Guide · legal state 07/2026
Hiring a foreigner for the first time? Here is the whole path.
Oświadczenie, medical, contract, ZUS, deadlines counted in days — it sounds like chaos, but it is one process. Every step has an i why — click when you want to understand the “why”, not just the “what”.
Step zero: whom are you hiring?
What matters is not citizenship but the — a Belarusian with a Pole's Card needs no permit at all.
The full path with an oświadczenie: registration via praca.gov.pl (since 06.2025 electronically only), a 400 zł fee, an entry in the register — and only then the start.
Hiring path — Belarus / oświadczenie
- 01
Set the final terms: position, occupation code, pay
Before you file anything with the authority — the terms must be final. The contract must match the oświadczenie on the position (KZiS code) and pay; a change after the entry means a new procedure.
before everythingDoPusk: a KZiS code search built into the employee profile
- 02
Collect the employee's data and documents
Passport (the data page), diplomas, employment history, addresses. A PESEL may not exist yet — that does not block the contract. Work history and education are not a formality: the leave entitlement (20 or 26 days) depends on them.
1–3 daysDoPusk: the employee fills in a friendly interview in their own language
- 03
Register the oświadczenie at praca.gov.pl
Electronically only. A 400 zł fee from the company account, the passport data page attached, the register entry usually within ~7 business days. Check whether the employee's country is on the current list — the list changes.
~7–14 days400 złDoPusk: a portal data package ready to copy
- 04
Refer for the initial medical (occupational health)
Without a valid medical certificate a person may not be allowed to start work — that rule protects the employee. It is one of the most frequently skipped steps; the examination runs in parallel with legalisation.
before day 1DoPusk: the referral is generated from the profile in one click
- 05
Sign the full set of documents
The contract is only the beginning: questionnaires, the statement of employment terms, RODO, PIT-2, the PPK declaration, equal treatment, the information on the right to join a trade union (art. 5 ust. 4 of the 20.03.2025 act)… A dozen documents in which the same data repeats. If the employee named a language other than Polish, you hand them the contract's content and this information in a version they understand too (art. 5 ust. 2) — DoPusk reminds you and files the translation, but does not translate.
before day 1DoPusk: the whole package generated from one profile — zero re-typing
- 06
Send the contract copy to the authority — before work begins
A new obligation since 2025: a copy of the signed contract (in Polish) goes to the PUP via praca.gov.pl before work is allowed. Without it, the start is illegal.
blocking — before startDoPusk: the start gate will not pass until you tick this step
- 07
Day 1: BHP instruction and start
Initial BHP training — before work begins, on the first day. The training record goes to the file. And an important note: you do not always need an external BHP firm — click “why”.
day 1DoPusk: reminders for periodic BHP and medicals — automatically
- 08
Report the work start and ZUS — two clocks are ticking
Notifying the office that work has started: 7 days. ZUS ZUA registration (done by accounting): 7 days. Family members for insurance — ZCNA. These filings are what gives the employee and their family insurance from day one.
7 days from startDoPusk: a data sheet for accounting + a deadline countdown
- 09
When the basis of stay runs out: the single permit (MOS)
The application for a temporary residence and work permit is filed by the foreigner themselves — since 27.04.2026 only electronically in the MOS portal. Your part is single but blocking: the foreigner cannot finish filing until you fill in the employer's annex (signed electronically). This is not a hiring stage but a separate process, which starts when the current basis of stay or work runs out.
the employee files ityou fill in the annexDoPusk: a sheet to copy into MOS, and a watch that the case is not stuck on you
- 10
…and that is not the end: the deadlines live on
Periodic medicals, periodic BHP (where applicable), the end of a fixed-term contract, residence-card validity, PPK re-enrolment every 4 years, carried-over leave until 30.09. Employment is not an event — it is a process with a calendar.
the whole employment periodDoPusk: one dashboard of all deadlines, alerts before it is too late
Deadlines you must not miss
- before start
- initial medical · signed contract · contract copy to PUP (oświadczenie)
- day 1
- BHP instruction before work begins
- 7 days
- ZUS ZUA · PUP notification: start of work (oświadczenie) and temporary protection
- 30.09
- use of carried-over leave from the previous year
- every 4 years
- PPK re-enrolment — opt-out declarations must be collected anew
Do not want to remember all of this?
DoPusk guides you through every step, generates documents from one profile and watches every deadline. Built by people who have walked this path themselves.
Start your first hire