The worker left and we never sent a letter. Can this still be fixed?

It depends on how many days have passed. Notification within 15 working days protects the permit for 30 days from the job loss. After the deadline that protection does not apply. Don't wait: check the dates, contact the worker and find out whether a new application has already been filed. The office or a lawyer will assess your specific case, because the consequences depend on the details.

Are 15 working days the same as 15 calendar days?

No. The rule counts working days, so you can't simply add days on a calendar. The safest approach is to send the letter in the first week after the last working day and keep proof of dispatch. That way you don't have to wonder whether a public holiday shifted your deadline, and you have evidence that the notification went out on time.

The worker is moving to a new company but keeps the same job title. Is a permit change still needed?

Yes. The single permit is tied to the employer named in the decision, so a new company means a change of the permit or a new application, even if the job title sounds identical. With a different basis, such as a work permit, the rules differ. First check which document the worker holds, and only then decide what the new company files.

Can I hire someone whose residence card application with the previous employer is still pending?

That is a separate situation: what matters is on what basis the worker may work while the case is pending. We explain it in Changing Employer While Karta Pobytu Is Pending. Before you sign a contract, ask for copies of the case documents and have them reviewed, because a mistake here is the easiest one to miss.

Foreigner Changing Employer in Poland: 2026 Guide

It's Friday, 4:40 pm. Your HR specialist walks in: Rahul, a welder from India, has just handed in his notice. From Monday he wants to work for the company across the street. His residence card was issued for a job with you. So what now? A foreigner changing employer in Poland sets off a deadline that starts on a day nobody in the company remembers. Both sides feel the effects: the worker, and the employer who is left with a permit that no longer fits, or worse, a new hire with no legal basis to work.

The permit is tied to the company, so who has to report what?

A residence card issued as a single permit (the temporary residence and work permit) is not a general licence to work in Poland. It covers one specific employer and the conditions written in the decision: position, working time, pay. When the worker changes company, the legal basis for their stay and work changes too. That means paperwork on both sides. Official explanations are on Zielona Linia and in the MOS case system.

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Who sends the notification? According to voivodeship office guidance, the foreigner must inform the voivode who issued the permit that the job with the employer named in the permit has ended. Some practical guides also describe a parallel information duty for the company named in the decision. Don't argue about whose duty it is. Treat it as shared and send the letter in the same week the cooperation ends. If in doubt, check the current wording on the Office for Foreigners (UDSC) website.

Two clocks: 15 working days and 30 days — how do you count them?

The first clock starts the day the worker loses the job with the employer named in the permit. You then have 15 working days (not calendar days) to notify the voivode in writing. The duty also counts as fulfilled if, within that time, the foreigner files an application to change the permit.

The second clock is the protection of the permit. If the notification arrives on time, the permit will not be revoked for 30 days from the date of job loss. That protection works only once during the validity of the permit. Within that window the worker should file an application tied to the new employer (a change of the permit or a new temporary residence application), so the legal stay doesn't lapse. Zielona Linia describes the same logic in its guidance on changing employer.

We covered the worker's side in Changed Employer in Poland? You Have 15 Working Days to Tell the Urząd. Here we focus on what the company has to do.

Day 0 — last day of employment: write the date in the file and confirm it to the worker in writing.
By working day 15: notification to the voivode, or a filed application to change the permit.
Within 30 days of the job loss: an application tied to the new employer. Without it the worker risks losing legal stay.

A foreigner changing employer in Poland starts with tidy paperwork, not with a call to the office

Can the new hire start on Monday?

Companies ask us this more than anything else, and the answer isn't comfortable. According to Zielona Linia, while the change of the permit is pending the foreigner cannot work for the new employer on the strength of the single permit alone. The exception is a separate basis, for example a work permit or, for citizens of selected countries, a declaration of entrusting work. So before you put anyone on the shop floor, establish in writing what exactly gives them the right to work for you from day one.

The stakes are high. Giving work to a foreigner without the required basis can bring fines. Sources quote a range of PLN 3,000 to 50,000 per person, so check the current rates before you decide. We broke it down in Hiring a Foreigner Without Papers? Employer Fines in Poland 2026.

Practical tip: before day one, ask for a copy of the current residence document and write down the date from which the worker has a legal basis to work for you. That single page in the file helps show that you checked the legality of stay and work.

The new company: a checklist for the first 30 days

This is the list we walk through with companies at every change of employer. It's an order of actions, not a guarantee of the decision, because the voivode decides on the permit.

Annex no. 1 to the application. This form is completed by the entity entrusting the work, meaning you. According to MOS it is attached to the application to change the permit.
The application to change the permit is filed by the foreigner with the voivode competent for their place of stay. Proof of the stamp duty (PLN 440) is attached to it.
A written contract matching the permit conditions: position, working time, pay. The foreigner should receive it in a language they understand.
A copy of the residence document kept in the file for the whole employment. Check its validity before the first working day.
Registration with ZUS within 7 days, as for any employee.
Information to the office within 7 days if the worker did not start work within two months of the permit's initial validity date, or interrupted work for that long.
Duties that depend on the basis: for a work permit or a declaration, you must also send a copy of the contract to the office through praca.gov.pl. Check which requirements apply in your case.

The way applications are filed is changing in 2026, so confirm the current form (paper or online) in MOS and in the biznes.gov.pl guide to employer duties. For the full document set behind a work-based card, see Karta Pobytu for Work 2026: 9 Documents, PLN 440 + 100 and One Page That Sinks Cases.

Employer change checklist: annex no. 1, contract, copy of the residence document

And the company the worker is leaving — can it just close the file?

Not quite. An employer saying goodbye to a foreign worker has a few things to do before the matter leaves their mind:

Record the end date of employment and issue the employment certificate on time.
Inform the voivode that the cooperation has ended (together with the worker or in parallel). Treat the duty as shared.
Keep copies of residence documents and proof that the letter was sent.
Deregister the worker from social insurance within the statutory deadline.

An illustrative example (composite, no real data): Marta, an HR specialist at a logistics company near Poznań, learned on Friday that a driver from Nepal was leaving for another carrier. By Monday she had the end date recorded, a copy of the residence document and a letter to the voivodeship office ready, while the new company prepared annex no. 1 in parallel. Nobody was counting days at the last minute, and that is the whole point.

A foreigner changing employer in Poland, in practice: one person in the company watches dates and documents

You employ foreigners — how do you manage this without a deadline calendar?

When a dozen foreign workers are on the payroll, the deadline calendar becomes a job of its own. Permits expire in different months, people change jobs, and one late letter can block a case. Legal Solutions legalizes foreign employees for companies: we help prepare documents, keep track of deadlines and handle cases before the offices. We are not advocates or legal counsel. Our role is preparation and smooth case handling, not court representation. Details for companies are at legalsol.pl/b2b. For the three hiring routes, see Hiring Workers from India, Nepal, Philippines in Poland (2026).

Employing foreigners and tired of counting working days on a calendar? Drop us a WhatsApp at +48 735 248 525 — we read every message. Legal Solutions — 98% approval rate.