Since 1 June 2025, the procedure for extending a work permit (zezwolenie na pracę) no longer exists. An employer who wants to keep a foreigner employed files a new application for a permit for the same position, exclusively through praca.gov.pl, and does so by the last day the current permit is valid at the latest.

What replaced the work permit extension

The new law, in force since 1 June 2025, abolished the option of filing an application to extend a work permit. An employer who wants a foreigner to keep working after the current document expires files another application for a work permit, for the same position and the same type of work, as if applying for the first time.

The application must be filed exclusively electronically, through praca.gov.pl. A filing submitted another way, on paper or in person at the voivodeship office (urząd wojewódzki), is left unprocessed, meaning the case never starts.

The extension application itself was abolished; it was not replaced by any shorter track. The next application follows the same rules as an application for a new work permit; there is no separate, simplified form for continuing employment.

Who files the application and who is responsible

The application is filed by the entity entrusting the work, meaning the employer, not the foreigner. The employer decides when the case reaches the office, so the filing date is worth planning ahead. The rules for the document itself are described in the article on the type A work permit.

By when to file the application to keep working continuously

There is one hard deadline: a complete application for the next permit, for the same position, must reach the office by the last day the current permit is valid at the latest. In that case, the foreigner's work remains legal from the day the old document expires until the day the decision on the new case becomes final, even though the new permit does not yet exist. This protection applies only to an application with no formal deficiencies, so documents should be gathered with a margin, not in the last week.

An application filed after that deadline does not give this protection. A gap then opens between the expiry of the old permit and the issuing of the new one, during which work is entrusted with no legal basis; the employer is liable for this. This is a different deadline from the foreigner's residence deadlines. More on that difference in the article on legalizing residence versus legalizing work.

What counts as a change of conditions

After 1 June 2025, every application to continue employment is a new case, regardless of whether the foreigner's position, working hours, or pay have changed. A change of conditions must be described in the new application in as much detail as in the first permit, without relying on a simplified path, because the law no longer provides one. If the employer also changes in the meantime, the case concerns changing employer and the work permit, not a further application to the same entity.

Practical checklist

  • establish the exact expiry date of the current permit,
  • file the next application for a permit for the same position through praca.gov.pl,
  • file a complete application with a margin: the last day of validity is a hard deadline, not a plan,
  • do not send the application on paper: it will be left unprocessed,
  • check that the foreigner's passport and basis of residence will remain valid for the period of the new permit.

If permit deadlines in your company start overlapping, write to us before filing the application turns into a race against time.

Frequently asked questions

Can a work permit still be extended in 2026?

No. The extension procedure disappeared on 1 June 2025. Continuing employment requires a new application for a work permit for the same position.

How do I file a work permit application through praca.gov.pl?

The application is filed exclusively electronically, through a praca.gov.pl account. A paper version, or one filed in person at the office, is left unprocessed; the case never starts.

Is work legal while waiting for the new permit?

Yes, provided the complete application reached the office by the last day the current permit was valid at the latest. In that case, work remains legal until the day of the final decision.

Will a paper application for the next permit be processed?

No. An application filed any way other than electronically through praca.gov.pl is left unprocessed, and the case does not start.

What happens to an employer who is late filing the new application?

A gap with no legal basis for work opens between the expiry of the old permit and the issuing of the new one. The employer is liable for this, so the application is worth filing with a margin before the current permit's expiry date.

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.