Poland’s Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy has issued its first executive ordinance under the new Act on the Conditions for the Admissibility of Entrusting Work to Foreigners. Effective 9 December, the filing fee for an *oświadczenie*—the employer declaration that allows non-EU nationals to work up to six months without a full permit—has jumped from PLN 100 to PLN 400. At the same time Georgia has been removed from the list of eligible nationalities, leaving Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.
The *oświadczenie* pathway accounts for roughly 60 percent of first-time foreign hires in sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture and logistics. HR directors warn the four-fold increase could add millions of zlotys to 2026 staffing budgets, although the route remains faster and cheaper than a standard work permit. Officials argue the hike will fund digitisation and compliance checks after labour offices processed a record 1.8 million declarations in 2024.
![Poland Quadruples Fast-Track Work-Declaration Fee and Drops Georgia from Eligible List]()
For employers who now need to navigate these shifting requirements at short notice, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Through its Poland hub (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), the firm offers end-to-end support with *oświadczenie* filings, real-time fee and document updates, and contingency planning for full work-permit applications—freeing HR teams to focus on recruitment while staying compliant.
Georgia’s removal followed a risk assessment showing high overstay rates and onward migration to Germany and France. Employers with Georgian recruitment pipelines must now pivot to the more onerous single-permit track. Existing declarations remain valid, but new filings will be rejected.
Global-mobility teams should update cost forecasts, reassess sourcing strategies and brief recruiters on the nationality change. Law firms expect further secondary legislation in early 2026 covering remote-work rules for foreign freelancers and introducing e-signature capability for residence applications—possible offsets to the higher fees.
The *oświadczenie* pathway accounts for roughly 60 percent of first-time foreign hires in sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture and logistics. HR directors warn the four-fold increase could add millions of zlotys to 2026 staffing budgets, although the route remains faster and cheaper than a standard work permit. Officials argue the hike will fund digitisation and compliance checks after labour offices processed a record 1.8 million declarations in 2024.
For employers who now need to navigate these shifting requirements at short notice, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Through its Poland hub (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), the firm offers end-to-end support with *oświadczenie* filings, real-time fee and document updates, and contingency planning for full work-permit applications—freeing HR teams to focus on recruitment while staying compliant.
Georgia’s removal followed a risk assessment showing high overstay rates and onward migration to Germany and France. Employers with Georgian recruitment pipelines must now pivot to the more onerous single-permit track. Existing declarations remain valid, but new filings will be rejected.
Global-mobility teams should update cost forecasts, reassess sourcing strategies and brief recruiters on the nationality change. Law firms expect further secondary legislation in early 2026 covering remote-work rules for foreign freelancers and introducing e-signature capability for residence applications—possible offsets to the higher fees.
