Can I pay for my own work permit application in Poland?

The application is filed by your employer, and the fee is paid as part of that filing, so it's the employer's cost. A worker cannot file for themselves. If a person or agency asks you for money in the name of “the permit fee” before there's a signed offer, ask for a written explanation and the employer's name before you pay anything.

Can I start working while my employer's application is pending?

No. A pending application isn't a permit. You may work only after the permit is issued and you have a valid legal basis to stay in Poland. Working earlier puts you and the employer at risk of penalties, and it can damage later residence applications. Wait for the decision, then agree on the first working day in writing.

Is the old “labour market test” still required?

Based on current guidance from Polish offices and legal guides, the labour market test was dropped under the reform that took effect on 1 June 2025. Your employer therefore doesn't have to wait for a local job-centre opinion first. Rules for specific jobs can still differ, so ask the employer to confirm what applies to your position.

What if the voivode rejects my employer's application?

The employer receives a written decision with reasons and can challenge it within the deadline stated in it. Don't guess the deadline, and don't ignore the letter. Ask the employer to send you the decision the same day and keep a copy. If the reasons look like a paperwork gap, it can often be corrected in a new, better-prepared filing.

How Employer Applies for Work Permit Poland 2026

It's a Tuesday evening. The recruiter has just messaged you: “Good news, we'll take care of your work permit.” You smile. Then the questions start. Who actually files it? What do they need from you? When can you tell your family you're leaving? If you're wondering how an employer applies for a work permit for a foreigner in Poland, you're asking exactly the right question. Most delays we see start in the first week, when nobody is sure who is doing what. Here's the process, step by step, with the 2026 fees.

So, who actually files the work permit: you or your employer?

Your employer. Not you. In Poland the application for a work permit (zezwolenie na pracę) is filed by the company that wants to hire you, and the decision is issued by the voivode, the regional government office (urząd wojewódzki) for the employer's seat. You can't file it for yourself, and a recruiter or a friend can't do it in your name.

Since 1 June 2025 the rules sit in the Act of 20 March 2025 on the conditions for entrusting work to foreigners, and the application goes in electronically through the praca.gov.pl portal. No paper bundle, no queue at a counter. The employer logs in, fills in the form, attaches the documents and pays the fee. Your job is to give them accurate data and clean copies, and then to wait for the decision.

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What does your employer need to prepare before filing?

A good application is boring. Every field matches the passport, the contract matches the job description, and nothing is missing. The exact attachment list depends on your case, so your employer should check it in the form itself, but these are the building blocks nearly every filing needs.

The employer's company data: registration details, tax ID and the address of the seat.
Your passport data, exactly as printed. One swapped letter in a surname can cost weeks.
The job: position, place of work, working time and the type of contract (employment or civil-law).
The pay. It must be at least the statutory minimum: PLN 4,806 gross a month in 2026, or PLN 31.40 per hour for civil-law contracts. It also shouldn't be lower than what comparable workers at that company earn.
Your qualifications, if the job requires them, for example a diploma or a licence.
Proof the employer can pay your salary and meets its own legal obligations. The voivode may ask for more during the procedure.

Before any of this starts, make sure the company is real and the offer is in writing. We wrote a short checklist in How to Find an Employer in Poland From India (2026): 5 Checks Before You Pay Anyone. If the employer can't tell you which permit they're applying for, that's your first red flag.

A laptop is all an employer needs to file: the work permit application goes through the praca.gov.pl portal

How much does a work permit application cost, and who pays?

The fee is paid by whoever files, so in practice it's the employer. The amounts were reset by a regulation that took effect on 1 December 2025, and they depend on how long the permit is for.

Work permit for longer than 3 months: PLN 400.
Work permit for up to 3 months: PLN 200.
Seasonal work permit: PLN 100.
Declaration of entrusting work to a foreigner (oświadczenie), a different, simpler route open only to some nationalities: PLN 400, up from PLN 100 before 1 December 2025.

You can read the regulation itself in the Journal of Laws, item 1622 of 2025. If someone asks you to pay “the government fee” for the work permit before you have a signed offer, stop and ask why. Seasonal jobs have their own rules, and we explain who files what in Seasonal Work Permit in Poland 2026: 9 Months, PLN 100 — and Who Actually Files It.

Keep every document the employer sends you, including the filing confirmation, in one folder

How long does the voivode take to decide?

The voivode's office in Warsaw says a decision usually comes within about a month, and the law sets a 30-day target. In practice, commercial guides report anything from one to three months, depending on the region and on whether the office has to ask your employer for missing documents. Nobody can promise you an exact date. Check the current practice of the office handling your case on the Mazowieckie voivode's work permit page or the website of your own voivodeship.

While you wait, don't start working and don't book a one-way ticket on the strength of a promise. The permit counts only once it's issued and valid. If you're abroad, a Polish consulate will normally want the permit among your documents when you apply for a visa, so ask the consulate which papers it needs.

A permit has an end date too. When it's running out, there's no “extension” button any more, and the employer has to apply again. We cover that in Work Permit Renewal Poland 2026: No 'Extension' Anymore, a New Permit Costs PLN 400.

What happens after the permit is issued?

The permit is tied to the employer who applied for it. That's the part people forget when a better offer shows up in month three. The employer also has to report to the voivode whether you actually started work, and missing that report can bring them a fine, so remind them politely.

If you want to change jobs, the clock starts immediately and the steps are different. Read Changing Jobs in Poland on a Work Permit 2026: 15 Working Days to Act, PLN 220 or 400 before you sign anything with a new employer.

And don't mix up the two documents. A work permit says you may work for this employer. It isn't a residence card. We compare them side by side in Work Permit vs Karta Pobytu: Which One Lets You Work in Poland? PLN 400 vs 440 (2026). For your own stay, check the official rules for foreigners on gov.pl/cudzoziemcy.

Ask the employer for the permit number and decision date before you book a flight to Warsaw

Arjun, a welder from Punjab, was told by a recruiter “everything is filed.” When he asked for the confirmation, nothing had been submitted, and he'd already given notice at home. This is an illustrative example, not a real client. Practical tip: ask your employer for the filing confirmation from praca.gov.pl and, later, a copy of the decision. A real employer sends both without being embarrassed.

Not sure whether your employer filed the right thing? Legal Solutions — 98% approval rate. Drop us a WhatsApp on +48 735 248 525 (Kamil, English only) — we read every message.