Legal stay and work in Poland

PESEL is the personal number without which almost nothing works in Poland: no employment paperwork, no doctor, no bank account. Ukrainian citizens who came because of the war receive it with UKR status, and the same number confirms that their stay is legal.

The application is filed in person at any gmina office. The form is available on the spot and a clerk may fill it in from what you say. The signature must be your own.

The legal stay of Ukrainian citizens with UKR status has been extended to 4 March 2027. This is not the first extension and it may be extended again — but relying on that and doing nothing is risky.

The status is lost in two cases: if the PESEL UKR application is not filed within thirty days of entry, and if you leave Poland for more than thirty days.

CUKR is a residence card valid for three years. Unlike UKR status, time spent on it counts toward the five years required for an EU long-term resident permit. That is why everyone who qualifies is advised to apply, even those whose UKR status is still valid.

Employment does not affect the decision. A valid passport is required both to enter your data and to collect the card.

With UKR status no work permit is needed: you may work on the same terms as a Polish citizen. The exception is posts that the law reserves for Polish citizens only.

Ukrainian citizens without PESEL UKR but residing legally may work on the previous terms during a three-year transitional period — the employer files a notification of entrusting work.

Filing that notification is the employer’s duty, not yours. If anyone tells you to do it yourself or to pay for it, something is wrong.

For citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine there is a simplified route: the employer does not need a work permit, it is enough to register a declaration of entrusting work (oświadczenie o powierzeniu wykonywania pracy) at the district labour office.

This is the employer’s job, not yours. Registration takes seven working days, or up to thirty if the office opens a clarification procedure. The route does not cover seasonal work — that needs a separate permit.

Before you start, the employer must send a copy of the contract signed with you through the praca.gov.pl portal, and must notify the office within seven days of you starting work.

Before you start work the employer must show you the contract translated into a language you understand. This is not a courtesy — it is required by law.

The terms in the contract must match those in the declaration or the permit. If the rate is lower than promised or the type of contract is different, do not sign and go to the labour office.

The employer must also inform you of your right to join a trade union.

Do not sign blank or unfilled forms, even if you are promised they will be completed later. And never hand your passport to anyone for safekeeping: an employer has no right to hold your document.

A legally employed foreigner has the same labour rights as a Polish citizen; they are set out in the Labour Code of 26 June 1974. This covers the minimum wage, leave, overtime pay and the rules for ending a contract.

With UKR status, healthcare is available on terms equivalent to those for Polish citizens.

Charging you a fee for getting a job is against the law. No intermediary, agency or “handler” may take money from a person looking for work.

Powiatowy Urząd Pracy, the district labour office, helps with job search and training free of charge.

Help with legalising your stay is provided under the “Wspólnie do Niezależności” programme run by the Ministry of the Interior, which also holds training sessions.

The gmina office advises on documents and registration of residence.