The type-A permit is the standard route for a foreign national employed by a Polish company. Since June 2025 the process is simpler than it was, but the sequence still has to run in order. Here it is, stage by stage.
Before You Start: Employer Readiness
Three checks, all of which can refuse an application if they fail:
- No outstanding tax or ZUS arrears
- The role is at least a quarter of full-time
- The intended start is within twelve months of issuance
Plus one practical requirement: an active praca.gov.pl account with a qualified electronic signature or trusted profile. Set this up before you have a requirement.
Stage 1: The Application (4–8 weeks)
The employer applies to the voivodeship office covering the workplace, filed digitally through praca.gov.pl. The application carries the job offer — position, salary, working time, place of work — plus company documents and the foreign national's details.
No starosta opinion is required any more. The office reviews the employer's standing and the offer, and issues the permit for the stated period, normally up to three years.
Processing varies by voivodeship and season. Four to eight weeks is a realistic planning assumption for a complete application.
Stage 2: Candidate Selection (runs in parallel)
This is the stage employers underuse. Selection does not have to wait for the permit. While the voivodeship office processes, we trade-test candidates in India, run video interviews with your managers and assemble each worker's document set. Done properly, selection costs no calendar time at all.
Stage 3: The National D Visa (2–4 weeks)
With the permit issued, each worker applies for a national D visa at the Polish mission in India. The file includes the original work permit, passport, photographs, insurance, proof of accommodation and the application form.
Appointment availability is the practical variable here, as it is everywhere. Complete files decided in two to four weeks are normal.
Stage 4: Indian Emigration Clearance
Workers holding ECR passports require emigration clearance through India's eMigrate system, granted for placements arranged through an agency licensed by the Ministry of External Affairs. Non-ECR passport holders do not need clearance. This runs in days once the visa is stamped.
Stage 5: Travel and Arrival
Tickets are issued in batches matched to your site's capacity to receive and induct people. On arrival the worker completes local formalities — PESEL, ZUS registration through the employer, bank account and, where the stay is long enough, the residence card application. See the first-weeks guide.
Total Timeline
One to three months from a clean employer file to workers on site: four to eight weeks for the permit, two to four weeks for the visa and travel, with selection running alongside rather than after.
What Actually Causes Delays
- A praca.gov.pl account set up at the last minute
- ZUS or tax arrears discovered at filing
- Incomplete candidate documents arriving in instalments
- Accommodation unconfirmed, which blocks both the visa file and the arrival
- Filing in the wrong voivodeship for the actual place of work
Related Permit Types
The type-A permit covers employment by a Polish entity. Type B covers board members, type C–E cover posting arrangements, and the seasonal permit covers agriculture and tourism within defined periods. Most Indian recruitment runs on type A.
For the legal background see Poland's new employment act; to scope a requirement, see the Poland hiring page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a Polish type-A work permit take?
Four to eight weeks for a complete application at the voivodeship office, then two to four weeks for the national D visa and travel — one to three months end to end.
Can candidate selection run while the permit is processing?
Yes, and it should. Trade testing, interviews and document preparation in India run in parallel with the voivodeship review, so selection adds no calendar time.
