Belarusians and Moldovans work in Poland under a simplified procedure: the employer registers an oświadczenie o powierzeniu pracy cudzoziemcowi (declaration on entrusting work to a foreigner), and on that basis you can work for up to 24 months. Moldovans with a biometric passport come visa-free, while Belarusians usually need a national D visa for work. To live and work in Poland for longer, you apply for a karta pobytu (residence card).
Which legal basis for work fits you
The oświadczenie is only available to citizens of four countries: Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. Other situations call for other documents.
| Your situation | Legal basis for work | Who arranges it |
|---|---|---|
| Regular work for up to 24 months | Oświadczenie | The employer, through praca.gov.pl |
| Seasonal work in agriculture, hotels or catering | Seasonal work permit, up to 9 months in a calendar year | The employer, at the district labour office |
| Other work, if the oświadczenie doesn’t fit | Work permit (zezwolenie na pracę) | The employer, at the voivodeship office |
| You want to live and work in Poland for up to 3 years | Residence and work permit (karta pobytu) | You, through MOS, with the employer’s signature |
| You hold a Karta Polaka (Pole’s Card) or a valid humanitarian visa | No permit needed | – |
| You also hold citizenship of an EU country | No permit needed | – |
How the oświadczenie works, step by step
- The employer files the oświadczenie online only, through praca.gov.pl, and pays PLN 400. A scan of all the filled-in pages of your passport is attached.
- The district labour office (powiatowy urząd pracy) enters the oświadczenie in the register, usually within 7 working days, or up to 30 days if explanations are needed.
- A Belarusian with a registered oświadczenie applies for a D visa; a Moldovan comes visa-free.
- Before your first day at work, you sign a written contract. If it’s in Polish and you don’t know Polish, the employer gives you the text in a language you understand before you sign.
- The employer sends a copy of the contract to the labour office before you start and reports that you have started work within 7 days.
- You work on the terms in the oświadczenie: job, pay rate and number of hours must match. Your pay can’t be lower than the minimum wage, which in 2026 is PLN 4,806 gross a month for full-time work.
When the oświadczenie ends, the employer can register a new one. The oświadczenie doesn’t cover seasonal work, which needs a separate permit.
Moldova: visa-free travel and work
- With a biometric passport, Moldovan citizens enter visa-free and can stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Days in other Schengen countries count too.
- You can work during a visa-free stay, but only if the employer has already registered an oświadczenie or obtained a work permit.
- A 24-month oświadczenie doesn’t extend your visa-free stay. To work for longer than 90 days, you need a residence card or a national visa. You apply for the card through MOS (the online service for foreigners’ cases) before your legal stay ends. If you apply on time and without formal errors, and you had the right to work before applying, you can usually keep working under your valid oświadczenie while the application is being processed. We explain how to apply in our article residence card via MOS.
- If you also hold citizenship of an EU country, you work in Poland as an EU citizen, with no work permit.
Belarus: a D visa for work
- To work you need a national D visa for the purpose of “wykonywanie pracy” (performing work). The basis is a registered oświadczenie, for seasonal work a confirmation that the application has been registered, and for other work a work permit. The visa is only issued to the person named in the document.
- You fill in the application form in the e-konsulat system and book an appointment at a visa application centre through visa.vfsglobal.by. There are centres in Minsk, Gomel, Mogilev, Brest, Pinsk, Baranovichi, Grodno and Lida.
- As of June 2026, the standard fee for a national visa is €200, but Belarusian citizens applying in Belarus pay a reduced fee of €60 until 31 December 2026. A decision is usually made within 15 working days of payment, or up to 30 days if the documents need detailed checking.
- You need medical insurance for every day of your stay.
- Holders of a valid humanitarian visa don’t need a work permit. Consulates tell applicants directly which documents such a visa requires.
The current requirements are published by the Polish Embassy in Belarus.
Which visas don’t let you work
Since 1 June 2025, you can’t work in Poland, even with an oświadczenie or a permit, if you are staying:
- on a tourist visa (purpose 01) or a visa for visiting family or friends (purpose 02);
- on a visa for medical treatment (purpose 14) or certain other types of Polish visa;
- on a transit visa;
- on a visa issued by another Schengen country, such as Lithuania or Latvia.
The “come on a tourist visa, we’ll sort the papers out here” scheme leads to illegal work. The worker faces a fine of at least PLN 1,000, and the employer from PLN 3,000 for each foreigner.
How to avoid scammers
- The employer pays the PLN 400 oświadczenie fee. Charging a foreigner for arranging a work permit or any other document needed for work is forbidden and carries a fine of PLN 6,000 to 50,000.
- Before you travel, ask the employer for confirmation that the oświadczenie has been entered in the register, and check your name, job and pay rate in it. Without a registered oświadczenie or work permit, you won’t get a work visa.
- If an agency is hiring you, check that it is in the register of employment agencies (KRAZ). We list other signs of scammers in our article fake job offers: how to spot them.
- Sign the contract before your first day at work, and only when you understand what it says.
How STARKO helps
Most of our workers come from Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. We arrange work permits and help with PESEL and residence cards, and your coordinator speaks Ukrainian and Russian. Accommodation is from PLN 500 a month with no prepayment, and transport to work is free. See our current jobs with accommodation and send us an application.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Moldovan citizen work in Poland visa-free?
Yes, if the employer has registered an oświadczenie or obtained a work permit. A visa-free stay lasts up to 90 days in any 180-day period, so for longer work you need a residence card or a national visa.
Who pays for the oświadczenie for a Belarusian or Moldovan?
The employer files the oświadczenie and, since 1 December 2025, pays the PLN 400 fee. Charging a foreigner for arranging a work permit is forbidden and carries a fine of PLN 6,000 to 50,000.
Can I work in Poland with a Lithuanian Schengen visa?
No. Since 1 June 2025, a visa issued by another Schengen country doesn’t give you the right to work in Poland, even if you have an oświadczenie or a work permit.
How long does it take to register an oświadczenie?
The district labour office usually enters the oświadczenie in the register within 7 working days. If explanations or extra documents are needed, it can take up to 30 days.
Does a Belarusian with a humanitarian visa need a work permit?
No. Under the rules in force since 1 December 2025, the holder of a valid humanitarian visa can work without a work permit or an oświadczenie. A written contract and ZUS registration are still compulsory.