A type A work permit is needed when a foreigner from outside the EU/EEA without free access to the Polish labor market is to work under a contract with an entity based or residing in Poland. The employer submits the application, and the voivode issues the decision.

Who applies for a type A work permit

The applicant is the employer, not the foreigner. Since June 1, 2025, the application is submitted exclusively electronically through the praca.gov.pl portal. Since August 1, 2025, the employer must also provide the office with the written contract concluded with the foreigner.

The decision is tied to a specific employer. If the foreigner voluntarily moves to another company, the new employer needs a new permit or a new declaration, even for an identical position and salary. Details are covered in the article on changing employers and the work permit.

How long the permit takes to issue

The voivode usually processes the application in 2 to 4 months. The deadline runs from the submission of a complete application, so missing documents push back its start.

What a type A work permit covers

The decision indicates, among other things:

  • the entity entrusting the work,
  • the foreigner concerned,
  • the position or type of work,
  • the working time,
  • the lowest remuneration the foreigner may receive in this position,
  • the validity period.

The foreigner's remuneration cannot be lower than the remuneration of persons performing comparable work for the same employer. A change to the conditions listed in the decision requires checking whether the document still covers them.

Changes for which notifying the voivode is enough

A new permit is not needed when the employer notifies the voivode who issued the decision in writing, within 7 days, of:

  • a change of the employer's name, registered office, or legal form,
  • the takeover of a workplace or part of it by another employer,
  • a change of the job title while the type of work stays the same,
  • an increase of working time to full time with a proportional increase in remuneration.

From June 1, 2026, such notification is submitted exclusively electronically through praca.gov.pl.

Does a labor market test apply in 2026

No. The Act of March 20, 2025 on the conditions for admissibility of entrusting work to foreigners abolished the starost's information requirement from June 1, 2025. Only proceedings initiated before that date continue under the old rules.

Instead of the test, the starost may set a list of occupations for which the permit is refused due to a difficult local labor market situation. Check the current status of such a list at the voivodeship office or the district labor office (powiatowy urząd pracy) for a given poviat before submitting an application. More in the article on the starost's information and the labor market test.

Type A work permit and extension

Since June 1, 2025, there is no work permit extension procedure. Guides describing an extension application submitted 90-30 days before the expiry date describe the state before the reform. To keep employing the foreigner, the employer submits a new application for a permit for the same position or type of work.

If a complete application is submitted at the latest on the last day of validity of the current permit, the work remains legal until the decision in the new case becomes final. An application submitted a day later means a break in legal work. Next steps are covered in the article on a new work permit after expiry.

Losing a job under a single permit

When a foreigner has a single residence and work permit and loses employment with the employer named in the decision, they or the employer on their behalf has 15 working days to notify the voivode in writing (Article 121 of the Act on Foreigners). This obligation lapses if, within that period, an application to change the permit to a new employer is submitted. Under certain conditions, the regulations allow work for the new employer while awaiting the change of permit, so it is worth confirming this at the voivodeship office before starting work.

When type A is not the right path

  • Citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine may work on the basis of a declaration of intent to entrust work to a foreigner, registered with the poviat labor office without a voivode's decision, for up to 24 months. Georgia dropped off this list on December 1, 2025.
  • A worker posted to Poland by a foreign company needs a type C, D, or E permit.
  • Persons exempt from the permit requirement, e.g. with a permanent residence permit, refugee status, or a Pole's Card, work without one.

Frequently asked questions

Can a foreigner submit a type A work permit application themselves?

No. The applicant is the entity entrusting the work, i.e. the employer based or residing in Poland. The foreigner submits their own application, for example for a temporary residence and work permit, which is a separate procedure.

Can a type A work permit application be submitted on paper?

No. Since June 1, 2025, the application is submitted exclusively electronically through the praca.gov.pl portal, and since August 1, 2025, the employer must attach the written contract concluded with the foreigner.

Does a type A permit transfer to a new employer?

No. An existing permit does not transfer to another company, so the new employer must obtain its own permit or declaration. The exception is a workplace takeover, for which notifying the voivode within 7 days is enough.

What is the penalty for employing a foreigner without a valid permit?

Illegally entrusting work carries a fine of PLN 3,000 to 50,000, assessed in proportion to the number of foreigners covered by the violation. The foreigner faces a fine of PLN 1,000 to 5,000.

If you want to hand over employment legalization procedures within an agreed scope, check Amer's offer for employers or get in touch with us.

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.