Less than two weeks after Poland’s sweeping new Act on the Conditions for the Admissibility of Entrusting Work to Foreigners entered into force, the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy has raised the government filing fee for an *oświadczenie* (employer declaration) from PLN 100 to PLN 400. The *oświadczenie* allows companies to hire non-EU nationals for up to six months without securing a full work-permit and is widely used by manufacturing, logistics and agricultural employers because it is faster and cheaper than the standard permit route.
The executive ordinance, published late on 9 December and effective immediately, also removes Georgian nationals from the list of countries eligible for the simplified procedure, leaving only Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. According to the Polish labour office database, more than 800 000 *oświadczenie* declarations were registered in 2024, representing roughly 60 % of all first-time hires of foreign workers. HR directors say the four-fold fee hike could add several million zlotys to 2026 staffing budgets, although the route remains the least burdensome option compared with the standard work-permit, whose fees also doubled this month.
For employers or assignees seeking practical help with the new requirements, VisaHQ’s Poland desk (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) can provide end-to-end assistance, from document pre-checks and online form completion to tracking the higher fee payment. Their local specialists also advise on switching to full work-permit routes when the declaration pathway no longer fits, giving HR teams a compliant fallback without the administrative guesswork.
![Poland Quadruples Fast-Track Work-Declaration Fee and Drops Georgia from Eligible List]()
The ministry insists the increase will fund tighter compliance checks and the full digitisation of the filing platform on praca.gov.pl. Employers must now upload the employment contract, tax-compliance certificates and—if accommodation is provided—evidence that housing meets minimum standards. Labour inspectors have been given power to fine companies up to PLN 10 000 for missing documents or under-payment of fees.
For mobility managers the operational impact is immediate. Budget templates, offer letters and cost projections for 2026 will need to be updated. Companies that rely heavily on short-term seasonal labour (e.g., food-processing plants in the Mazowieckie and Lubelskie provinces) may consider shifting part of the fee to subcontractors or renegotiating supplier contracts. Assignees arriving in January should be advised to carry a copy of the fee receipt, as county labour offices have already started rejecting applications that reference the old PLN 100 tariff.
Strategically, the move underscores Warsaw’s determination to professionalise recruitment channels and curb abuse of the declaration pathway, which the Supreme Audit Office says has been used by some agencies to ‘traffic invitation letters’. Mobility practitioners expect further implementing ordinances in Q1 2026 clarifying documentary check-lists, processing times and appeal rights under the new law.
The executive ordinance, published late on 9 December and effective immediately, also removes Georgian nationals from the list of countries eligible for the simplified procedure, leaving only Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. According to the Polish labour office database, more than 800 000 *oświadczenie* declarations were registered in 2024, representing roughly 60 % of all first-time hires of foreign workers. HR directors say the four-fold fee hike could add several million zlotys to 2026 staffing budgets, although the route remains the least burdensome option compared with the standard work-permit, whose fees also doubled this month.
For employers or assignees seeking practical help with the new requirements, VisaHQ’s Poland desk (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) can provide end-to-end assistance, from document pre-checks and online form completion to tracking the higher fee payment. Their local specialists also advise on switching to full work-permit routes when the declaration pathway no longer fits, giving HR teams a compliant fallback without the administrative guesswork.
The ministry insists the increase will fund tighter compliance checks and the full digitisation of the filing platform on praca.gov.pl. Employers must now upload the employment contract, tax-compliance certificates and—if accommodation is provided—evidence that housing meets minimum standards. Labour inspectors have been given power to fine companies up to PLN 10 000 for missing documents or under-payment of fees.
For mobility managers the operational impact is immediate. Budget templates, offer letters and cost projections for 2026 will need to be updated. Companies that rely heavily on short-term seasonal labour (e.g., food-processing plants in the Mazowieckie and Lubelskie provinces) may consider shifting part of the fee to subcontractors or renegotiating supplier contracts. Assignees arriving in January should be advised to carry a copy of the fee receipt, as county labour offices have already started rejecting applications that reference the old PLN 100 tariff.
Strategically, the move underscores Warsaw’s determination to professionalise recruitment channels and curb abuse of the declaration pathway, which the Supreme Audit Office says has been used by some agencies to ‘traffic invitation letters’. Mobility practitioners expect further implementing ordinances in Q1 2026 clarifying documentary check-lists, processing times and appeal rights under the new law.
