Onboarding a foreign employee: first-days checklist

Onboarding a foreign employee starts before their arrival: legalization documents, a translated contract, a referral for medical exams and an arrival plan. In the first days the employee must register their residence (no later than the 4th day after arriving at the address), which gives them a PESEL number, and the employer reports the start of work within 7 days.

Onboarding a foreign employee: what to prepare before arrival

Checklist for the week before arrival:

• legalization documents: a registered work declaration or an issued work permit, visa or other residence title,
• contract ready for signing, ideally translated into the employee's language,
• referral for initial medical exams with a description of the actual working conditions at the position,
• arrival plan: meeting place and time, and the person who will show up,
• document confirming title to the premises (lease agreement or owner's statement), if the offer includes accommodation, because without it there will be no residence registration,
• phone number of a person who will answer the employee's questions even outside shift hours.

In temporary work, the referral for medical exams belongs by default to the agency as the formal employer. The user employer takes over this duty only when both sides agree on it in writing before signing the contract with the employee. Details are covered in the article on medical exams for temporary workers.

Statutory deadlines in the first days

Three statutory deadlines run from the employee's arrival or from the start date of work stated in the declaration:

Work declarations and work permits are handled electronically in the praca.gov.pl system, where the employer also submits these reports; the powiat labour office confirms the current rules. The registration deadline applies to citizens of countries outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. To register, the employee needs a valid travel document, a document confirming the right of residence (visa, residence card) and a document confirming title to the premises.

Registration, PESEL and bank account: in what order

The order matters, because registration gives a PESEL number, and some banks will not open an account without a PESEL:

1. Registration. The employee reports their stay at the municipal office before the 4th day after arriving at the address passes.
2. PESEL. Upon registration for a stay longer than 30 days, the PESEL number is assigned automatically, without a separate application. If the employee cannot register, they submit a PESEL application at the municipal office; the office will indicate which documents are needed.
3. Bank account. Bank requirements vary: some open an account with a passport and a document confirming legal residence, others require a PESEL number.

The employee usually does not know this order or which office to go to. Help means pointing to the office, the time and the complete set of documents in the first week, and sending a Polish-speaking person along for the first visit.

First day at the workplace

• pickup from the agreed place and introduction to the site,
• initial occupational health and safety (BHP) training and job-specific instruction,
• issuing work clothing and personal protective equipment,
• showing the locker room, canteen, toilets and break area,
• introducing the mentor the employee can go to with any question.

Since 12 December 2025, the employee can confirm completion of the initial BHP training electronically, e.g. by e-mail. The job-specific instruction itself still takes place in the traditional form. In temporary work, the user employer provides job-specific training and BHP conditions, as covered in the article on BHP in temporary work. The plant also provides safe conditions for people on a contract of mandate (umowa zlecenia), and the scope of their BHP training is set by the plant or the principal. The employee's perspective is covered in the guide on the first day at a new job.

Do not deliver everything verbally in the first hour. Give the most important rules (shift hours, breaks, who to call in case of illness) on a single sheet in the employee's language.

First week and a mentor for the first month

Assign one person as a mentor for the first month. It does not have to be a supervisor: a shift colleague speaking the same language usually works best. With a larger group, this role is taken over by the multinational team coordinator.

In the first week:

• working paired with an experienced person,
• a short daily check that instructions are clear,
• help with registration, PESEL and a bank account,
• clear written information on when the first payday falls and for what period.

The employee should know in writing from day one when the first payday falls and for what period. One sentence in the contract or on a welcome sheet is enough.

Materials in the team's languages

Picture-based instructions, a short glossary of commands used on the shop floor, and basic information about the workplace in the team's languages are prepared once and serve every following person. They work from the first shift, unlike language courses launched months later.

How to measure onboarding effectiveness

Track the share of people who remain after the first and third month, broken down by department and shift. If people leave one shift more often than others, the cause usually lies in how that shift is organized. Other causes and ways to remove them are covered in the article on reducing employee turnover.

For a first cooperation, we will put together an onboarding checklist for your site.

Frequently asked questions

How many days does a foreigner have to register their residence in Poland?

A citizen of a country outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland who stays at a given address for longer than 30 days must register no later than the 4th day after arriving at that address.

What to do when the employee does not yet have a PESEL number on the day of the first payday?

Choose a bank that opens an account with a passport and a document confirming legal residence. If the employee cannot register, they can submit an application for a PESEL number at the municipal office; the office will indicate which documents are needed.

Will a bank open an account for a foreigner without a PESEL number?

It depends on the bank. Some banks accept a passport and a document confirming legal residence, others require a PESEL number, so requirements should be checked before the branch visit.

Who handles registration and PESEL: the employer or the employee?

The duty to register belongs to the foreigner, and the PESEL number is assigned by the office at registration. The employer can prepare the document confirming title to the premises, point to the office and send a Polish-speaking person along with the employee.