Foreigners who can legally stay in Poland and have a work permit can lawfully work in the country. Those who hold a residence card with an “access to the labor market” note can also work without applying for a visa.
However, those who solely possess a tourist visa or visa to visit friends or family cannot perform any paid work. European Union citizens, as well as citizens of Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland, and their family members can legally work in Poland without a work permit. There are also a few countries from outside the EU/Western Europe region that are granted access to the Polish job market. These include nationals of Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Russia, and Belarus.
However, citizens of these countries can only work without a visa for no longer than six months within each subsequent period of 12 months. If they exceed this limit, then their Polish employer needs to submit a special declaration to the labor office, stating that they wish to hire them on a long-term employment contract.
There’s also a possibility of applying for a seasonal worker permit, which lets the foreigner work in Poland for nine out of 12 consecutive months.
