Work permit in Poland in 2026: what changed and what it costs

Poland replaced its 20-year-old rules on employing foreigners with a new law in 2025. If you are hiring someone from outside the EU, or you are that someone, these are the rules that apply to a work permit (zezwolenie na pracę) in 2026.

The new law in brief

The Act of 20 March 2025 on the conditions for entrusting work to foreigners came into force on 1 June 2025. Its implementing regulations followed on 1 December 2025. It applies to citizens of countries outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland who need a permit to work in Poland.

What changed for employers

• No labour market test. Employers no longer need the labour office to confirm that no suitable local candidate exists. Instead, a district (powiat) can set a list of occupations for which it won't issue permits.
• Online only. Applications, attachments and appeals go through praca.gov.pl. Documents filed any other way are left unexamined.
• No extensions. A permit is issued for up to three years (in some cases up to one). It can't be extended; the employer applies for a new one.
• Stricter refusals. A permit is refused if the employer owes social security contributions or taxes, has no real business that needs the worker, or appears to exist mainly to bring foreigners into Poland. Fines for illegal employment are much higher than before.
• Priority sectors. Applications for selected industries and professions are handled first.

Visas that don't let you work

Not every visa allows work, even with a permit. Visas issued for tourism, visiting family or friends, medical treatment and a few other purposes don't, and neither do transit visas or visas issued by another Schengen country. Check the purpose code on your visa before you sign a contract.

Fees since 1 December 2025

• 200 zł for work of up to 3 months.
• 400 zł for work of more than 3 months.
• 800 zł when the employer posts the worker to Poland.
• 100 zł for a seasonal work permit.

Cases started before 1 December 2025 keep the old fees.

Pay and the contract

The pay in the permit must be at least what comparable workers earn in the same company, and never below the minimum wage. In 2026 that is 4,806 zł gross a month, or 31.40 zł an hour on a civil-law contract. If the worker works part-time and the hours later rise, the pay must rise in proportion.

The contract has to be in writing before the work starts. If it's in Polish and the worker doesn't speak Polish, the employer gives them its content in a language they understand before they sign.

Changing jobs

A work permit is issued for a specific employer and position. A new employer usually means a new permit, so plan the change before handing in your notice. If you hold a temporary residence and work permit, a change of employer usually means changing that permit too.

Work permit or residence and work permit

A work permit lets you work, but it doesn't extend your stay. If you plan to stay in Poland longer than your visa allows, you will usually apply for a temporary residence and work permit instead. That single permit covers both, is filed by you in MOS, and costs 440 zł in stamp duty plus 100 zł for the card. See how to apply in MOS.

What may change next

In July 2026 the government proposed amendments to the 2025 law. According to the draft, citizens and residents of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States would no longer need a work permit, and employers would take on new reporting duties. It was a draft when we checked, not law.

For citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine there is a simpler route: work on an oświadczenie. For everyone else, we can check which permit fits and prepare it with your employer: see work permits.

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