where the residence card was issued for that employer, a notification to the wojewoda as well.
The deadlines are hard: 15 working days to notify the wojewoda after losing the job, and 30 days to find new grounds. We break the mechanics down here.
What we do
For employers:
- Procedure audit - which notifications you owe and by when, under the 2025-2026 rules.
- Filing through praca.gov.pl - permits, declarations, notifications, including running the account.
- An inspection pack - the documentation the labour inspectorate will ask for.
For workers:
- Legality review of your current setup: permit, contract, residence card.
- Synchronising permit and residence card dates.
- Changing employer without a gap in legality.
Start with an employment consultation.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a work permit if I hold a residence card? It depends on the type. A permanent residence card, EU long-term resident status, a card based on marriage to a Polish citizen and UKR status all allow work without a permit. A standard work-based temporary card carries the employer link inside it.
Was the labour market test abolished entirely? The starosta's information ceased to be a mandatory element on 1 June 2025. Sector or regional restrictions can still be introduced through other instruments.
What happens if the employer fails to notify? Liability falls on the employer. For the worker the risk is indirect: a discrepancy found during an inspection complicates the residence case.
Can I start work right after the application is filed? No. Work begins once the permit is issued, or on another basis granting the right to work.
What does a type A permit cost? PLN 100 for a period over three months, PLN 50 for shorter. A declaration costs PLN 400.
I work on a civil-law contract. Same rules? Yes. The act speaks of entrusting work, not of a contract type. Each structure - civil-law contract, specific-task contract, B2B through your own company - has its own conditions, worth checking before signing.
The procedure is faster now but less forgiving: one notification missed on time becomes grounds for sanctions. Fewer papers, more discipline about dates.
Describe your situation - employer, contract type, current status - and we will check the structure and flag the weak points.
This material is informational. Consult a lawyer about your situation.
Related materials:
- Karta pobytu 2026: the whole procedure step by step - the overview, from grounds to collecting the card