Citizeo Expand your global options
Pathway

Poland Temporary Residence and Work Permit

Poland Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

Poland's temporary residence and work permit is for non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens who will live in Poland to work for a Polish employer or other qualifying Polish work arrangement. It generally requires legal stay in Poland when applying, employer paperwork, non-seasonal work, compliant pay and conditions, and health insurance.

Job offer required?
Yes; a specific non-seasonal job requiring a stay longer than three months
Employer evidence
The employer submits the required digital attachment describing the job and its terms
2026 pay
At least PLN 4,806 gross monthly regardless of hours or contract type, and no less than comparable workers

Summary

Poland's combined work-and-residence permit is for a concrete non-seasonal job requiring more than three months in the country. The employer supplies the digital job attachment, while the worker must already have a legal residence basis from which this application is allowed. Some visa and foreign-permit categories cannot support it.

Pay must meet both the legal floor and the standard for comparable work; the 2026 monthly floor applies regardless of contracted hours. This is not entry permission or an open job-search route. Foreign postings and independent overseas remote work follow different rules.

Prepare the job and residence documents
  1. Check the job and your current permission You need an eligible non-seasonal job and a status that lets you apply.
  2. Check the employment terms Review pay, working conditions, employer details, and local occupation restrictions.
  3. Your employer completes the MOS attachment The employer signs the required online job information.
  4. Submit your residence application Apply before your legal stay ends. Provide identity documents, fingerprints, and a photograph when requested.

The permit depends on an eligible job. A job offer does not mean every current visa or permit lets you apply.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

EEA means the EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

This route may fit if:

The old labor-market test (a check for suitable workers already available locally) was abolished on 1 June 2025. An employer should not rely on an old checklist that still asks for a starosta's labor-market information. However, a county may now identify occupations or types of work for which permits will not be issued locally, so the employer should check whether a current restricted list affects the position.

What This Route Allows

The permit lets you live in Poland and work under the employer, position, pay, working-time, and contract terms in the decision. It is generally granted for more than 3 months and no more than 3 years.

This is not fully open work authorization. A material change of employer or employment terms may require a permit amendment or a new application. If the job ends, the permit holder normally has 15 business days to notify the voivode in writing. Prompt advice is important because losing the job does not by itself create a general job-search status.

Qualifying time on this permit can count toward the 5-year residence period for EU long-term resident status. That later application still requires its own residence-continuity, income, insurance, housing, and Polish-language evidence.

What This Route Is Not

Next Steps

  1. Confirm the employer's legal name, position, contract type and duration, working time, gross pay, and intended start date.
  2. Ask the employer to check any current county restricted-occupation list and to confirm that the pay meets both general employment law and residence-permit rules.
  3. Gather your passport, digital photograph, proof of legal stay, insurance evidence, and any role-specific qualifications. Arrange sworn Polish translations when required.
  4. Give the employer the email address MOS will use for its digital attachment and allow time for the employer to complete and sign it.
  5. File electronically through MOS before your legal stay expires. Since 27 April 2026, temporary-residence applications generally must be submitted through MOS, signed through login.gov.pl, and supported by the required attachments. Save the UPO.
  6. Attend when the voivode calls you to show the original passport, give fingerprints and a signature specimen, or complete the evidence.

Stay up to date on this pathway

Get an email when something important changes.

No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

Similar work permit pathways in other destinations.

Sources