Almost 780,000 Ukrainians currently live in Poland, including labour migrants and war refugees. Almost all of them are employed in the country in various ways - by obtaining a visa or temporary protection. Find out all about employment in Poland - vacancies, documents, remuneration and job search portals

Legal advice on education and employment abroad for Ukrainians

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For decades, Poland has attracted Ukrainians not only as a tourist destination but also as a country that offers significant employment opportunities. Today, thousands of refugees are heading there in search of protection from the war. Most of them plan to stay in the country for a long time, so they immediately start looking for work. Read all about the procedure for finding and applying for a job in Poland in the material by Visit Ukraine.

How to get a job in Poland?

If you have temporary protection status:

Ukrainians who have been granted temporary protection in Poland have the right to work in the country without obtaining additional permits.

Please note! Starting from 1 July 2024, Ukrainian citizens who arrived in Poland on or after 24 February 2022 must be employed only on the basis of a notice of employment of a Ukrainian citizen.

If you have been granted a work visa:

A work visa is required in the following cases:

- you are entering Poland for a period longer than 90 days;

- you do not have a valid biometric passport;

- you do not have a residence card.

You can get two visas in Poland: a national visa and a Schengen visa. It depends on the specifics and duration of work.

Detailed instructions on how to obtain a visa to Poland are available on the Visit World portal.

What types of work visas are available in Poland?

- C 05 - issued if a person plans to work in Poland for up to 90 days per six months, but does not have a biometric passport (short-term Schengen visa);

- D 05 - entitles a person to work 180 days a year (national visa, which allows employment for all types of work, except seasonal);

- D 05a - gives the right to be employed only for seasonal work (valid for 9 months a year);

- D 06 - allows you to work in Poland for 365 days in all types of work, except for seasonal work (voivodeship visa with an annual stay). It is called a visa with an annual stay, a voivodeship visa.

How much does a work visa in Poland cost?

The cost of a work visa on the Visit Ukraine portal is 280 euros. You can get legal advice and apply for a work visa here.

Learn more about visa requirements, rules of entry and stay in Poland on the Visit World portal.

What documents are required for employment in Poland?

1. A foreign passport with at least two free pages and expiring no earlier than 3 months after the last planned departure from the EU. If you have another passport, you must also provide it;

2. Ukrainian passport;

3. A copy of the internal passport - 1, 2 pages, marital status, residence;

4. A copy of your international passport - first page, pages with visas. If you are applying for a Schengen visa, make photocopies of the pages with visas issued within the last 3 years;

5. Identification code and its photocopy

6. 2 photos not more than six months old. Do not forget to indicate in the photo salon that you need photos for a visa, as they differ from ordinary photos for documents (the face should occupy 70-80% of the photo, and the size of the photo itself should be 3.5 * 4.5 cm);

7. Visa application form. It is filled out in Latin letters by hand and must contain your photo;

8. Consular fee of 35 euros (for a Schengen visa). When applying for a national Polish visa, there is no consular fee;

9. If you apply for a work visa through a visa application centre, you must also pay a visa fee of EUR 18.5 at the current exchange rate and submit the original payment receipt;

10. Confirmation of your financial security - a bank statement on the status and movement of your funds for the last 6 months, as well as a certificate from the workplace and a salary certificate (when applying for a Schengen work visa);

11. Insurance policy - not only the original, but also a copy. You should apply only to those insurance companies that are approved by the EU - their list can be found here. The price depends on the type of insurance policy;

Also keep in mind that you need health insurance to enter the country - you can also buy it here.

12. Original and copy of documents confirming the purpose of your trip. Ukrainians and citizens of Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, Russia must provide a seasonal work permit (Polish: zezwolenia na pracę sezonową) or a registered declaration of entrusting work to a foreigner (Polish: oświadczenia o powierzeniu pracy cudzoziemcowi).

In order to ensure that your package of documents is prepared correctly and protects the rights of the employee, we recommend that you consult with specialists in the field of employment before sending it . You can get qualified legal assistance at all stages by following the link on the Visit Ukraine portal.

Please note! The basis for obtaining a visa is an invitation from the employer. This is a certificate from the Polish side of the intention to provide employment for a foreigner, or a work permit issued by the relevant government at the place of registration of the employer.

There are several types of insurance policies available in Poland. Read more about who needs a policy and how they differ here.

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Where do Ukrainians work in Poland now?

What jobs in Poland are currently in high demand?

Currently, the largest number of vacancies in Poland is in the following areas:

- agricultural sector

- construction work

- logistics warehouses;

- food and processing industries;

- machine building industry;

- services and hotel business

Where are most Ukrainians currently employed?

Most Ukrainians do not speak Polish, so they are offered jobs in the field of logistics (picking and assembling goods in clothing/food warehouses) and in the food and processing industry.

What are the salaries of Ukrainians in Poland?

The average income of a Ukrainian without knowledge of the language is between 4000 and 5500 PLN. Accordingly, a Ukrainian can receive from 37 to 51 thousand UAH per year in terms of hryvnia currency.

For certain types of work without knowledge of the language, you can get 6-7 thousand zlotys (in terms of 60-70 thousand UAH per year).

Just to remind you. In Poland, starting from 2025, the minimum wage requirements will change, which will affect the receipt of a residence card.

Where to look for a job in Poland?

To find a job in Poland, you can use one of the following web portals:

- Centralna Baza Ofert Pracy;

- EURES (EURopean Employment Services) - a website operating throughout Europe

- ePraca;

- Workport;

- Zielona Linia.

Photo: Legal Advice

If you need any support at any stage of employment abroad, please contact Visit Ukraine specialists. You can get advice on the optimal choice of a job, employer verification, registration and legalisation of diplomas, assistance in organising relocation and solving everyday issues.

Just to remind you. Poland has introduced new rules for the employment of Ukrainian doctors. For more details, please follow the link.

Want to know more? Read the latest news and useful materials about Ukraine and the world in the News section.

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