On 1 June 2025 the Act of 20 March 2025 on the conditions for entrusting work to foreigners came into force, replacing Poland's previous foreigner-employment framework entirely. If your understanding of Polish work permits predates that date, it is out of date in ways that matter. Here is what actually changed.
1. The Labour Market Test Is Gone
This is the headline. Polish employers no longer need to conduct a labour-market test — the starosta opinion showing that no Polish or EU candidate was available — before applying for a work permit.
For employers recruiting from India, this removes the step that used to add weeks and introduced genuine uncertainty. A permit application now turns on whether your company and the offer are in order, not on proving a negative about the local labour market.
2. Everything Runs Through praca.gov.pl
All legalisation procedures are handled exclusively through the praca.gov.pl portal: applications, correspondence with the authorities, and delivery of decisions. Paper filing is no longer the route.
Practically, this means your company needs a working portal account with a valid electronic signature or trusted profile before you have a requirement, not after. Employers who set this up at the point of need lose two weeks to administration.
3. New Grounds for Refusal
The Act introduced explicit grounds on which an application can be denied, and two of them catch employers out:
- Tax or social-security (ZUS) arrears. Outstanding liabilities are now a stated ground for refusal. Clear them before filing.
- Employment below a quarter of full-time. Marginal part-time arrangements no longer support a permit.
- A start date more than twelve months after issuance. You cannot stockpile permits far in advance of need.
- A foreigner who previously failed to take up work despite holding a permit. This attaches to the worker's history.
We check the first and third of these for every client before filing, because they are both avoidable and both fatal.
4. Fees Have Changed
Current rates include roughly PLN 200 for a work permit up to three months, PLN 400 for longer than three months, PLN 800 for posting a foreigner to Poland, PLN 100 for a seasonal permit, and PLN 400 for the declaration of entrustment of work (oświadczenie).
These are state fees only and sit alongside recruitment, travel and medical costs — see our full cost breakdown.
5. Stricter Enforcement Alongside Simpler Process
The trade for a simpler front end is a harder back end. The Act strengthens the enforcement regime around illegal employment and the conditions actually provided to foreign workers. Employers who file cleanly and pay what the permit states have a smoother process than before; employers who improvise have a worse one.
What This Means for Hiring From India
Net, the reform is good news. The most unpredictable step is gone, the process is faster for a clean file, and the burden has shifted to things you control: your tax position, your offer, and the completeness of the candidate dossier.
What has not changed is the Indian side. Overseas recruitment from India must run through an agency licensed by the Ministry of External Affairs, and ECR-passport workers need emigration clearance. See the type-A permit walkthrough for the sequence, and the Poland hiring page to scope a requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the labour market test still required in Poland?
No. The Act of 20 March 2025, in force from 1 June 2025, abolished it. Employers no longer need a starosta opinion before applying for a work permit.
Can a work permit be refused because of company tax arrears?
Yes. Outstanding tax or ZUS liabilities are now an explicit ground for refusal under the new Act, so they should be cleared before filing.
