Seasonal employment, like any other sort of job, requires a work permit in Poland, unless you are a citizen of the EU or one of the few other nations exempt from this requirement. If you don't fit into the aforementioned group, you might be interested in learning more about how it all works.

Since January 1, 2018, foreigners can work in Poland for a maximum of 9 months in a calendar year in the agriculture, horticulture, and tourism sectors. Seasonal labor necessitates the issuance of a special work permit (type "S") by the relevant starosta office, which must be sought for by the employer.

Only the following circumstances apply to the issuance of such a permit:

• The amount of salary stipulated in the contract cannot be less than that of other employees doing equivalent job.
• The labor market test ("starost's information") in the application confirms that the employer's personnel needs cannot be met any other way.

If the foreigner meets the following criteria, the labor market test is not required.

• An Armenian, Belarussian, Georgian, Moldovan, Russian, or Ukrainian national, or
• having resided in Poland for at least three years prior to filing the application, or
• A Ph.D. student or has graduated from a university on the Polish, Swiss, or European Economic Area (EEA) territory in the three years prior to the application

Learn more about work permits in Poland.

Whether or not the foreign citizen already lives in Poland affects the application process. If they live in Poland, the application will be handled within 7 to 30 days after receipt. If the foreigner has not yet lived in Poland, the employer's application will be filed into the application registration first, and a certificate of application will be provided within 7 to 30 days. The certificate will subsequently be provided to the foreigner's employer, who will use it to apply for a visa to visit Poland. The work permit might be issued once the foreigner arrives in Poland.