Day three at a warehouse outside Łódź. Your supervisor waves a hand: “We'll sort the papers next week.” You haven't signed anything. You haven't seen a contract. A coworker says the agency “handles everything.” Sound familiar? If you're a Nigerian worker in Poland, or about to become one, the documents your employer must provide are not a favour. They're a legal duty, and they're also your proof for every later step: your Karta Pobytu (Polish residence permit), your bank, your landlord, your renewal. Here is the list in the order you should expect it: day one, the first week, and your last day.
Is a written contract really required before your first shift?
Short answer: yes. Since the new law on employing foreigners took effect on 1 June 2025, work for a foreigner has to rest on a written contract concluded before the first day of work. “We'll do the paperwork later” is not how it is supposed to go.
The contract also has to match your permit. Your duties, your pay and your working time must be consistent with what the work permit or the employer's oświadczenie o powierzeniu pracy says. If your permit says warehouse operator at one employer and you're told to start as a welder somewhere else, that is a problem for you, not only for the company. We explain the difference between the two routes in Oświadczenie vs Work Permit for Pakistani Workers: Only 4 Countries Qualify (2026); the same logic applies to Nigerian workers.
When you get the contract, check these six things before you sign:
- The employer's full name exactly as on your permit or declaration.
- Your job title and main duties.
- Your gross monthly pay. The national minimum wage in 2026 is PLN 4,806 gross a month, or PLN 31.40 gross an hour for civil-law contracts such as zlecenie, in force since 1 January 2026.
- Working hours and where you work.
- The start date and the contract type (umowa o pracę or a civil-law contract).
- Your signature and the employer's signature, with your own copy handed to you.
Pay matters for your card too. If your salary falls short of the threshold, a renewal can fail even when everything else is perfect. Read Salary Threshold for Karta Pobytu 2026: PLN 4,806 and Why Sri Lankan Cases Fail to see how the office looks at it.
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Does the contract have to be in a language you understand?
If you don't read Polish, a Polish-only contract is not enough. Your employer has to give you the content in a version you understand, in writing, before you sign.
Three more duties sit with the employer from the same law:
- Telling you in writing, in a language you understand, that you have the right to join a trade union.
- Checking that your residence document is valid before you start, and keeping a copy of it for as long as you work there.
- Sending a copy of your contract, in Polish, electronically to the office that issued your permit or registered the declaration, before you begin work. For a contract written only in a foreign language, the Polish version must be a sworn translation.
You can't see the last step with your own eyes, so ask HR a simple question: “Was the contract sent to the office, and when?” A clear answer is a good sign. A vague one is worth a second look. The official overview for foreigners and employers sits on gov.pl/web/cudzoziemcy.
One rule we repeat to everyone: never sign what you can't read. “Sign now, we translate later” is the most common red flag we hear about. Ask for the English version first. Take a photo of every page before you hand it back.
How do you know your employer registered you with ZUS?
A job in Poland means social and health insurance. The employer reports you to ZUS within 7 days of your first working day. That registration is what gives you a record of contributions and, in most cases, access to the public health system.
You don't see the ZUS form unless you ask. Ask HR for confirmation that you were registered (a copy of the registration or a clear written reply with the date), and keep it with your contract. The social insurance institution publishes the rules at zus.pl. If you're also deciding between public insurance and a private policy for your card application, our guide Health Insurance for Karta Pobytu 2026: ZUS or a EUR 30,000 Private Policy? walks through it.
Also ask for a monthly pay statement, and compare it with the transfer that lands in your account. If the amounts don't match, raise it in writing in the first month, not in the sixth. Keep screenshots of your schedule and your bank history too. They are your evidence if anything goes wrong.
What should be in your hands when the job ends?
People think about documents on the first day and forget the last. That is when you need them most, because your next employer, your next card application and your tax return all depend on them.
First, the tax statement PIT-11. Your employer has to give it to you by the end of February for the previous year. In 2026 the date moved to 2 March because 28 February fell on a Saturday. You need it for your annual tax return; our guide PIT Tax Return in Poland 2026: Do You Need One With a Karta Pobytu? 30 April Deadline explains the next step. The Ministry's tax portal is gov.pl/web/podatki.
Second, the work certificate (świadectwo pracy), which confirms how long you worked and in what role. Ask for it when you leave. Check the exact deadline at pip.gov.pl, the National Labour Inspectorate, so you quote the current rule when you ask.
Third, a clear paper trail of the end date. For holders of a combined residence and work permit, the employer named in the permit must now tell the voivode in writing within 15 days that you've left. That duty has applied since 1 June 2025. Your own duty has not gone away: you notify the voivode within 15 working days, and the office cannot revoke your permit during the 30 days counted from the day the work ended. The full picture is in Karta Pobytu After Losing Your Job: 15 Working Days to Notify, 30 Days to Find Work (2026).
What if your employer says “later,” or just says no?
Most employers are not villains. HR is busy, the agency is slow, someone forgot. But you can't build a legal status on “later,” so handle it step by step.
- Ask in writing. A WhatsApp message or email with a date is enough: “Please send me my signed contract and ZUS registration confirmation.”
- Keep proof. Save your schedule, your messages and every bank transfer.
- Never hand over your original passport, and never pay “document fees” to a recruiter. Fake-agency checks are explained in our guide on the KRAZ register.
- Raise it with the National Labour Inspectorate (pip.gov.pl) if the employer keeps refusing.
- Talk to us before you resign. Quitting in anger can start the 15-day clock on your permit.
If an agency promised you the job, check it first. Fake Recruitment Agency in Poland: 4 Checks in the KRAZ Register Before You Pay (2026) takes ten minutes to read and can save you months.
Chidi, a welder from Lagos (an illustrative composite, not a real client), worked six weeks on “the contract is coming.” When he finally asked in writing, the contract named a different employer than his permit. The mismatch was fixed before his renewal, and the application went through with matching documents. Practical tip: photograph every page you sign, and send yourself the file the same day, so your proof lives outside your employer's office.
Start with the contract, keep every receipt, and ask for your papers before you ask for anything else. Legal Solutions — 98% approval rate. Drop us a WhatsApp at +48 735 248 525 — we read every message. Open chat →