Work permit

Detailed explanation

The regulations provide for 6 types of work permits (A - E and S). Permit procedures and criteria vary according to the type of permit.

Permits of types A, B, C, D and E are issued by the voivode.

Type A work permit:

• applies to a foreigner performing work on the basis of a contract with an entity whose registered office or place of residence, or a branch, establishment or other form of organized activity is located on the territory of Polish;

• is issued by the voivode competent for the registered office or place of residence of the entity entrusting paid activity to a foreigner at their request;

• is issued for a specified period, no longer than for a period of 3 years, and can be extended;

• is issued, as a rule, provided that the employer demonstrates that on the local labour market (where citizens of the Republic of Poland and certain categories of foreigners, including ob. EU, they have priority employment), there are no registered unemployed people ready to work. Confirmation of the employer's inability to meet the staffing needs on the local labour market is the information issued by the starost, after conducting the so-called labour market test (i.e., checking by the District Labour Office whether there is no one among people without work to whom the employer could entrust work). The above-mentioned information of the starost is not required in every case.

Type B work permit:

• applies to a foreigner performing work that consists in:

• performing a function in the management board of a legal entity entered in the register of entrepreneurs;

• performing functions in the management board of a legal person who is a capital company in the organization;

• conducts the affairs of limited partnerships or limited joint-stock partnerships as a general partner or proxy – if in the next 12 months they performed this function for more than 6 months;

• is issued by the voivode competent for the seat of the entity at their request, if they demonstrate a certain level of income and employment or the possibility of meeting these conditions in the future;

• is issued for a specified period, no longer than for a period of 3 years, and can be extended. In the event that the entity employs more than 25 employees, it can be issued for a period of up to 5 years.

Type C work permit:

• applies to a foreigner delegated by a foreign employer to perform work to a branch or plant of a foreign entity or an entity related to that foreign employer, for a period of more than 30 days.

Type D work permit:

• applies to a foreigner performing work for a foreign employer, not having a branch, permanent establishment, or other form of organized activity on the territory of the Republic of Poland, delegated to the territory of the Republic of Poland in order to provide a temporary and everyday service (export service).

Type E work permit:

• applies to a foreigner performing work for a foreign employer, delegated to the territory of the Republic of Poland for a period exceeding 30 days in the next 6 months for a purpose other than indicated in the case of type B, C and D permits.

Type S work permit applies to seasonal work

– go to the seasonal work tab to read the information about this permit.

Remember!

• The Head of the Office for Foreigners is not competent to issue work permits, and the Case Handling Module does not provide the possibility of submitting applications in these matters.

• In the event that you need support in connection with the intention to apply for a work permit, please contact the appropriate unit at the voivodeship office or contact the Labour Market Department at the Ministry of Development, Labour and Technology.

Go to the detailed information about work permits to learn more:

• the conditions and procedures for the granting of type A and B permits

• the renewal of type A and B permits

• the type C permit

• the type D permit

• the type E permit

• the information of the starost

• general information