Just hours after Poland’s sweeping foreign-worker reform entered into force, county labour offices flooded their websites and social-media channels with compliance reminders directed at local businesses. The alerts confirm that, from 1 December, the fee for registering a declaration on entrusting work to a foreigner has quadrupled to PLN 400 (about €90) and that only citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine remain eligible for this fast-track procedure.
Officials in Bielsk Podlaski and Wrocław stressed that employers must attach digital scans of the worker’s passport, proof of qualifications and an online payment confirmation when filing via the praca.gov.pl portal. Transitional guidance clarifies that Georgian nationals whose declarations were registered before the cut-off may continue working until the document expires, but no new filings will be accepted.
![County labour offices warn employers of higher fees and tighter nationality list]()
The sudden fee hike has budgetary implications for sectors that rely heavily on seasonal or short-term staff, such as agriculture and logistics. Legal advisers recommend that HR teams build the higher costs into 2026 planning cycles and review whether some roles now warrant a full work-permit route instead of a declaration.
Employers failing to adjust risk delays that could ground project timelines or, worse, expose them to fines of up to PLN 10,000 for unauthorised work. Mobility leaders should audit open declarations this week and communicate the new nationality carve-out to recruitment partners in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Officials in Bielsk Podlaski and Wrocław stressed that employers must attach digital scans of the worker’s passport, proof of qualifications and an online payment confirmation when filing via the praca.gov.pl portal. Transitional guidance clarifies that Georgian nationals whose declarations were registered before the cut-off may continue working until the document expires, but no new filings will be accepted.
The sudden fee hike has budgetary implications for sectors that rely heavily on seasonal or short-term staff, such as agriculture and logistics. Legal advisers recommend that HR teams build the higher costs into 2026 planning cycles and review whether some roles now warrant a full work-permit route instead of a declaration.
Employers failing to adjust risk delays that could ground project timelines or, worse, expose them to fines of up to PLN 10,000 for unauthorised work. Mobility leaders should audit open declarations this week and communicate the new nationality carve-out to recruitment partners in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
