How recruiting foreign workers works: stages and timeline

Recruiting foreign workers has six stages, from the job profile to the first day of work. Timing depends mainly on legalization: for a declaration on entrusting work the office has 7 working days to register it, for a work permit the wait is from 2 to 4 months, and visa-route countries take roughly 4-6 months.

Stages of recruiting foreign workers

1. Job profile. A description of the actual duties, required qualifications and medical checks, working conditions (noise, temperature, lifting, shift work) and the level of Polish the position really needs.
2. Candidate search. The agency searches in countries where it has a presence. Fit matters most: five CVs with the required qualifications are worth more than a hundred without them.
3. Verification. Checking experience, qualifications and documents, plus an interview in the candidate's language to confirm they understand the conditions they are agreeing to.
4. Work and residence legalization. A declaration on entrusting work or a work permit, depending on the candidate's citizenship.
5. Arrival and registration. Address registration and the first official formalities; travel and accommodation terms are set by the contract.
6. Onboarding. Health and safety and workplace training, a mentor, the first days under supervision.

Most later problems come from the first stage. Requiring fluent Polish where conversational Polish would do narrows the candidate pool and stretches the search by weeks. Conversely, a misunderstanding about conditions left unresolved at stage three comes back a month later as a resignation.

Declaration or permit: citizenship decides the path

Since 1 December 2025, the declaration on entrusting work to a foreigner covers citizens of four countries: Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. Georgia dropped off this list. A Georgian citizen with a declaration registered before that date can finish the job until it expires, but new employment now requires a work permit. For recruitment from that direction, this means months instead of weeks.

Both applications are filed only electronically, through praca.gov.pl. Office deadlines run from the date a complete application is filed with no formal gaps, so any missing document pushes the start back. After arrival, the employer has 7 days to report that the foreigner took up the job, and 14 days to report that they did not, counted from the date given in the declaration.

How long recruiting foreign workers takes

For candidates from the four countries covered by the declaration, the registration itself takes a few working days, and total time is mainly set by selection and arranging the arrival. With a work permit, the voivode's deadline is added, and for candidates from outside Europe, such as Asia, there is also a wait for a visa at the consulate. Market practice for such routes is roughly 4-6 months from the hiring decision to the first day of work. This is a market estimate, not a statutory deadline.

The process is lengthened most by:

• deadlines at the voivodeship office for work permits,
• available visa appointment slots at the consulate,
• formal gaps in the application, since the office deadline only starts once the application is complete,
• an imprecise job profile, which forces selection to be repeated.

When planning a line launch, expect the start date to be set by formalities, not by finding people.

Arrival, registration and the first week

A non-EU foreigner living at a given address for longer than 30 days must register no later than the 4th day after arrival. They need a valid travel document, a document confirming the right of residence (e.g. a visa), and a document confirming legal title to the premises. During registration, a PESEL number is assigned automatically, with no separate application.

Health and safety training and workplace instructions must be understandable to the worker (Article 237(4) of the Labor Code). Under a contract of mandate (umowa zlecenie), the scope of BHP training is set by the plant or the principal. For someone who does not know Polish, this means training in their language or with an interpreter. A coordinator who speaks the worker's language is most useful in the first week, when the language barrier causes the most mistakes. More on this stage in the article on onboarding a foreign worker.

Temporary or permanent employment

The stages are the same, but their weight shifts. In temporary work, selection is based on a closed set of requirements: availability on the required date, qualifications, experience in a similar role. The agency employs the worker and handles the formalities, with the scope set by the contract.

For permanent employment, verification takes longer, because it also covers readiness for a longer stay and competencies that are hard to check in a single interview. The goal is to avoid repeating the recruitment after six months.

If you are planning to recruit foreign workers, tell us about the positions and the start date, and we will assess which legalization path applies.

Frequently asked questions

When must a foreigner register their address after arrival?

No later than the 4th day from arrival, if they will live at the given address for longer than 30 days. A PESEL number is assigned automatically at registration.

Is recruitment from countries covered by the declaration always faster?

The registration itself, yes, because the office has 7 working days, while the wait for a work permit is from 2 to 4 months. If the case requires an explanatory proceeding, though, the deadline rises to 30 days, and formal gaps in the application delay the start under both procedures.

Can a Georgian citizen still be hired on a declaration?

Not for new employment. Since 1 December 2025, a work permit is required. Declarations registered before that date remain valid until they expire.

For how long can a foreigner be employed under a declaration?

The period of work stated in a single declaration cannot exceed 24 months.