Global mobility – relocating employees to Poland

A Warsaw-based technology company wins a major infrastructure contract. The project demands specialists already employed by the group – engineers based in Singapore, senior managers from Dubai, and a compliance officer relocating from New York. Each person must be legally authorised to work in Poland within weeks. The clock is running.

Relocating employees to Poland requires a valid work authorisation – either a work permit, an EU Blue Card, or an intra-company transfer permit – obtained before the employee begins work. The Office for Foreigners (Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców, UdSC) processes most applications within 30 to 60 days, though complex cases take longer. Employers who allow work to begin before authorisation is granted face fines of up to PLN 30,000 per unauthorised worker.

This guide walks through the step-by-step procedure for relocating employees to Poland, covering permit types, timelines, costs, three business scenarios, and the most common compliance mistakes. It is written for HR teams, in-house counsel, and finance directors who need a practical framework rather than a general overview.

Which permit applies to your relocated employee?

The answer depends on three factors: the employee's nationality, their planned role, and the intended duration of the assignment. Polish immigration law offers several distinct pathways, and choosing the wrong one adds weeks to the process. The National Court Register (Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy, KRS) must reflect the Polish entity's current registered details before any application is submitted – a detail that delays many first-time filings.

The standard zezwolenie na pracę (work permit, type A) applies to third-country nationals employed by a Polish entity. It is issued by the relevant voivode (regional governor) and tied to a specific employer, position, and salary. The permit is valid for up to three years and can be renewed. Citizens of the European Union, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland do not need a work permit – they have full freedom of movement and may begin work immediately upon registration.

The EU Blue Card targets highly qualified workers earning at least 150 percent of the average gross salary in Poland. For 2025, that threshold sits at approximately PLN 10,800 per month. The Blue Card offers a faster route to long-term residence and is portable across EU member states after 18 months. It is the instrument of choice for senior engineers, financial specialists, and technology architects relocating from outside the EU.

Type A work permit – standard employment by a Polish entity
Type B – board member role exceeding six months in a calendar year
Type L – intra-company transfer (ICT) for managers and specialists
EU Blue Card – highly qualified workers above the salary threshold
EU freedom of movement – no permit required for EEA nationals

The intra-company transfer permit (type L) deserves particular attention for multinational groups. It applies when a non-EU employee is transferred from a group entity outside the EU to a Polish affiliate. The minimum prior employment with the sending entity is 12 months for managers and six months for trainees. Processing takes up to 90 days, so early filing is not optional – it is essential.

What does the step-by-step process look like?

The procedure has six distinct stages. Missing any one of them resets the timeline. The Polish Social Insurance Institution (Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych, ZUS) registration and tax identification number (NIP) issuance run in parallel with the permit application, but both depend on the permit being granted first. Plan the sequence before you start.

Stage one is the labour market test (the "staroste information"). The employer must confirm with the relevant district employment office (Powiatowy Urząd Pracy) that no suitable candidate is available locally. For ICT permits and EU Blue Cards, this test is waived. For standard type A permits, it typically takes 14 working days. Skipping this step is the single most common reason for first-instance refusals.

Stage two is document preparation. The employer collects the employment contract or assignment letter, proof of qualifications, a copy of the employee's passport, and the completed application form. All foreign-language documents must be translated by a sworn translator registered in Poland. A missing sworn translation adds at least two weeks to the process.

Stage three is submission to the voivode's office. Applications are filed electronically via the government portal or in person. The voivode issues a receipt (stempel) that allows the employee to remain in Poland legally while the application is pending – but only if the employee already holds a valid residence title. Employees applying from abroad must wait for the permit before entering on a work visa.

Stages four through six cover the decision (issued within 30 to 60 days for type A, up to 90 days for ICT), ZUS registration within seven days of employment start, and the NIP application at the relevant tax office. We secured a full permit package for a technology client relocating three senior engineers from India to the Mazowieckie region (spring 2025), completing all stages within 52 days from initial instruction.

How do costs and timelines compare across the three main scenarios?

Cost and timing vary significantly by permit type, employee profile, and whether the employer uses professional support. The figures below reflect standard cases in 2025. Urgent processing is not available for work permits in Poland – unlike some EU jurisdictions, there is no premium fast-track lane at the voivode's office.

Scenario one – manufacturing group, Silesia. A German automotive supplier relocates a production manager from its Turkish subsidiary to its Katowice plant. The employee is a third-country national with 14 months of prior employment at the sending entity. The ICT permit applies. State fee: PLN 440. Timeline: 60 to 90 days. The labour market test is waived. The main risk is the sworn translation backlog for Turkish-language documents, which can add 10 working days.

Scenario two – IT company, Warsaw. A Polish software house brings its lead architect from its Singapore office. The architect earns above the EU Blue Card salary threshold. The Blue Card application is filed simultaneously with a long-term visa application at the Polish consulate in Singapore. State fee: PLN 440 for the Blue Card plus PLN 200 for the visa. Timeline: 45 to 60 days. The Blue Card grants the right to bring family members under simplified rules – a retention factor that matters in competitive hiring.

Scenario three – professional services, Kraków. A consulting firm relocates a compliance officer from its New York office. The officer holds dual US-EU citizenship. No work permit is required. The firm must register the employee with ZUS within seven days of the employment start date and apply for a Polish tax identification number within 30 days. Total state cost: zero. Timeline: two to three weeks for full administrative onboarding. For clients in this situation, we also recommend reviewing fiscal criminal defence considerations for board members where the relocated employee will hold a managerial function.

What are the most common mistakes – and how do you avoid them?

Errors in global mobility files are rarely random. They cluster around four recurring points. Understanding them in advance saves time, money, and the risk of personal liability for the HR manager who signed the application. Polish immigration enforcement has increased audit activity since 2023, and fines are enforced against the employer entity, not just the individual employee.

The first mistake is starting work before the permit is issued. Polish labour law is explicit: employment of a foreigner without valid authorisation triggers a fine of up to PLN 30,000 per worker. The consequence is irreversible – it goes on the employer's compliance record and can affect future permit applications. We have seen this mistake made even by experienced multinational HR teams who assumed that a "submitted application" was sufficient. It is not.

The second mistake is failing to update the permit when the employee's role or salary changes. A work permit is tied to a specific position and remuneration level. A promotion, a title change, or a salary increase above the permitted band each require a new or amended permit. Failing to act within 30 days of the change is treated as unauthorised employment.

The third mistake is overlooking the whistleblower protection framework. Since the ustawa o ochronie sygnalistów (Whistleblower Protection Act) came into force, employers with 50 or more workers – including those employing relocated staff – must maintain an internal reporting channel. Relocated employees are covered from day one. Non-compliance carries fines of up to PLN 1.5 million. For a full discussion of whistleblower obligations in the Polish employment context, see our guide on relocating employees to Poland from Ukraine, which addresses parallel compliance requirements.

The fourth mistake concerns posted workers. When an employee is seconded to Poland from another EU member state rather than being directly employed by the Polish entity, the posting rules under the ustawa o delegowaniu pracowników (Posted Workers Act) apply. Notification to the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy, PIP) must be filed before the posting begins. For the specific procedure when posting from the Czech Republic, our article on posted workers from the Czech Republic and A1 certificates sets out the full sequence. Failure to notify precludes the employer from relying on the posted worker exemption and forfeits the simplified social security treatment.

Our team obtained a full correction of an administrative decision imposing a PLN 90,000 fine on a logistics client in Pomerania (autumn 2024) after the company had inadvertently continued employing two transferred workers past their permit expiry dates. The correction reduced the liability to zero on procedural grounds.

What should employers prepare before filing?

A checklist approach reduces errors and shortens preparation time. The items below apply to the standard type A and ICT permit applications. EU Blue Card filings require additional salary documentation and evidence of higher education qualifications. Build the file before you engage the voivode's office – incomplete submissions are returned without a processing receipt, which resets the 30-to-60-day clock entirely.

Current KRS extract for the Polish employing entity (not older than three months)
Signed employment contract or assignment letter specifying role, salary, and start date
Certified copy of the employee's valid passport (all pages with stamps)
Sworn Polish translations of all foreign-language qualification documents
Completed labour market test or waiver confirmation from the district employment office

Employers relocating employees from outside the EU should also verify whether the employee's home country has a social security totalization agreement with Poland. Poland has bilateral agreements with approximately 40 countries. Where an agreement exists, dual social security contributions are avoided – a saving that can exceed PLN 20,000 per year per relocated senior employee.

Specific situations deserve individual attention. A global mobility file that looks standard on the surface can conceal complexity – a prior visa refusal, a gap in the employment history, or a qualification that does not map directly to the Polish classification system. Each of those factors can add four to eight weeks to the process if not identified and addressed before filing.

To receive an expert assessment of your global mobility situation before filing, contact info@kordeckipartners.com.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Can the employee start work in Poland while the permit application is pending?

A: No – not for third-country nationals applying for a first permit. Polish immigration law requires valid work authorisation before employment begins. The only exception applies to employees who already hold a valid residence and work permit from a prior stay and are renewing it before expiry. In renewal cases, work may continue during the pending period if the renewal was filed before the original permit expired. Filing even one day late removes this protection entirely.

Q: How long does the full process take, and what does it cost?

A: For a standard type A work permit, the timeline is 30 to 60 days from the date of a complete submission, plus 14 working days for the labour market test beforehand. The state fee is PLN 100 for a permit valid up to three months and PLN 440 for longer permits. The EU Blue Card costs PLN 440. Legal support fees vary by complexity. The total employer cost for a straightforward relocation – including translations, fees, and professional support – typically falls in the range of PLN 3,000 to PLN 8,000 per employee.

Q: Does the employer need to do anything if the relocated employee later changes roles within the same company?

A: Yes. A work permit specifies the exact position and salary band. Any material change – a new job title, a different department, or a salary increase that moves the employee above or below the permitted band – requires a permit amendment or a new permit application. The employer has 30 days from the date of the change to file. Missing this window is treated as employing the worker without authorisation and triggers the same PLN 30,000 fine that applies to initial violations. The same rule applies to EU Blue Card holders if their salary drops below the qualifying threshold.

KORDECKI & Partners is a law firm based in Warsaw and Krakow, advising business clients across 30 jurisdictions. Our team combines expertise in Polish and international law with a practical approach to global mobility, employment compliance, and cross-border workforce management. We work with Polish entrepreneurs, foreign investors, and in-house legal teams. To discuss your situation, contact info@kordeckipartners.com.