The turn of 2025 and 2026 brings about significant changes for employers hiring foreigners and for non-EU citizens residing in Poland. The legal updates include not only a sharp increase in administrative and consular fees but also crucial restrictions on the simplified employment procedure, as well as new formal requirements. Below is a breakdown of the most important changes entering into force in December 2025 and January 2026.
Sharp Increase in Work Legalization Fees starting December 1, 2025
In accordance with the new regulation issued by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, the costs of administrative procedures related to legalizing work will significantly increase. The biggest change concerns the popular "Declarations," where the fee increases fourfold.
New Official Fee Schedule:
400 PLN – for submitting a Declaration of Intention to Entrust Work to a Foreigner (up from 100 PLN).
400 PLN – for a Work Permit issued for a period exceeding 3 months.
200 PLN – for a Work Permit issued for a period up to 3 months.
800 PLN – for a Work Permit issued for posting a foreigner to the territory of the Republic of Poland.
It is worth noting that for cases initiated and not concluded before December 1st, 2025, previous regulations apply.
Georgia Removed from the Simplified Procedure
This is one of the most significant systemic changes. Starting December 1, 2025, the list of countries whose citizens may undertake work based on the simplified Declaration Procedure is restricted. The Republic of Georgia has been removed from the list.
The Declaration Procedure will now be available exclusively to citizens of:
Ukraine
Belarus
Moldova
Armenia
What about currently employed Georgian citizens?
Transitional provisions apply: a Georgian citizen employed based on a Declaration entered into the register before the new regulations take effect may continue employment until the expiration date of that document.
Attention: New Templates for Residence Applications and Annex No. 1
A critical formal change that could easily be overlooked amidst the fee increases is the update of the application forms. As of December 2025, new templates are strictly mandatory for:
The Residence Permit Application (Wniosek o udzielenie zezwolenia na pobyt czasowy).
Annex No. 1 (Załącznik nr 1), which must be completed by the employer and is crucial for the application.
Submitting documentation using outdated forms will be treated as a formal defect (brak formalny), which will significantly delay the processing of the application. Employers must ensure their HR departments use the latest templates available on provincial office websites.
Higher Consular Fees starting January 1, 2026
Another wave of fee increases awaits travelers and applicants starting January 1, 2026, across all Polish diplomatic missions and consulates.
Selected Changes in Consular Fees:
Type of Service
Fee in 2025
New Fee from 2026
National Visa (Type D)
80 EUR
100 EUR
Schengen Visa (Type C)
35 EUR
45 EUR
10-year Passport Issuance
110 EUR
130 EUR
Document Legalization
30 EUR
40 EUR
Work Without Permit and Formal Requirements
The new regulations also specify exemptions from the work permit obligation, introducing strict time limits (up to 30 days per calendar year) for specific groups, including artists, athletes, and occasional lecturers.
A reminder: applications for work permits are submitted exclusively electronically (via praca.gov.pl). The new regulation further tightens documentation requirements, requiring digital copies of passports and certified translations for all foreign-language documents.
Do you need assistance adapting to the new regulations?
Contact us. We can help your company verify documentation and ensure compliance with the new forms and procedures to avoid formal errors during the legalization process.