In a surprise move published late on 24 February 2026 in the Journal of Laws (item 209), the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy issued a short but far-reaching regulation that waives Article 31(1) of the 2025 Act on the Conditions for Employing Foreigners whenever the applicant is a citizen of the Republic of Turkey.
Article 31(1) is the cornerstone of Poland’s labour-market test: before hiring a non-EU national, the employer must obtain a so-called “information on the labour demand” from the local labour office confirming that no suitably qualified Polish or EU job-seeker is available. From 11 March 2026 – 14 days after publication – that requirement will simply not apply to Turkish citizens. All other procedural steps (filing the work-permit application, paying the state fee, proving adequate salary and insurance) remain intact, but the most time-consuming element disappears.
Practically, the change should cut lead times for standard work-permit (type A) applications by two to three weeks and eliminate the risk of a negative labour-market opinion. Turkish companies active in construction, automotive components and business-process outsourcing – all sectors where Turkish investment in Poland has grown sharply – will feel the benefit first. Employers that already submitted applications can ask the voivodeship office to disregard the labour-market opinion if a decision has not yet been issued.
![Poland exempts Turkish nationals from labour-market test for work permits]()
For employers and individual applicants who want to make the most of this streamlined process, VisaHQ’s Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) provides clear guidance, document checklists and hands-on support for securing Polish work permits and related visas. The platform’s local expertise and real-time updates can help ensure that Turkish citizens benefit fully from the new exemption while keeping every other compliance box ticked.
The ministry gave no formal justification, but migration advisers point to Ankara’s long-standing push for better mobility conditions under the 1963 Association Agreement and the 2012 EU–Turkey readmission deal. While the waiver only covers work permits (not residence cards), it aligns Poland with Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, which already grant Turkish citizens certain immigration facilitations under the stand-still clause of the agreement.
Companies should review internal mobility policies to make sure Turkish transferees and new hires take advantage of the faster route. They must still budget for higher minimum salaries that entered into force on 1 January 2026 and ensure all supporting documents are translated into Polish. The regulation contains no sunset clause, but practitioners expect periodic reviews once the government publishes its long-awaited comprehensive Foreigners’ Act amendment later this year.
Article 31(1) is the cornerstone of Poland’s labour-market test: before hiring a non-EU national, the employer must obtain a so-called “information on the labour demand” from the local labour office confirming that no suitably qualified Polish or EU job-seeker is available. From 11 March 2026 – 14 days after publication – that requirement will simply not apply to Turkish citizens. All other procedural steps (filing the work-permit application, paying the state fee, proving adequate salary and insurance) remain intact, but the most time-consuming element disappears.
Practically, the change should cut lead times for standard work-permit (type A) applications by two to three weeks and eliminate the risk of a negative labour-market opinion. Turkish companies active in construction, automotive components and business-process outsourcing – all sectors where Turkish investment in Poland has grown sharply – will feel the benefit first. Employers that already submitted applications can ask the voivodeship office to disregard the labour-market opinion if a decision has not yet been issued.
For employers and individual applicants who want to make the most of this streamlined process, VisaHQ’s Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) provides clear guidance, document checklists and hands-on support for securing Polish work permits and related visas. The platform’s local expertise and real-time updates can help ensure that Turkish citizens benefit fully from the new exemption while keeping every other compliance box ticked.
The ministry gave no formal justification, but migration advisers point to Ankara’s long-standing push for better mobility conditions under the 1963 Association Agreement and the 2012 EU–Turkey readmission deal. While the waiver only covers work permits (not residence cards), it aligns Poland with Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, which already grant Turkish citizens certain immigration facilitations under the stand-still clause of the agreement.
Companies should review internal mobility policies to make sure Turkish transferees and new hires take advantage of the faster route. They must still budget for higher minimum salaries that entered into force on 1 January 2026 and ensure all supporting documents are translated into Polish. The regulation contains no sunset clause, but practitioners expect periodic reviews once the government publishes its long-awaited comprehensive Foreigners’ Act amendment later this year.
