You check an employment agency for foreigners before signing on six points: KRAZ registration, the right to direct foreigners to work, current certificates, industry experience, care after arrival and offer transparency.

1. How to check an agency's KRAZ registration?

A legally operating employment agency is entered in the National Register of Employment Agencies (KRAZ), kept by voivodeship marshals. You can check the entry yourself in the KRAZ registry search in the STOR system (rejestr KRAZ w systemie STOR): enter the agency's name or NIP and compare the registration number with the one in the offer.

Watch three things:

  • whether the name and NIP in the registry match the data on the contract,
  • whether the registration scope covers the service you're ordering (temporary work, job placement),
  • the registration date, because point 2 depends on it.

Running an agency without registration carries a fine of PLN 3,000 to 100,000. We write more about verification itself in the article on checking an employment agency's certificate.

2. Can a new agency direct foreigners to work?

Not right away. Since June 1, 2025, the act on the labor market and employment services (ustawa o rynku pracy i służbach zatrudnienia) has been in force, under which an agency registered after that date may provide job placement and temporary work for foreigners only 2 years after registration.

Agencies registered earlier that already served foreigners kept this right if they filed an application to amend the entry by August 31, 2025. So ask about the registration date and whether the agency filed such an application. An agency registered after June 1, 2025, before 2 years have passed since registration, cannot yet direct foreigners to work, and you can confirm the registration details in the registry or with the voivodeship marshal.

3. What documents should the agency show?

When registering with KRAZ, an agency submits, among other things, certificates of no arrears in taxes and ZUS contributions, plus a certificate or statement of no criminal record. You can request the same documents, in a current version, before signing a contract.

DocumentRequired for KRAZ registrationWhat it means for you
ZUS certificate of no arrearsYesThe agency pays its employees' contributions
Tax office (US) certificate of no arrearsYesNo tax arrears
Certificate or statement of no criminal recordYesFormal registration condition

The agency obtains a ZUS or tax office certificate online through biznes.gov.pl, waiting up to 7 days. Many institutions accept it only if it's no older than 30 days, and you can require the same.

4. Industry experience and candidate sources

Recruiting welders differs from recruiting for a packing plant: different qualifications, different medical checks, different candidate expectations. Ask for examples of placements in a similar profile.

Ask which countries the agency sources people from. An agency recruiting from a single country feels every regulatory change for that country, as the change to the list of countries covered by the declaration showed.

5. What happens after the employee arrives?

Ask how the agency handles:

  • accommodation, if it's part of a given offer,
  • registration (zameldowanie), which a foreigner living at an address for more than 30 days must arrange by day 4 after arrival at the latest,
  • contact between the employee and the coordinator, and how they communicate,
  • how health and safety (BHP) training is conducted so the employee understands it (Article 237(4) of the Labor Code requires instruction in an understandable way, usually given at the workstation by the host employer; under a contract of mandate (umowa zlecenie), the scope of BHP training is set by the plant or the principal).

Also establish who your contact person is at the agency and during which hours they take calls.

6. Is the agency's offer transparent?

Ask for an offer that describes what the rate covers and which items may appear on the invoice. The contract sets the cost of the service. We break down the full cost to the employer in the article on the cost of employing a foreign worker.

We answer questions 1-4 at the first meeting, before the topic of price comes up.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check whether an agency pays ZUS contributions on time?

A certificate of no arrears shows the status only as of the issue date. For longer cooperation, put in the contract that the agency presents a new ZUS certificate at agreed intervals, for example before each contract renewal.

How do I compare the agency's details with the contract?

The KRAZ number from the offer should belong, in the registry, to the same NIP that's on the contract. If the details differ, ask the agency to explain before signing the contract.

What should you check in an agency employing workers from Ukraine or Asia?

For Ukraine, the agency can use the declaration on entrusting work. For Asian countries, a work permit is needed: the voivode's decision takes from 2 to 4 months from filing a complete application, and with a visa the whole process takes roughly 4-6 months. Ask how the agency plans for this.