A legal employment agency in Poland does not charge you for finding you a job, signs a written contract with you and is listed in KRAZ, the state register. If you are asked to pay upfront for a job, hand over your passport or start work “without paperwork”, you are most likely dealing with scammers. Below we cover the signs of a fake job offer, how to check a company in 5 minutes and what to do if you have already paid.
Why an agency may not take money from you
Since 1 June 2025 employment agencies have been regulated by the ustawa z dnia 20 marca 2025 r. o rynku pracy i służbach zatrudnienia (the Labour Market and Employment Services Act). Its art. 321 ust. 1 pkt 1 bans agencies from charging the people they find work for any amounts other than those the act expressly names. Those amounts apply only to going to work abroad: actual costs of travel, a visa, a medical check and translation of documents, agreed in a written contract.
For work in Poland the rule is simple: no fee for “registration”, “reserving a place”, “an application form” or “a vacancy”. The ban also applies when the agency employs you as a temporary worker. An agency that breaks it faces a fine of PLN 3,000 to PLN 30,000.
The same goes for work documents. The oświadczenie o powierzeniu pracy cudzoziemcowi (declaration on entrusting work to a foreigner) for citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine is filed by the employer, who also pays for it – PLN 400 since 1 December 2025. The ustawa z dnia 20 marca 2025 r. o warunkach dopuszczalności powierzania pracy cudzoziemcom na terytorium Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (the act on the conditions for entrusting work to foreigners) provides for a fine for demanding money from a foreigner in exchange for arranging a work permit.
10 signs of a fake job offer
| What you are offered | Why it is dangerous |
|---|---|
| Pay for “paperwork”, an application form or reserving a place | An agency may not charge for finding you a job |
| Pay for a work permit, an oświadczenie or an “invitation” | These documents are filed and paid for by the employer |
| Hand over your passport “for safekeeping” | Taking away documents is a sign of forced labour |
| Pay for accommodation or a “deposit” before you arrive | They take the money, and there may be no accommodation and no job |
| Work without a contract, wages “cash in hand” | No insurance and no protection, and a foreigner working without the required documents can be fined too |
| Sign a contract quickly in a language you don’t understand | The agency must give a foreigner a written translation before signing |
| Talk only on WhatsApp or Telegram | There is no company you can check |
| “Easy online work” with very high pay | The police warn: next they ask for a transfer or cryptocurrency |
| Install an app, send your card details or password | This is how scammers get into your bank account |
| No company name, NIP or address | Nothing to check and no one to hold responsible |
A word about your passport. Your employer must check your document before you start work and keep a copy, but the original should stay with you. The Polish Ministry of the Interior and Administration lists among the signs of forced labour exactly this: taking away documents, misleading promises about accommodation and pay, and a “debt” that keeps growing through penalties and extra charges.
Don’t hand over your passport and don’t pay upfront, even if the job looks perfect and the recruiter is rushing you: “only two places left”.
How to check an agency in 5 minutes
- Ask for the company’s full name and NIP. A legal company will give them without any problem. If the recruiter dodges the question or only gives a “brand” name, that is already a red flag.
- Find the agency in KRAZ. Open the KRAZ register of employment agencies and search for the company by name or NIP. Check its register number, date of entry, status and types of services. If the agency employs you but you work at another company, the entry must include praca tymczasowa (temporary work). An agency that is not in the register cannot legally provide these services.
- Check the company in KRS or CEIDG. A spółka (company), for example an sp. z o.o., is listed in the Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy (KRS, the National Court Register), and a jednoosobowa działalność gospodarcza (sole trader) in CEIDG at biznes.gov.pl. There you can see the address, the date of registration and who runs the company.
- Compare the details. The name, address and NIP in the job ad, in the contract, in KRAZ and in KRS must match. Be wary when an “agency” writes from a free email address and no company with those details can be found in the registers.
- Ask for the contract in advance. An agency that employs foreigners must give you a written translation of the contract in a language you understand before you sign. Read who your employer is, what the gross rate is, where the work is and how much the accommodation costs.
Looking for jobs directly from employers? The state-run Centralna Baza Ofert Pracy is a shared database of vacancies from district and regional labour offices.
What to do if you have already paid
- Don’t pay anything more. An “unlocking fee”, “tax” or “commission” is just the next step of the same scam.
- Contact your bank straight away. The police advise doing this urgently: the sooner the bank knows about the fraud, the faster it can block your card or access to your account.
- Keep the evidence. Links to the job ad, unedited messenger and email conversations, phone numbers, the bank account or crypto wallet number, and payment confirmations.
- Report it to the police. Any police station will take your report, spoken or written. If you don’t speak Polish, the report will be taken with an interpreter. If you are being threatened or are in danger, call 112.
- Report it to CERT Polska. You can send a fake website or message to the CERT Polska team via incydent.cert.pl, and forward a suspicious text message free of charge to 8080.
- Protect your data. If you sent scammers a photo of your passport or your PESEL number, block your PESEL (zastrzeżenie numeru PESEL) to make it harder for anyone to take out a loan in your name.
- Complain about the agency. If the money was taken by a company calling itself an employment agency, report it to the Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy (PIP, the National Labour Inspectorate). You can file a complaint in person, by post or electronically with an electronic signature.
How STARKO hires
STARKO is an employment agency in Warsaw registered in KRAZ. We sign a legal contract under Polish law, with insurance. Accommodation costs from PLN 500 a month and is deducted from your wages – you don’t pay anything upfront. Your wages are paid into your bank account every month on a fixed day.
What to expect at your new workplace is covered in our article on your first day in a warehouse. Current jobs with accommodation are on the Jobs in Poland page.
Frequently asked questions
Can an employment agency in Poland charge me for finding a job?
No. Under the Labour Market Act an agency may not take any money from a person it is finding work for, except the charges the act expressly names. The only exception covers actual costs of going to work abroad, such as travel or a visa, and these must be agreed in writing in advance.
Who pays for the oświadczenie o powierzeniu pracy cudzoziemcowi?
The employer files the declaration and pays the fee – PLN 400 since 1 December 2025. If someone asks you to pay it, that is a serious reason to doubt the company’s honesty.
How do I check an employment agency in Poland?
Look the company up in KRAZ, the register of employment agencies, at stor.praca.gov.pl and check its number, date of entry, status and types of services. Then compare the name, address and NIP with the details in KRS or CEIDG and in your contract.
What should I do if I paid scammers for a job in Poland?
Don’t pay anything more, contact your bank straight away and keep all messages and payment confirmations. You can report it at any police station, and if you don’t speak Polish, the report will be taken with an interpreter.
Can I give my passport to my employer for safekeeping?
Better not. Your employer must check your document before you start work and keep a copy, but the original should stay with you. The Polish Ministry of the Interior lists taking away foreigners’ documents as one of the signs of forced labour.