The rules regarding employment of foreigners underwent significant changes in 2025 and a lot of you are asking if you still have a right to work as a student or graduate. There is a lot of wrong information online, so let’s explain it clearly.
The general rules regarding employment of foreigners
As a general rule, most foreigners in Poland are required to obtain a work permit in order to be legally employed.
There are many exceptions to this rule though. One of these exceptions applies to students and graduates. However, not all students and graduates have this benefit, as there are conditions they have to meet.
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The right to work as a student
You can be employed without any work permit if you are a student of a Polish university.
There are four requirements that you have to meet to benefit from this:
- you have to be an active student (meaning that your education is ongoing and you are suspended or expelled);
- you are enrolled at a Polish university;
- the studies are full time (studia stacjonarne). Part time studies of any kind (studia wieczorowe or zaoczne) do not meet this requirement;
- your stay in Poland must be legalized – based on any kind or visa, visa-free regime or residence permit.
The legal basis of your work is paragraph 1, point 12) of rozporządzenie Ministra Rodziny, Pracy i Polityki Społecznej z dnia 20 listopada 2025 r. w sprawie szczególnych przypadków, w których cudzoziemiec uprawniony do pobytu na terytorium Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej może wykonywać pracę bez zezwolenia na pracę lub oświadczenia o powierzeniu pracy cudzoziemcowi, that was issued based on article 3, point 7 of the ustawa z dnia 20 marca 2025 r. o warunkach dopuszczalności powierzania pracy cudzoziemcom na terytorium Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej.
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The right to work as a graduate
If you are a graduate of Polish university studies or a Polish school, you can be employed at any time by any Polish employer or continue your work without any work permit.
There are two requirements that you have to meet to benefit from this:
1. You must be a graduate of:
- a Polish university (full-time studies [studia stacjonarne])
OR
- any Polish secondary school.
The secondary schools are as follows:
– liceum ogólnokształcące (high school),
– technikum [technical secondary school],
– branżowa szkoła I stopnia or branżowa szkoła II stopnia [vocational school],
– szkoła specjalna przysposabiająca do pracy [special school for employment preparation],
– szkoła policealna [post-secondary high school].
This benefit does not expire, so currently there is no time limit for you to use it.
The legal basis of your work is article 3, paragraph 5, point 2 and 3 of the ustawa z dnia 20 marca 2025 r. o warunkach dopuszczalności powierzania pracy cudzoziemcom na terytorium Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej.
2. Your stay in Poland must be legalized based on:
- a residence permit – any kind of temporary residence permit, long term EU residence permit or permanent residence permit; The only exception is the short-term residence permit (zezwolenie na pobyt krótkotrwały);
- a visa-free regime;
- a visa – but only a visa based on one of the purposes listed below:
– Employment (wiza w celu wykonywania pracy)
– Business activity (wiza w celu prowadzenia działalności gospodarczej)
– Seasonal work (wiza w celu wykonywania pracy sezonowej)
– Intra-corporate transfer (ICT) (wiza w celu wykonywania pracy w ramach przeniesienia wewnątrz przedsiębiorstwa – ICT)
– Studies (wiza w celu odbycia studiów pierwszego stopnia, drugiego stopnia lub jednolitych studiów magisterskich)
– Doctoral studies (wiza w celu odbycia studiów trzeciego stopnia – doktoranckich)
– Education other than higher education (wiza w celu kształcenia się w innej formie niż studia)
– Training or internship (wiza w celu odbycia szkolenia lub stażu)
– Scientific research or development work (wiza w celu prowadzenia badań naukowych lub prac rozwojowych)
– Family reunification (wiza w celu połączenia z rodziną,
– Temporary protection or humanitarian reasons (wiza w celu ochrony czasowej lub z przyczyn humanitarnych)
– Participation in international exchange programmes or humanitarian aid programmes (wiza w celu udziału w programach wymiany międzynarodowej lub pomocy humanitarnej)
– Medical treatment (wiza w celu leczenia)
– Transit (wiza tranzytowa)
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But more on that in the next article!
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