Your recruiter sends a WhatsApp voice note. "Don't worry, brother. The employer will register an oświadczenie for you. Cheap, fast, two weeks." You are a welder from Gujranwala, you have an offer from a company near Łódź, and you have just spent a lot of money on a flight plan.
Stop for one minute before you pay anyone. The oświadczenie o powierzeniu pracy (the employer's declaration of entrusting work) is a real Polish document. But it is a shortcut only for citizens of a short list of countries, and Pakistan is not on it. This guide explains oświadczenie vs work permit for Pakistani workers, so you know which paper is actually yours before your money and your Karta Pobytu (Polish residence permit) plans depend on it.
So, what is an oświadczenie, and who can actually use it?
The oświadczenie is a simplified route. The employer registers a declaration at the local labour office instead of applying for a full permit. It only works for citizens of countries named in a government regulation.
Until 30 November 2025 the list had five countries: Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. From 1 December 2025 Georgia was removed, so the list now has four: Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. The registration fee also went up, from PLN 100 to PLN 400. You can read the official explanation on the Zielona Linia information page.
Notice what is missing. Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Vietnam, Nigeria, Zimbabwe: none of them. If an employer or agent tells you a Pakistani citizen can be hired on an oświadczenie, they are either mistaken or selling you something.
That is the most important sentence in this article, so here it is again in plain words: for a Pakistani national, the oświadczenie is not an option. Your route is a work permit, or a combined residence-and-work permit.
Check the current list yourself on the official portal gov.pl/web/cudzoziemcy before you sign anything. Regulations change, as the Georgia removal showed.
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What about "work permit type A"? Is that still the name?
You will see "type A" on many older websites and in agent messages. For years Poland sorted permits by letters, and type A was the classic one: a permit for working for a Polish employer.
In 2025 Poland rewrote the rules on employing foreigners. The new law took effect in June 2025. It abolished the labour market test (the old requirement that the employer first prove no local worker was available). It also moved the process online. So the letter on an old blog post is not a reliable guide to what your employer files today.
What matters for you is simple. Ask your employer two questions in writing:
- Which document are you applying for: a work permit (zezwolenie na pracę), or a combined residence-and-work permit (zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy i pracę)?
- Which office receives it, and when did you file it or when will you?
Work permits are handled by the voivodeship office (urząd wojewódzki), and the application is filed by the employer. Our guide for companies, Hiring Workers from India, Nepal, Philippines in Poland, explains the three routes an employer can take. For the exact current fee and processing steps of a work permit, check the official page at gov.pl/web/cudzoziemcy. We do not quote a fee here because it changes and we want you to see the live figure.
One more new detail for employers. From 1 June 2026 the employer must attach a statement about its own criminal record (form PSZ-ONKP) to work-permit and declaration applications. It is the employer's paperwork, not yours, but a serious employer will already know about it.
Work permit vs Karta Pobytu: two papers, two jobs
Many Pakistani workers mix up the permission to work and the permission to live. They are different documents with different jobs.
- A work permit says: this employer may use this foreign worker, in this role, on these terms.
- A Karta Pobytu (Polish residence card) says: this person may legally live in Poland for a set period.
- A combined residence-and-work permit does both in one decision, and you receive one card.
Since 27 April 2026, applications for a temporary residence and work permit go through the MOS online portal only. Paper filing at the counter is gone. We cover the whole flow, with the fees, in TRC Process in Poland 2026: Online Only Since 27 April.
For the document list that goes with a work-based Karta Pobytu, use Karta Pobytu for Work 2026: 9 Documents. The employer-side documents are the ones that sink most cases, so read it together with your employer.
What if the agent has already taken my money?
It happens more than anyone admits. Here is how to think about it calmly.
Practical tip: Before you pay for anything, ask for the application number or the filing confirmation of your own permit, in your name, with your passport number. A real employer can show this within days. An agent who only sends you screenshots of other people's papers has not filed anything for you.
Ask the employer directly, not only the agent. The employer is the party who files the work permit, so the employer must know the status. If the employer says they never heard of your case, you have learned something important early.
Keep every payment receipt, every message and every contract draft. Do not travel on the strength of a promise. A Polish work visa or residence procedure starts from a valid filed document, not from a voice note.
Be careful with the word "guarantee". No lawyer, agent or employer can guarantee that a permit will be granted. What a good partner can do is make sure the application is complete and filed correctly. That is the part you can control.
Here is a composite example to show how this goes wrong and gets fixed. It is illustrative, not a real client.
Imran, a CNC operator from Faisalabad, was told his employer in Poznań would use an oświadczenie. He had already paid his agent. When he asked for the registration number, the agent went quiet. He contacted us before booking the flight. We explained that Pakistan is not on the declaration list, and helped him ask the employer to start a work-permit application properly. It took longer, but he arrived with a filed application and a real contract instead of a screenshot.
Will changing employer break my permit?
Yes, it can, if you do it casually. A work permit is tied to the employer and the job described in it. Moving to another company usually means a new filing, and your Karta Pobytu status also needs attention.
The practical rules are in Changed Employer in Poland? You Have 15 Working Days to Tell the Urząd and, if your case is still pending, Changing Employer While Karta Pobytu Is Pending. Read the one that matches your stage before you resign.
If you lose the job unexpectedly, do not hide it. Silence is the worst strategy. Speak to someone who knows the procedure the same week.
A short checklist for any Pakistani worker getting an offer in 2026:
- Confirm your citizenship is not on the oświadczenie list (Armenia, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine). Pakistan is not.
- Ask the employer in writing which permit will be filed, and for the application number once it is submitted.
- Do not pay for a "registration" you cannot verify.
- Check the employer exists: company name, address, and who signs for them.
- Keep copies of your passport, contract and every receipt in one folder on your phone.
Not sure which paper your employer is really filing? Send us the offer. Legal Solutions — 98% approval rate. Drop us a WhatsApp, we read every message.