Poland has been much famous due to it work visa program among many developing countries. It is a member state of the European Union. So, the citizens of each European union state will never be required to have any work permit to work and live in Poland. On the other hand, if you are not a citizen of any of the European Union states, you will need a valid visa and a work permit to ensure your living and career in Poland. Here you will be provided with all the details about the kinds, criteria of each kind, and the application procedure of Poland’s work permit.
What are the kind of work permits that Poland is offering?
If you are not a citizen of the EU state and is interested in going to Poland, then Poland is offering you different work permits. These work permits have specific criteria according to the kind of work permit. You can select the work permits as per your desire and eligibility. Those permits are:
| Kinds of Poland work permits | Specified for |
| Type A | Non-citizen of EU states & work as an employee for the polish employer |
| Type C or E | Non-citizen of EU states who are sent in Poland by reassigning him/her by their company to Poland. In other words, who work in Poland as a result of Intracompany transfers. |
| Type C or E (Schengen/Business visa) | Foreigners who want to stay in a short span of time in Poland. |
| Entrepreneur / Freelance visa | For individuals who want to work themselves on their own such as small business or freelance services. |
What are the required Documentations to get Poland work permit?
Regardless of the work permit type, you will have to rely on the Polish employer who will submit your documents to the relevant government authority. You and your employer will be required to provide the documents which are necessary to process the application. Here is the detail of the documentation for both:
– Documents required from applicant:
You will have to hand over these given documents to your employer:
- Application form;
- A receipt that proves paid application charges;
- Proof of Health Insurance;
- Copy of the passport along with the information related to travel;
- An action for the agency.
– Documents required from your employer:
The employer who will be responsible for your arrival in Poland will submit these documents:
- A copy of the agreement with your employer revealing the possible profits and losses;
- A legal verification letter of your employer via the National Court Register;
- The verification of the source of income;
- A copy of the agreement of the project that you and your employer will proceed with within Poland.
What is the application procedure to attain the Poland work visa?
You will have to follow the following steps to get the Poland work visa:
- Performing a labor market test:
Before the other procedure, this is mandatory to perform a labor market test. You will have to pass this test if there are other competitors too. The basic purpose of the test is filtration of the candidates. Poland mostly prefers their own citizens for the positions available in the labor market. They will judge you by your performance in the test. If you will be skilled enough to take the place of the citizens of EU states, you will be given that opportunity.
In case, there are no applicants/competitors for the post without you, there will be no restriction of the test for you. You can easily apply for a work permit relying on your employer.
- The procedure for application:
The application task will be for the employer. You will have to submit the authentic documents listed above to your employer. He/she will be responsible for your documents and the application.
The employer will have to prove the conditions in the applications, which are,
- The project with the employee is restricted to all the rules of the labor market comprising the labor code provisions;
- According to Voivodeship, the charges for the application must not exceed 30 % of the monthly salary.
- Work permit publication
This task will also be done by your employer. The employer will submit the application of your work permit to the local head of land, the Voivode. When your application will be verified by Voivode, then there will be the publication of the three copies of the permit. This will be the responsibility of the employer to hand over copies of permits safely. These copies will be distributed as:
- For the evidence, the Voivode will take one copy of your permit;
- One copy will be given to the employer;
- Thirds will be yours (The applicant).
Essential Consideration:
The validity date of your work permit will be dependent on your workplace, employer, or company. Until you are working with a particular employer or company, your work permit will be valid. When the work duration will be ended, your work permit will also be considered expired.
Which of the foreigners do not require a work permit?
It is clear that if you are a non-citizen of the EU and want to work and live in Poland, you will need a work permit. Now there is a group of foreigners who do not require any work permit. If you have one of the following conditions, you will not need a work permit to work and live in Poland:
- You have the permanent residence permit for EU states;
- You have the long-term residence permit of Poland;
- You are the family member of one of the citizens of EU states;
- You have received International protection status in Poland. For example, the receiver of subsidiary protection;
- You own an authentic Pole card;
- Your education is from an official school, college, or university;
- You have received the residence permit for the fulfillment of your higher education in Poland;
- You have a short-term residence allowance;
- You are the husband/wife of any citizen of Poland who owns the residence permit given on the basis of marriage;
- You have the work permit issued on any compassionate basis.
Citizens of which countries have the exemption from work permits?
If you are a citizen of these given countries, you will get exemptions and advantages in Poland:
- Belarus
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Georgia
- Moldova
- Armenia
The benefits given to the citizens of these countries are:
- Easy access in Poland labor market;
- Work allowance without work permit for the period of 6 months in a year.
Essential Considerations:
They will have to submit just the agreement letter with the agency they are working with. If the company needs them for any long-term project, then they will have to apply for a work permit.
They can also apply for the work permit for a short-term stay, then agreement verification will not be needed. Also, no verification from staroste will be needed to verify the HR needs of the labor market.
Poland work permits for seasonal workers
Seasonal workers are those foreign workers who just live and work in Poland for a maximum of 9 months a year. They come on and off in the state they are working. Their permanent residence in the state from where they belong. The fields like agriculture, horticulture, and tourism, etc. counted as seasonal activities, the workers of these fields are known as seasonal workers.
A new scheme for the seasonal workers for the promotion of issuance of their work permit was made in January 2018. It was implemented in the labor market in order to increase the employment rate of Poland.