Employment of Ukrainian citizens in Poland: 2026 rules

Employment of Ukrainian citizens in Poland is most often based on a notification (persons under temporary protection), a declaration of intent to entrust work (oświadczenie o powierzeniu wykonywania pracy) or a work permit (zezwolenie na pracę). People with a residence card granting labor market access, or with permanent residence, do not need these documents. The employer determines the basis before the first day of work, because it decides the deadlines and duties.

On what basis can a Ukrainian citizen work in Poland?

Basis	Who it covers	Where and when
Notification of entrusting work	persons under temporary protection (UKR status)	praca.gov.pl, 7 days from starting work
Declaration of intent to entrust work	Ukrainian citizens without temporary protection	district labor office (powiatowy urząd pracy), work after entry in the register
Type A work permit	foreigners without free labor market access	voivode's decision, application through praca.gov.pl

Persons under temporary protection are exempt from the obligation to hold a work permit or declaration, so a notification is enough for them. Persons with permanent residence are exempt in the same way. A person holding a residence card issued on the basis of a temporary residence and work permit works on the terms set out in the voivode's decision. The full list is described in the text on who can work without a permit.

A declaration authorizes work for a maximum of 24 months, and the office may register a shorter period than requested. Registration takes 7 working days from submitting a complete declaration, and up to 30 days if clarification proceedings are needed. Work started before registration is not legal. From December 1, 2025, the declaration is available only to citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.

A work permit application is usually processed by the office in 2 to 4 months.

Notification of employing a Ukrainian citizen: 7 days

From March 5, 2026, the employer has 7 days from the day work starts to submit the notification. Previously this was 14 days, and older guides still give that number. The notification is submitted only electronically through the praca.gov.pl service.

A new notification is needed for every change to conditions described in the previous one:

change of employer,
reduction of pay below the amount stated in the previous notification,
change of working time,
change of contract type,
change of position.

Form details and the most common mistakes are described in the text on notification of entrusting work to a Ukrainian citizen.

UKR status: when an employee loses it

The right to work on the basis of a notification follows from UKR status attached to the PESEL number. Status can be lost without any office decision, in two situations.

Leaving Poland for more than 30 days. UKR status then changes by operation of law to NUE. This also applies to a longer stay spent in Ukraine.

No identity confirmation by passport. People who received a PESEL with UKR status based only on a declaration of personal data, without a photo document, had until August 31, 2026 to present a valid passport at the municipal office (urząd gminy). Anyone who did not do this has had NUE status since September 1, 2026 and cannot work on the basis of a notification. The employer therefore checks the current status attached to the PESEL of every employee hired under a notification.

An employee with NUE status needs a different basis, usually a declaration or a work permit. More on this in the text on UKR status attached to the PESEL number.

Three dates that change the rules

August 31, 2026. End of the deadline for identity confirmation for a PESEL with UKR status.
March 4, 2027. End of temporary protection and expiry of the special act's solutions, including the notification system for persons under temporary protection.
March 4, 2029. Until this date, transitional rules are meant to apply to Ukrainian citizens staying in Poland legally on a basis other than temporary protection. Their scope is confirmed individually by the labor office.

These changes are based on the act of January 23, 2026 on phasing out solutions arising from the act on assistance to citizens of Ukraine. Before March 4, 2027, the basis for work of every employee under temporary protection must therefore be checked again.

Employer duties when hiring a Ukrainian citizen

Residence document before the first day of work. The employer requires a valid document and keeps a copy of it for the whole employment period plus 2 years from the end of the year in which the employment ended.
Written contract. For a declaration and a work permit, the office requires submitting a written contract with the foreigner.
Timely notifications. For a declaration, taking up work is reported within 7 days, and not taking it up within 14 days. A late submission carries a fine of up to PLN 5,000.
Changes to conditions reported on time. For a notification, a reduction in pay, a change of position, working time or contract type requires a new notification. For a work permit, some changes, e.g. a different position name for the same type of work, require only a written notification to the voivode within 7 days.

The fine for illegal entrustment of work ranges from PLN 3,000 to PLN 50,000 and is calculated for each foreigner affected by the violation. An overview of sanctions is in the text on penalties for illegal entrustment of work.

We write about the industries where candidates from the East work in the text on workers from the East, and about recruitment and legalization on the page workers from Ukraine. If you want to determine the employment basis for specific people, contact us.

Frequently asked questions

Until when does temporary protection for Ukrainian citizens apply?

According to current regulations, temporary protection for Ukrainian citizens in Poland is valid until March 4, 2027, and the current status is worth confirming at the voivodeship office. On that day, the special act's solutions also expire, including employing persons under temporary protection on the basis of a notification.

Can a Ukrainian citizen without UKR status work on the basis of a notification?

No. A person whose UKR status changed to NUE loses the ability to work on the basis of a notification and needs a declaration or a work permit. Until March 4, 2029, transitional rules are meant to apply for Ukrainian citizens staying legally on a basis other than temporary protection. Whether they cover a specific person, the labor office confirms individually.

What happened if an employee did not confirm their identity by August 31, 2026?

Since September 1, 2026, their UKR status has changed to NUE. They lose temporary protection and the ability to work on the basis of a notification, so the employer needs a declaration or a work permit for them.

Can UKR status be regained after returning to Poland?

Rules for regaining UKR status are changing along with the phasing out of the special act, so the current conditions must be confirmed at the commune office (urząd gminy). Until status returns, the employee needs a different basis for work, usually a declaration or a work permit.

The rules on residence and employment of foreign nationals change often, and much depends on citizenship, the basis of stay and the situation of the particular person. This text describes the general course of the procedure. Before filing documents, confirm the current state of affairs at the voivodeship office.