Immigration & Residency

• Visas;
• Residence document issued by the state of the Schengen area;
• Residence permit;
• Visa-free movement, if it provides for the possibility of employment.

Who can do without a Permit?

Some foreigners can work in the Republic of Poland without a permit, among them:

• Citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine who have applications (oświadczenia) for seasonal or non-seasonal work;
• Individuals with additional protection indignant;
• Possessing permanent residence (Card became his stay);
• Received the status of a long-term resident of the EU;
• Having a special status of “Acceptable Residence” (inability to return to their homeland on the grounds established by law);
• Having the status of temporary protection;
• EU, EEA citizens, and their family members;
• Affected by the slave trade;
• Holders of a residence permit based on marriage with a Pole or with a foreign citizen corresponding to one of the paragraphs. 1 – 7 of this list;
• Those caught in a situation of life change, retaining the right to live in the Republic of Poland. Among such circumstances: the death of a spouse who is an EU citizen or divorce from him;
• Applicants for a residence permit and having a previously issued Permit;
• Pole Cardholders;
• Trainees, trainees, participants in EU special events or other cross-border programs;
• Foreign language teachers;
• Students of stationary Polish universities who are in the Republic of Poland on the appropriate visa;
• Artists or scientists (including scientific workers) working in Poland for no more than 30 days per calendar year;
• Persons specified in clause 16, but who are in the country with a residence permit;
• Representatives of foreign companies who do not apply for permanent residence sent to the Republic of Poland on a business trip for repair, maintenance, or installation of equipment manufactured abroad for a period not exceeding three months;
• Graduates of Polish police schools, universities, or postgraduate studies;
• Other categories of foreigners, including military personnel, clergymen, delegates of cultural associations, journalists, athletes.

The complete list of those who do not need the documents under consideration may vary in regions of the Republic of Poland. For more accurate information, it is better to contact the appropriate agency locally.

Types of Permissions

Depending on the type of work performed or expected, the types of required Permits are also different:

• Type A. Issued in the presence of an agreement regulating labor relations, including situations when employment is provided by a foreigner residing in the Republic of Poland.
• Type B. Received by foreign members of the board of commercial enterprises who need to perform their duties for more than six months every 365 days.
• Type C. They are issued by employees of foreign companies operating in the Republic of Poland if their activities are to be carried out for more than thirty days during one year.
• Type D. Must be received by representatives of foreign firms that do not have their permanent missions in the Republic of Poland, who have arrived for temporary duties.
• Type S. This is a permit for seasonal work – a list of activities, enshrined in law, including the areas of agriculture, forestry, tourism, and much more. Such a permit (as well as the D05b visa issued on its basis) can have a maximum allowable period of 270 days per year. Seasonal work has significant differences and is not covered in this article.
• Type E. Other circumstances not falling under the previous paragraphs.

To obtain a permit to work in Poland, you must prepare documents:

• Document from the State Court Register;
• All certified copies of documents, contracts that confirm the status and activities of the employer;
• Your copies of the passport and the employer, if the job is provided by an individual;
• Confirmation of the governor that the employer cannot find a qualified Polish citizen for this vacancy;
• A copy of the contract according to which the foreign employer carries out activities in Poland;
• Documents confirming your qualifications;
• Documents confirming payment.

The rest of the documents depend on the type of the requested Permission. In most cases, they are various extracts from state registers of enterprises in Poland, whose type depends on the form of organization of the legal entity.

How long does it demand to get a permit?

The time for consideration of the case is limited by law. It should not exceed 1 month, but in extraordinary cases, it can be increased to 2.

Dates of validity

The permit is issued for the term of the concluded agreement (invitation), but for a maximum of 3 years (in the cases of members of the board of directors of companies who have employed more than 25 people, the term can be increased to 5 years). These are the norms of the law. However, the same normative act gives the governors the right to reduce the validity period of the Permit at their discretion.