How do Americans go about getting a work visa in Poland?

Hello All,

After countless hours of researching the Consulate's website, reading and re-reading everything, im still a bit confused about how to obtain a work visa. It seems to me that I have to be invited by a company before I could even be granted a work visa?

My situation is kind of strange I guess, I’m a US contractor working in the Middle East. I want to take a year off and work in Poland as well as attend school, but I haven't found a job there yet or have been accepted to the school.

Would I be able to apply for a work visa once I have arrived in country? If not I guess my question is to all the other Americans on this forum that are currently living and working in Poland, how did you go about getting a work visa?

Thanks in Advance for any help you guys can provide.

I would stay in the middle east, the middle east is richer and less backward than poland

hahahahah less backwards? I dont know about that, I've been out here for almost 2 years on and off. I've also worked in Kgryzstan, and have been thrown in their freaking jail just because im American. The money is great though, dont know many places in the world that still pays network engineers 250,000 dollars a year and bonuses just to sit on my ass doing nothing. But then again not many engineers have to worry about getting blown up. I just wanna get back to Europe, and Poland has been the nicest place that I have visited so far besides Spain. I love the Polish culture and the people, so I figured why not live there for a year and get a feel of how its like to be a local and not a tourist :)

Anyways, for anyone that stumbles on to this post, I found out the answer to my own question, I just had to call the right Polish embassy. What the consulate told me is that I do not need to get a long-stay visa. Once I have entered the country I could go down to the immigration office and apply for temporary residence. After I get that I could go find a job or attend school if I so choose to, simple as that!... well I hope its simple as that hahah.

See this post: https://polishforums.com/archives/2005-2009/work/americans-permit-english-25213/
And if you do a search in the top right hand corner under 'visa' you will a lot of info regrading visas and work related stuff.


This is our favourite Polish hater, so you can take what he says with a pinch of salt :)

Yeah I did a search for Visa, most of the posting I found were from people that were lucky enough to already have a company sponsering them, or have already enrolled at a school. So they already had a plan. As for me Im just some guy that has no clue on what I want to do for the next year beside have a nice long vacation from getting shot at while trying to install a cisco switch :)

I guess I could have just gotten a long-stay visa, and then apply for temporary residence if I wanted to get a job. Oh well, my mind is at ease now, I can't wait to get there now.

come here and apply for a permission to stay visa (green card). to do so you need to have a reason to be here and proof such as a promise from a business to hire you or enrollment in a school. after many trips to the foreigners office you should get your permission to stay

I hate to be the one to tell you this but nothing in Poland is simple. Bureaucracy there is a nightmare.

Jun 22, 09, 20:55 - Thread attached on merging:
Documents for work visa (non-EU member)

Hello,
This question may have already been answered on this forum but I did not find it. I am an American looking into teaching in Poland and was wondering what documents are needed for a work visa. I have worked abroad before and understand the amount of tedious paperwork and time involved in getting a visa so I just want to make sure that I obtain all documents required before the process starts.

So, Which documents do I need to teach in Poland? (Degree, TEFL cert., Criminal background...)

Thanks for the help!

You don't need anything like that, you just need an employer to obtain a work permit for you. But this is much easier said than done - many schools are taking the attitude (at least in Poznan!) that it's completely pointless to go to the hassle of obtaining a work permit for a non-EU citizen when you can hire a British/Irish native.

Simply put, you'll need a job offer and the work permit secured before you can think about obtaining any visas.

Thanks for the help...I guess I'll just have to get lucky!

I didn't need a work visa because it wasn't reququired not required for native speakers of the US, etc, but that may have changed after the Schengen thing. I really don't know.

To get my residency card (valid for one year) I had to provide a copy of my university degree, my teaching "credentials"-copy of my CELTA, contract from my school, copy of my lease, and a copy of my birth certificate. They wanted a copy of my bank statement but I still don't have an account so they accepted a form where I told them how much money I had. I said $5000, which was way more than I had, but it did the trick. They also wanted a copy of a police report, which I also didn't have, and they accepted another form in which I said I wasn't an axe murderer. They wanted some tax documents but accepted another form instead.

Whatever you do, don't come here without the visa/work permit already sorted. I've heard enough stories of Americans that come here, working illegally and then getting caught and subsequently banned from the Schengen area - you're only allowed 90 days in every 180 as a tourist within any of the Schengen countries.

Lowfunk, I remember this thread. Ukpolska provided a good link and delphi is right.

This depends on who you talk to and what day you go to the Urzad Pracy (Work Office)...this is part of the problem in that people cannot follow consistent rules or processes. I was told as you were (not needed for native speakers) but then when I went to apply they said its not true. It truly depends on what "director" is in that day. Some give it for native speakers for higher institutions only, some for all, some for none. Everything here is a gamble.

Oh so very true. Tj, you are right on the mark in many postings. The tax office workers change their story more than their underwear. Roll the dice and hope for a 6.

Why would you go to the Urząd Pracy to find out about rules regarding employment by foreigners? They have nothing to do with it - only the foreigners section of the Voivode would be able to tell you, because it may vary according to the visa held. The relevant labour offices are useless anyway - anyone who's had any sort of dealing with them can tell you that they're solely interested in getting people to work.


It doesn't depend at all - all the legislation and regulations are online. If you have problems, you follow the regulations combined with printing them out and taking them to the relevant office along with a Polish speaker.

Your problem seems to be trusting what an individual says over what the relevant legislation says.

God your theoretical drivel is old. It DOES depend. I don't care what you THINK or what it SAYS. In practice they don't follow nor know their own laws and shoving a pile of papers in their face and speaking Polish changes nothing...I know from experience. But keep on lying to people here...telling them it is that simple.

And the Urzad Pracy is where you have to get the Work Permit...it is ALSO where Immigration sends you to get the info you claim should be known elsewhere. You are so full of ******* remind me of so many people here...talk a lot and rarely is what they say accurate.

Precisely. The relevant regulation in this case being available here:
udsc.gov.pl/Wykonywanie,pracy,przez,cudzoziemcow,w,RP,511.html
"Ponadto na podstawie rozporządzenie Ministra Pracy i Polityki Społecznej z dnia 30 sierpnia 2006 r. w sprawie wykonywania pracy przez cudzoziemców bez konieczności uzyskania zezwolenia na pracę (Dz. U. Nr 156, poz. 1116, z 2007 r. Nr 120, poz. 824, z 2008 r. Nr 17, poz. 106, z 2009 r. Nr 21, poz. 114) wykonywanie pracy przez cudzoziemców na terytorium Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej bez konieczności uzyskania zezwolenia na pracę jest dopuszczalne w przypadku cudzoziemców:" (Rough translation: "Annex to the base regulation of the Employment Secretary and the social policy from 30 August 2006 r. the performance of work by foreigners without the need to obtain a work permit (Dz. At. No. 156, pos. 1116, from 2007 r. No. 120, pos. 824, from 2008 r. No. 17, pos. 106, from 2009 r. No. 21, pos. 114) the performance of work by foreigners in the Republic of Poland without the need to obtain a work permit is acceptable in case of foreigners:")

"3) będących nauczycielami języków obcych lub prowadzących zajęcia w językach obcych, którzy wykonują pracę w ramach umów i porozumień międzynarodowych, których Rzeczpospolita Polska jest stroną;

4) będących nauczycielami języków obcych, którzy wykonują pracę w przedszkolach, szkołach lub placówkach, o których mowa w przepisach o systemie oświaty, lub Ochotniczych Hufcach Pracy;

5) będących nauczycielami języków obcych, którzy wykonują pracę w zakładach kształcenia nauczycieli, o których mowa w przepisach o systemie oświaty;" (Rough translation: "3)being teachers of foreign languages or giving classes in foreign languages which perform the work as part of international treaties and agreements, of which Republic Poland is a side; 4) being teachers of foreign languages which perform the work at nursery schools, or institutions which are being specified in regulations of the educational system, or Voluntary scout troops of the Work; 5) being teachers of foreign languages which perform the work at units of the teacher education which are being specified in regulations of the educational system;").

Then you look at menis.pl/prawo_oswiatowe.htm to see which institutions are specified. Here's a hint: just calling a business venture "The OK Super-Cool School" does not make it an acceptable institution.

Ok....people reading this can find out for themselves. Too bad they won't be able to hold you accountable when it doesn't work like you claim.

You have entered the mockery zone with your idiot friend.

As has been noted several times: Poland has these things called 'laws'. People should follow them: if they don't, they have nobody to blame but themselves.

By the way, I claim nothing: I repeat what Polish law says. The only person claiming anything here is you.

You are claiming the laws are enforced consistently and fairly. You claim a stern word and a print out of said laws will make someone move. You claim a lot and most of it ********.

I will now curse you:

May you have a stabbing pain in your arse every time the "law" is not enforced as you claim.