Work in Poland for Moldovans in 2026: visa-free stay, oświadczenie and the documents you need

In short: a Moldovan citizen with a biometric passport can work legally in Poland if the employer has registered an oświadczenie for them (up to 24 months) or obtained a work permit. Visa-free stay on its own does not give the right to work and lasts no more than 90 days in any 180, so longer work needs a national D visa or a residence card. The ban on working during visa-free stays, in force since 22 August 2026, covers Georgia, Colombia and Venezuela, not Moldova. With a Romanian passport you need no permit at all.

Your document and what it allows

Visa-free entry applies only to holders of a biometric passport. The Ministry of Labour says it plainly: an oświadczenie alone is not enough for legal work; you also need a legal basis of stay, such as visa-free stay of up to 90 days within 180.

Oświadczenie: how the work is arranged, step by step

The oświadczenie (declaration on entrusting work to a foreigner) is a simplified route that since 1 December 2025 is open only to citizens of four countries: Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. Georgia was removed from the list at that point.

1. The employer files the oświadczenieOnline only, through praca.gov.pl. The 400 zł fee is paid by the employer (until 30 November 2025 it was 100 zł, which is why older articles still give that figure).
2. The labour office registers itUsually within 7 working days. If checks are needed, up to 30 days.
3. You get the contract before you startIn writing, with a version in a language you understand. Work must start no later than 6 months after the oświadczenie was filed.
4. The employer reports that you startedWithin 7 days of your first working day. If you do not start, the employer reports that within 14 days.
5. You work for up to 24 monthsThe law does not require a break between two oświadczenia. But a visa-free stay still ends after 90 days.

To work longer than 90 days: the D visa

You apply for a national work visa in person at the consular section of the Polish embassy in Chișinău (Strada Vasile Alecsandri 101). Appointments are booked only through e-Konsulat, category «Wiza krajowa – praca». Slots may be allocated by an electronic draw on Saturdays.

• The visa fee is 200 EUR.
• Bring the original and a copy of the registered oświadczenie or work permit.
• The visa makes your stay legal for its length; you work on the document the employer arranged.

Residence card: online only, through MOS

Since 27 April 2026 applications for temporary stay (including temporary stay and work) are filed electronically only, through the MOS portal. Paper applications that had not reached the office before that date are not examined.

You have a Romanian passport

EU citizens, Romanians included, work in Poland without a work permit and without an oświadczenie. If you live in Poland for more than 3 months, you must register your stay in person with the voivode, no later than the day after 3 months from entry. If you hold both passports, the Romanian one is usually simpler for work: the employer has nothing to file with the labour office.

PESEL

A PESEL number is free. You get it automatically if you register your address (zameldowanie) in Poland for more than 30 days. If you cannot register, you apply in person at any municipal office and state what you need the number for.

What an intermediary must not ask of you

An agency may not charge you for finding you work. The oświadczenie and the permit are filed and paid for by the employer. If someone asks you to pay «for an invitation», «for the oświadczenie» or «for a job», that is a violation, fined from 3,000 to 30,000 zł. You can check that an agency is legal in the KRAZ register; we explain how in 5 steps in «How to check an employment agency in Poland». Profi Hand works under KRAZ number 32053, with a written contract, and all our services are free for you.

Before your first working day you have a medical check paid by the employer. Since 18 October 2026 the doctor's certificate is electronic; more in «Medical check for work in Poland».

FAQ

Sources

• Zielona Linia: visa-free for Moldova only with a biometric passport, 90 days in 180.
• Ministry of Labour (psz.praca.gov.pl), 23.09.2026: work on an oświadczenie, basis of stay, notifications.
• Zielona Linia, 27.11.2025: from 1.12.2025 oświadczenie for Armenia, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine; 400 zł fee; permit fees (Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1617 and poz. 1622).
• biznes.gov.pl: oświadczenie — 24 months, 6 months to start, 7 and 30 days to register, online only.
• Ministry of Labour, 20.08.2026: no work on visa-free stay for Georgia, Colombia, Venezuela (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1072).
• Polish embassy in Chișinău: D visa, e-Konsulat, 200 EUR fee.
• UdSC, 27.04.2026: residence applications only through MOS; Mazovia voivode office: 440 zł and 100 zł fees.
• psz.praca.gov.pl: EU citizens work without a permit; agencies may not charge candidates; Podlaskie voivode office: registering an EU citizen's stay.
• gov.pl, 26.03.2026: PESEL for foreigners.
• Labour market act (Dz.U. 2025 poz. 620), art. 321 and 365: no charging candidates, and fines.