Get help or information on Poland

RELIGION AND LANGUAGE

There is no official religion in Poland. Majority of the Polish are Roman Catholic. The country’s official language, Polish, however, English and German are very widely spoken, especially by younger people

BASIC LANGUAGE PHRASES IN POLAND

Dzień dobry is the default formal/neutral greeting in Polish (“good morning” / “good afternoon”).

Dobry wieczór is the formal/neutral evening greeting (“good evening”).

Cześć is the standard informal Polish greeting (“hello”).

“How Are You?” in Polish: 6 Friendly Polish Phrases and When to Use Them

Poles don’t really use “how are you?” that often. It’s mostly used when catching up with friends and family.

The most natural “how are you?” phrases in Polish are jak tam?,  jak leci?, co słychać? and co tam?

How to Introduce Yourself in Polish:

Miło mi is the simplest way to say “nice to meet you” in Polish regardless of the context.

To introduce yourself with your first name, say mam na imię  ____.

When introducing yourself with your full name, say nazywam się  _____.

Saying “Goodbye” in Polish: 7 Essential Polish Farewells

Do widzenia is the standard formal/neutral phrase used when saying “goodbye” in Polish.

Dobranoc is the Polish way of saying “good night”.

Informal expressions used to say “bye” in Polish include cześć and pa.

Saying “Thank You” in Polish

Dziękuję is the surest way to say “thank you” in Polish in all possible situations.

Dzięki is more casual and mostly used when thanking for little favors (“thanks”).

When someone thanks you in Polish, say nie ma za co (“not at all”) or proszę (“you’re welcome”).

How to Say “Sorry” in Polish

rzepraszam is the default phrase said when apologizing in Polish (“sorry”). You can also use it to get someone’s attention (“excuse me”).

When someone apologizes to you in Polish, you can reassure them by saying nie ma problemu (“no problem”) or (nic) nie szkodzi (“no harm done”).

POLISH CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS:

With a rich history that can be traced back over hundreds of years, Poland has a unique and diverse culture.  When it comes to local culture, religion plays a vital role in society and an even bigger part in Polish culture. It is common for most businesses to close on religious holidays – they are considered to be national holidays in Poland.

Christmas is considered the religious holiday that holds the most importance, with celebrations lasting a full 2 1/2 days.

November 1st, All Saints Day is another very important religious holiday on the Polish calendar. It is a time to honour loved ones who are no longer with them, with many Poles visiting cemeteries.

Baptisms, weddings, first communions, confirmations, and funerals are all very much influenced by religion; Poland is one of the most devoutly religious countries in Europe.

DRESSING

There is no official dress code in Poland although one is advised to pack heavy clothes for winter and light ones for summer.

CURRENCY

The złoty is the official currency and legal tender of Poland. It is subdivided into 100 grosz (gr). The current exchange rate of the gr to the Kenyan shilling is 1 gr = 28.89 Kshs

LEGAL SYSTEM

Poland is a republic formed on a democratic basis. The Republic of Poland is based on Montesquieu’s separation of powers principle. The legislative power is vested in the Parliament consisting of the lower house called the Sejm and the upper house called the Senate.

The executive power is vested in the President of Poland and the Council of Ministers and the judicial power is vested in courts and tribunals. The Republic of Poland is a unitary state. According to the administrative reform of 1998, the country is divided into 16 provinces/voivodships (“województwa”).

The provinces/voivodships are divided into “poviats” (currently 380, what includes 66 cities with poviat rights), and then further to the basic administrative units: communes (“gminas”, currently 2,477). As of 1st May 2004, the Republic of Poland is a member of the European Union.

LABOUR LAWS IN POLAND

There are two most popular methods of performing work in Poland: on employment agreement basis and on civil law agreements basis. The provisions of Polish Labour Code and other acts concerning labour law apply only to persons employed with employment agreements. Persons performing work under civil law agreements are legally not considered employees.

By establishing an employment relationship, an employee undertakes to perform work of a specified type for the benefit of an employer and under his supervision, in a place and at the time specified by the employer. At the same time, the employer undertakes to employ the employee in return for remuneration.

It should be emphasized that employment under the aforementioned conditions is considered employment on the basis of an employment relationship, regardless of the name of the contract concluded between the parties. Employment contract cannot be replaced with a civil law contract where the performance of work conditions specified above remain intact.

WORK WEEK AND HOURS

Normal working hours are from 8am to 4pm on weekdays and 8am to 2pm on Saturdays. Employees can take a 15-minute break, if they are working more than 6 hours a day. From 29th November 2002, an employer may allow an unpaid 60-minute lunch break. 

TRANSPORTATION

Buses are the most commonly used means of transport (urban and suburban) and they operate all over the country. There are trams and night buses in the large urban centers and the Warsaw metro works from 5 am to midnight approximately.

PROBATION AND RECRUITMENT FEES

A contract of employment for probationary period must not exceed three months. The costs of applying for a work permit for foreign workers are: 50 PLN (around 18 SGD. PLN is Polish złoty) – where the worker is going to be employed for no longer than a period of 3 months and 100 PLN (around 36 SGD) – where the worker is going to be employed for a period longer than 3 months.

INSURANCE AND AIR TICKET

In Poland, all legally employed persons, including foreigners, are covered by compulsory health insurance. The employee may use public health and non-public healthcare services free of charge. However, it is important to note that health services in non-public healthcare are free only if the institution or doctor has a contract with the NFZ.

The NFZ is a state institution that finances health care services from contributions paid by insured persons in the NFZ (insured persons pay a contribution to the NFZ, and for this they get free health care). The employer is obliged to provide the new employee with access to the health care insurance. The employer has to report it to the Social Insurance Institution by filling out the ZUS ZUA and ZUS ZZA (ZUS ZZA) application for health insurance. Then, the employer pays a monthly health insurance contribution to the NFZ from employee’s income.

PASSPORT

A passport must be valid in order to gain access and work in Poland. The validity of the passport is extremely essential because apart from it being used as a means of identification, once a foreign worker arrives in Poland, his or her employer must issue the work permit, present a copy of the worker’s passport and any required visa, and confirm the worker’s place of accommodation.

ANNUAL LEAVE

The amount of an annual leave is equal to 20 days – for workers who have been employed for less than 10 years, 26 days – for workers who have been employed for at least 10 years. As part of an annual leave, employers may grant a leave on request (not more than 4 days in a calendar year) on days specified by the worker.

EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT

Polish Labour Code recognises three contracts:

• a contract of employment for a probationary period;
• a contract of employment for an indefinite term; and
• a contract of employment for a fixed term.

A contract of employment for a fixed term, and the total period of employment where multiple consecutive fixed-term contracts are concluded between the same parties in the employment relationship, must not exceed 33 months. A maximum of three consecutive fixed-term contracts are allowed.

DUTIES OF THE WORKER

A migrant worker should ensure they follow the Kenyan immigration laws and the  Polish laws to avoid getting in trouble with authority and one should also be aware of his rights as a foreigner in a Poland

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

The Polish Government has introduced a mandatory 10-day self-isolation period for all people arriving in Poland. Entry checks remain in place on land borders with Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

Visas

The rules for travelling or working in European countries changed on 1 January 2021

1. If you are travelling to Poland and other Schengen countries without a visa, make sure your whole visit is within the 90-day limit. Visits to Schengen countries within the previous 180 days before you travel count towards your 90 days
2. To stay longer, to work or study, for business travel or for other reasons, you will need to meet the Polish government’s entry requirements. Check with the Polish Embassy what type of visa and/or work permit you may need.  if you stay in Poland with a visa or permit, this does not count towards your 90-day visa-free limit
3. Check your passport is valid for travel before you travel to Poland and renew your passport if you do not have enough time left on it.
4. You must have at least 6 months left on an adult passport to travel to most countries in Europe (not including Ireland).
5. If you renewed your current passport before the previous one expired, extra months may have been added to its expiry date. Any extra months on your passport over 10 years may not count towards the 6 months needed.

DOCUMENT AND REGISTRATION:

Performance of work according with the law is very important, both from the point of view of the foreigner and the entity delegating work performance to them. A foreigner performing work not in line with the legal provisions is exposed to a pecuniary penalty in the amount not lower than PLN 1000 and issuing a decision obliging them to return. The entity delegating illegal work to a foreigner may be held responsible for an offence or crime.

A foreigner coming to Poland in order to perform work should ensure their stay is legal. On the other hand, the employer of a foreigner shall obtain documents entitling the foreigner to perform work in Poland and conditioning issuing a visa to them or a temporary residence permit for that purpose. The employer also has the obligation to store copies of documents confirming legal stay of the foreigner in Poland.

As a rule, foreigners can be entitled perform work in Poland if they:

1. Stay legally and have a work permit, unless not required, or
2. Have temporary residence and work permit or a temporary residence permit in order to perform work in a profession requiring high qualifications.

A foreigner cannot perform work in Poland, if staying on the basis of:

1. a visa issued for the purpose of tourism, arrival for humanitarian reasons, due to interest of a state or international responsibilities;
2. a permit for temporary stay granted on the basis of Article 181, passage 1 of the Act of 12 December 2013 on foreigners, i.e., owing to the circumstances requiring a short-term stay of a foreigner on the territory of Poland.

The obligation to obtain a work permit for a foreigner

A work permit is a decision of the competent authority entitling a foreigner staying in Poland legally to work under the conditions specified in the content of the permit. The document is issued at the request of the entity delegating work performance to a foreigner by the competent Voivode due to his place of business or place of domicile.

A work permit in Poland is not required including when the foreigner:

1. Has the status of a family member of a EU/EEA/Switzerland citizen,
2. Is a recipient of international protection in Poland (has the status of a refugee, or is a recipient of subsidiary protection),
3.  Has a permanent residence permit in the Republic of Poland,
4. Has a residence permit for EU long-term resident in the Republic of Poland,
5. Has a residence permit for humanitarian reasons,
6. Has a permit for a tolerated stay in the Republic of Poland,
7. Is a spouse of a Polish citizen with a temporary residence permit on the territory of the Republic of Poland given as a result of marriage
8. Has a temporary residence permit in order to join the family,
9. Permit for residence of in order to receive higher education,
10. Has a valid Pole Card,
11. Is a graduate from a Polish upper-secondary school, full-time studies or full-time doctoral courses at Polish universities/colleges.

From 1 January 2018, the amended Act on Employment Promotion and Labour Market Institutions introduces a new solution enabling the employment of foreigners in Poland for seasonal work – a seasonal work permit. Seasonal work is a work performed for a period not longer than 9 months in a calendar year in the sectors: agriculture, horticulture, tourism, as part of activities recognized as seasonal, specified in the executive regulation of the Minister of Family, Labor and Social Policy on the subclasses of activity according to the PKD classification, in which seasonal work permits of a foreigner are issued. 

Visa for the purpose of work

In order to obtain a visa for the purpose of work a foreigner should supply the visa application with a work permit or the employer’s written statement on the intention of delegating work to the foreigner, if a work permit is not required. These documents are obtained by the entity wishing to employ foreigners.

One temporary residence and work permit

Foreigners staying in Poland legally, whose purpose of residence is work, can apply for a temporary residence and work permit or a temporary residence permit for the purpose of work in profession requiring high qualifications.

These permits are issued by the Staroste in the so-called procedure of one application, resulting in issuing of one document authorizing the foreigner both to stay and work in Poland, without the need of having additional work permit. As a rule, the application for these permits must be supplemented with information from the Staroste on the lack of possibility of satisfying the HR needs based on the local labour market, which is obtained in the District Labour Office by the foreigner’s employer.

ITEMS PROHIBITED IN POLAND

The following is a list of items banned in Poland:

1. Bank bills, notes or currency (other than coin)
2. Corpses, cremated or disinterred remains
3. Fireworks
4. Hazardous waste
5. Ivory
6. Marijuana, including marijuana intended for medicinal use
7. Postage stamps
8. Shark Fins
9. Shipments prohibited by law
10. Watches exceeding the value of 500USD
11. Ammunition