A detailed ‘Legal Alert’ issued by the Wielkopolska Province Office in Poznań has consolidated the cascade of executive acts that underpin Poland’s new Act on the Conditions for Entrusting Work to Foreigners. Although the statute went live on 1 June, many practical provisions only became binding on 1 December—and yesterday regional offices began enforcing them.
The guidance confirms the sweeping fee increases and the trimmed list of countries eligible for the fast-track declaration, but it goes further by codifying when foreigners may work without any permit at all. Examples include short-term participation in EU aid programmes, teaching foreign languages in approved institutions, and highly specific technical tasks for defence contractors—each capped at 30 days per calendar year.
![Nation-wide legal alert: executive rules on employing foreigners take effect]()
The alert also lists, for the first time, the exhaustive documentation needed for a work-permit or declaration filing. Digital copies of every completed passport page and sworn translations are now compulsory, while placement agencies must attach user-employer agreements. Failure to upload the correct file will trigger an automatic electronic rejection under the fully online praca.gov.pl portal.
For HR teams the message is clear: front-load compliance work or risk delays that could ground assignees. The new rules also change strategic sourcing: because the labour-market test was abolished in June, regional governors may now publish ‘negative lists’ of protected professions where foreign hiring is barred. Companies should monitor voivodeship websites weekly to avoid surprises.
The guidance confirms the sweeping fee increases and the trimmed list of countries eligible for the fast-track declaration, but it goes further by codifying when foreigners may work without any permit at all. Examples include short-term participation in EU aid programmes, teaching foreign languages in approved institutions, and highly specific technical tasks for defence contractors—each capped at 30 days per calendar year.
The alert also lists, for the first time, the exhaustive documentation needed for a work-permit or declaration filing. Digital copies of every completed passport page and sworn translations are now compulsory, while placement agencies must attach user-employer agreements. Failure to upload the correct file will trigger an automatic electronic rejection under the fully online praca.gov.pl portal.
For HR teams the message is clear: front-load compliance work or risk delays that could ground assignees. The new rules also change strategic sourcing: because the labour-market test was abolished in June, regional governors may now publish ‘negative lists’ of protected professions where foreign hiring is barred. Companies should monitor voivodeship websites weekly to avoid surprises.
