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Change log

News, announcements and procedure changes

We publish entries in a uniform structure: category, importance level, publication date, last update date and source. Where a detail depends on the relevant office, we state this explicitly.

19 of 19 entries

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Medium importance

Guide

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Updated:

Over 50 days off work in a year. 26 days of leave is only the beginning

An employee under an employment contract collects from the Kodeks pracy (Labour Code) alone up to 35 days off a year: 26 days of annual leave, 5 days of carer's leave, 2 days due to force majeure and 2 days of childcare. Beyond the Labour Code there are still compassionate leave entitlements and blood donation — an honorary blood donor has time off on the day of donation and the following day, and a man can donate whole blood up to 6 times a year. In a record but realistic set of circumstances this gives more than 50 days.

Source: ISAP — Act of 11 March 2026 amending the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate and certain other acts
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High importance

Legal change

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Who is subject to a PIP inspection and what from it goes to ZUS

The reform of 11 March 2026 (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473) widened the range of entities that may be inspected by the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy, PIP) and built a permanent channel for passing inspection findings to the Social Insurance Institution (Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych, ZUS). Taken separately, each of these changes is technical. Together they change the real weight of an inspection.

Source: Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473 — Act of 11 March 2026 amending the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate and certain other acts
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High importance

Legal change

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Appeal against a PIP decision establishing an employment relationship — deadline and procedure

A decision of the regional labour inspector (okręgowy inspektor pracy) establishing the existence of an employment relationship does not go to an administrative court. The Act of 11 March 2026 amending the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy) and certain other acts (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473) referred these cases to the labour court and added to the Code of Civil Procedure a separate division devoted solely to such appeals.

Source: Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473 — ustawa z 11 marca 2026 r.
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High importance

Legal change

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Foreigner on a civil contract or B2B — what happens to the permit after the contract changes

The National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy) reform of 11 March 2026 (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473) changed more than the PIP Act. It also amended the Act of 20 March 2025 on the conditions of admissibility of entrusting work to foreigners in the territory of the Republic of Poland (Dz.U. 2025 poz. 621), settling the doubt that had been blocking employers: does switching from a civil-law contract to an employment contract require a new work permit? It does not — for a work permit and for a statement. For a single permit for residence and work, the matter looks different.

Source: Dziennik Ustaw — ustawa z 11 marca 2026 r. (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473)
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High importance

Legal change

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The order to remedy breaches — the stage at which nothing is settled yet

The Act of 11 March 2026 amending the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy, PIP) and certain other acts (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473) does not give the inspectorate the power to reclassify a civil-law contract as an employment contract straight away. First comes the order to remedy breaches under art. 11 ust. 2 of the PIP Act. That order decides whether the matter ends at the inspection stage. The provision has applied since 8 July 2026.

Source: Journal of Laws — Act of 11 March 2026 (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473)
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High importance

Legal change

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A PIP decision confirming an employment relationship — how it works from 2026

The Act of 11 March 2026 (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473) gave the bodies of the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy, PIP) the power to confirm, by administrative decision, the existence of an employment relationship — where a civil-law contract was concluded, or where work is in fact performed for remuneration under the conditions set out in art. 22 § 1 of the Labour Code. Legal basis: art. 11 ust. 1 pkt 7a of the PIP Act. The provision has applied since 8 July 2026.

Source: Dziennik Ustaw — Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473
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High importance

Legal change

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Online transmission during a PIP inspection — when the inspector may demand it

The Act of 11 March 2026 (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473) added point 2a to art. 23 ust. 1 of the PIP Act. A labour inspector may demand that the inspected entity conduct an online transmission enabling the inspection of documents, the hearing of a party and the examination of the inspected entity. This is a separate power, stronger than merely conducting an inspection by correspondence. The main part of the amendment entered into force on 8 July 2026.

Source: Journal of Laws — Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473
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High importance

Legal change

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Updated:

Remote PIP inspection — when the inspector does not come to your company

Since 8 July 2026 the State Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy, PIP) may carry out an inspection, or individual inspection activities, remotely — by post or by means of electronic communication. The change was introduced by the Act of 11 March 2026 (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473), which added art. 26 ust. 5–8 to the PIP Act. An inspection of the legality of employment may therefore begin without an inspector visiting the company.

Source: Dziennik Ustaw — Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473
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Informational

Analysis

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'Little Poland' in India is getting a museum — status as of August 2026

In Valivade in the Indian state of Maharashtra, home to some 5,000 Polish refugees between 1942 and 1948, a museum devoted to their history is being built. In August 2026 a Polish parliamentary delegation inspected the progress of the works, and the Polish ambassador to India spoke publicly of a building close to completion. This is a historical and informational entry — it changes no residence procedure.

Source: Dziennik Gazeta Prawna / PAP (dzieje.pl)
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High importance

Analysis

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ZUS is auditing service contracts with foreigners under 26. What employers risk

The Social Insurance Institution (Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych, ZUS) is stepping up audits of companies that hire foreigners on umowa zlecenia and rely on the contribution exemption for people under 26 with pupil or student status. Below: how the exemption works, why it is abused and what sanctions the payer faces.

Source: Case Handling Module (MOS) — temporary residence and work permit
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Medium importance

Analysis

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Calling emergency services without cause: what are the legal consequences

On the evening of 9 August 2026, a rescue operation on the beach in Ustka turned out to be entirely groundless. Someone reported a person allegedly drowning in the sea. The response involved the Maritime Search and Rescue Service (Morska Służba Poszukiwania i Ratownictwa, SAR), WOPR water lifeguards, a medical rescue team, and a Medical Air Rescue (Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe) helicopter that landed on the beach. On site it was established that the report did not reflect reality. Such situations — regardless of who causes them — carry concrete legal consequences.

Source: TVP3 Gdańsk
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High importance

Legal change

Published:
Updated:

End of visa-free work. Colombia, Venezuela and Georgia must arrive with a visa

From 22 August 2026, citizens of Colombia, Venezuela and Georgia will not be able to legally work in Poland under visa-free travel — even if they hold a valid work permit. Anyone who wants to take up employment must enter Poland on a national visa issued by a Polish consul.

Source: Dziennik Ustaw 2026 poz. 1072 · Office for Foreigners (Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców) — gov.pl/web/udsc/wizy · e-konsulat (MSZ)
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High importance

Analysis

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Updated:

Return obligation and criminal proceedings — how the procedure actually works

A widely reported incident in Wrocław has revived the debate about removing foreigners who break the law. Polish law knows no „instant deportation” of a suspect: a return obligation is a separate administrative procedure conducted by the Border Guard (Straż Graniczna), and pending criminal proceedings affect whether the decision can be enforced. The appeal deadline is 7 days, not 14.

Source: ISAP — ustawa o cudzoziemcach (Act on Foreigners, Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1079 consolidated text)
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High importance

Analysis

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A lost summons in a residence case — lessons from a Mazovia case

A newspaper described the case of a foreign national in which a request to remedy formal defects was sent to the address given in the application, even though the party was already living elsewhere. The envelope with the return receipt is missing from the office. This is not an isolated accident — it is the most common way in which temporary residence proceedings lose their course.

Source: warszawa.wyborcza.pl
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High importance

Guide

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A change of address during residence permit proceedings — how to notify the authority and why it decides the case

Moving house during proceedings is one of the most common reasons why an application for a residence permit ends up being left unexamined. The provision is short and unforgiving: if you do not notify the authority of a change of address, service at the previous address has legal effect.

Source: gov.pl — Mazowiecki Urząd Wojewódzki
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DisclaimerThe content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute individual legal advice. Every administrative matter depends on its individual facts — before acting, confirm the information at the official source or consult an authorised representative.