On April 11, the Chancellery of the President announced that President Andrzej Duda had signed the Act of March 20, 2025, on the Conditions for the Admissibility of Entrusting Work to Foreigners in the Territory of the Republic of Poland. This is part of the reform included in the National Recovery Plan.
New law
As outlined in the justification for the bill, the new regulations aim to curb abuses in the employment of foreigners, streamline procedures, reduce backlogs in official matters, and fully digitalize proceedings. The new regulations also aim to reduce administrative burdens on employers and entrepreneurs, provide greater flexibility in hiring, and increase oversight over the legality of foreign employment.
Changes in the process of issuing work permits to foreigners
The regulations increase the role of public employment services in the process of issuing work permits to foreigners. District heads will gain new powers – they will be able to establish lists of professions in which foreigners will not be able to obtain work permits if the local labor market situation deteriorates.
The so-called labor market test, which until now aimed to verify whether a given position could be filled by someone registered as unemployed, will be abolished. From now on, decisions on restrictions will be made at the district level.
Foreigner service points will be established at district employment offices. Mandatory grounds for refusing work permits have also been introduced, including when a company was established primarily to facilitate the entry of third-country nationals.
The voivode will have the right to refuse to issue a work permit if the company does not conduct real business activity and its revenues come solely from paid facilitation of foreigners obtaining documents legalizing their stay and work in Poland and the Schengen area.
The new regulations also strengthen the inspection powers of the Border Guard and the National Labor Inspectorate. Employment legality inspections will now be able to be conducted without prior notice, and the institutions will be able to operate in parallel.
The Act, prepared by the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy, also introduces the full electronicization of the procedure for issuing work permits – from the moment of submitting the application to the receipt of the decision.
Higher penalties for employers
Under the new law, violating regulations regarding the employment of foreigners is punishable by a fine of PLN 3,000 to PLN 50,000. The Labor Code, in turn, provides for sanctions ranging from PLN 1,000 to PLN 30,000.
The Act will enter into force on the first day of the month following 14 days from the date of its publication.
Legal basis
Act of 20 March 2025 on the conditions for the admissibility of entrusting work to foreigners on the territory of the Republic of Poland
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Legal status as of April 17, 2025
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