Poland work visa and single permit: complete guide

To stay longer than the visa, apply in Poland for a temporary residence and work permit. You must be in Poland legally (not on a tourist, family-visit or posting basis), the job must justify a stay over 3 months, and you need health insurance. The pay stated by the employer must not be lower than that of comparable workers and, per month, not below the minimum wage: PLN 4,806 gross in 2026 for any working time or contract type.

Normally the job must not be on the starost's list of occupations with a labour surplus, but this requirement does not apply to Turkish citizens. Since 27 April 2026 the application is filed in MOS, and the employer signs Annex 1 electronically. Stamp duty is PLN 440 and the card PLN 100; the voivode should decide within 60 days.

With the work permit, register for a national work visa appointment through e-Konsulat and lodge the application in person at the Polish consulate responsible for your place of legal residence, or at the visa centre it uses. Follow the appointment rules the consulate publishes for work visas.

Consulate checklists typically ask for the original Polish work permit, a signed and stamped letter on company letterhead stating the intention to hire you, vocational diplomas or certificates, proof of your previous employment, a criminal record certificate, civil status documents and accommodation proof. Health insurance can be replaced by proof of registration with ZUS. If you apply more than 3 months after the work permit's start date, add the employer's letter to the voivode and proof of when it was submitted.

Before you apply for a visa, the Polish employer applies to the voivode for a work permit. Under the Act of 20 March 2025 on entrusting work to foreigners, in force since 1 June 2025, these applications are filed only electronically through praca.gov.pl; paper applications are left unexamined.

Since 1 December 2025 the employer pays PLN 200 for a permit of up to 3 months, PLN 400 for a longer one and PLN 800 for posting a foreigner to Poland. The simplified declaration procedure is available only to citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine; everyone else needs the work permit.

You may work only under the conditions in the permit: employer, position, working time and minimum pay. Tell the voivode in writing within 15 days if you lose a job listed in the permit. Changing employer requires a new permit or an amendment of the permit (stamp duty PLN 220 for an amendment); other changes, such as a new company name or address, the employer reports to the voivode within 15 days.

With the permit and the residence card you can cross the Polish border without a visa and stay in other Schengen states for up to 90 days in any 180.

The voivode refuses if requirements are not met, if the employer does not run real activity, lacks the means to pay, exists mainly to bring in foreigners, has unpaid ZUS contributions or tax arrears, or was penalised for illegal employment; or if the job would in fact be temporary-agency work for a third party. Applications filed during an illegal stay are refused.

Under Articles 6 and 7 of Decision No 1/80 of the EEC–Türkiye Association Council, a Turkish worker who has been legally employed in Poland for 1 year may continue with the same employer; after 3 years with the same employer may take a job in the same occupation with any employer (with priority for Polish and EU workers); and after 4 years has free access to any paid employment without a work permit.

Turkish citizens who have acquired these rights can apply for a dedicated temporary residence permit for "other circumstances" (Article 186(1)(5) of the Foreigners Act), for more than 3 months up to 3 years, with stamp duty of PLN 340. Employment contracts, certificates of employment and ZUS records prove the work history.

A voivode's refusal can be appealed to the Head of the Office for Foreigners within 14 days of delivery, in writing through the voivode (not via MOS). The appeal should be decided within 90 days. Without an appeal or another basis of stay, you must leave Poland within 30 days of the decision becoming final.