Working in Szczecin as a foreigner in 2026

Working in Szczecin as a foreigner in 2026: pay, documents and legal employment

Article no. 3 in our series on the Szczecin job market. This is not a literal translation but an adaptation for a reader from abroad living and working in Poland. Legal information verified as of 4 August 2026. Because the rules change often, confirm the current deadlines and procedures before publication. This material is informational and is not individual legal advice.

A note on terminology: names of Polish offices, documents and procedures are kept in Polish with an English explanation. This is deliberate, because these are the exact terms you will see in real life: on the office door, on the form, in a conversation with an employer.

Szczecin and its surroundings offer foreigners plenty of jobs in manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, construction and the maritime industry. Before you start work, though, check three things: whether your stay in Poland is legal, whether you have the right basis to perform work, and whether the terms written in the contract match reality.

In this guide we explain where to look for jobs, what pay you can expect, and how the rules differ for Ukrainian citizens and for everyone else. This is the third and final part of our series on the Szczecin job market.

Are you an employer? We wrote this text mainly for candidates, but you will also find the key duties on the company side: notifications, permits, deadlines and penalties. If you need a complete guide to employing foreigners, write to us and we will prepare one for your situation.

How many foreigners work in Szczecin and the region?

A lot, and the number grows year by year. Data from ZUS (the Social Insurance Institution) show that the number of foreigners registered for social insurance is rising in every voivodeship. In the West Pomeranian region we are talking about tens of thousands of people, on the order of 56,000 at the end of 2025, compared with about 52,000 a year earlier.

One important caveat, so as not to overstate this figure. ZUS assigns these people to a region by the location of the contribution payer, not by their place of residence or work. It is a useful indicator of the scale of legal employment and other grounds for insurance, but it is not a full count of every foreigner working or living in the region. Ukrainian citizens are the largest group, but there are also sizeable communities from other countries. That is why this article covers both the rules for Ukrainian citizens and those that apply to everyone else.

Where are the jobs and how much can you earn in Szczecin?

Most openings appear where the region is short of workers: in manufacturing, warehousing and logistics, construction and the maritime industry. We covered which specific occupations are in shortage in Szczecin and the region in the first part of the series. Keep in mind, though, that the number and terms of offers also depend on experience, language skills, qualifications and your basis for legal stay.

As for money, for manual roles starting rates usually begin at the minimum wage, while people with experience and qualifications reach 7,000-9,000 PLN gross. These ranges are indicative and depend on, among other things, the work system, bonuses, the number of hours and the type of contract. They come from our Blue Collar Pay Report (October 2025 edition) and are not a guarantee of pay in a specific offer. We broke down the full ranges role by role in the second part of the series about earnings in Szczecin.

One practical note, especially for someone from abroad: Polish job ads usually quote amounts in gross (brutto), that is, before tax and contributions are deducted. The net amount you take home is lower, and the exact figure depends on your individual tax and contribution situation. So always ask whether the rate in an offer is gross or net.

Key rules for employing foreigners in 2026

The last few months brought several big changes, hence a lot of confusion:

Since 1 June 2025, a new act on the conditions for entrusting work to foreigners has been in force (ustawa o warunkach dopuszczalności powierzania pracy cudzoziemcom, Journal of Laws 2025 item 621). Employment legalisation procedures, including applications for permits and declarations, moved to electronic form, and penalties for employers for illegal employment rose sharply.
Since 5 March 2026, the act phasing out the arrangements from the 2022 special act on assistance to Ukrainian citizens has been in force. Some provisions were moved into the general rules.
Legal stay for people with PESEL UKR status has been extended to 4 March 2027, provided that the data in the PESEL register is confirmed with a valid travel document.

The takeaway for both sides: employing a foreigner is now simpler procedurally, because it is largely electronic, but less forgiving. An error in the paperwork, or work that does not match the documents, is a real risk of a penalty.

Ukrainian citizens: rules after 5 March 2026

A Ukrainian citizen who is legally staying in Poland can currently work without a separate work permit, provided the employer submits a notification of entrusting work (powiadomienie o powierzeniu wykonywania pracy) through the praca.gov.pl portal within 7 days of the day work begins.

Importantly, this simplified route is not limited to people with PESEL UKR status. A transitional provision applies until 4 March 2029 and also covers Ukrainian citizens staying legally on another basis, for example on a visa or a temporary residence permit. In a specific case, however, you need to check the basis for legal stay.

The notification must match the actual employment terms. A new submission may be needed after, among other things, a change in the type of contract, the position, working hours, or a reduction in pay. This is the first question worth asking an employer: did they submit a notification for you to the office.

Updating the data of a PESEL UKR holder. A separate matter concerns some people with UKR status. If PESEL was granted without presenting a valid travel document, and also if after it was granted you obtained a new passport, your passport data changed, or you have a child whose identity was previously confirmed based on the parents' documents, the data must be updated at the municipal office (urząd gminy) by 31 August 2026. The update is free of charge and does not change the PESEL number. Failing to do it may result in the loss of UKR status and temporary protection, and therefore the right to stay and work on the terms available to beneficiaries of temporary protection. If this is your case, do not leave it to the last days of August.

Foreigners from outside Ukraine: which permits and when

The rule here is that legal work requires the right document, and its type depends on your citizenship, your basis for stay and the nature of the work. Most often you will come across one of the following:

Oświadczenie o powierzeniu wykonywania pracy (declaration on entrusting work). A simplified procedure for citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine (Georgia was removed from this list on 1 December 2025). It applies to non-seasonal work, for a maximum of 24 months. The employer files the declaration electronically, and work may begin only after the declaration is entered into the register of declarations (ewidencja oświadczeń). Merely filing the document is not enough.
Zezwolenie na pracę (work permit). The basic document for most foreigners, issued by the voivode at the employer's request. It specifies the employer, the position and the terms.
Zezwolenie na pracę sezonową (seasonal work permit). For seasonal work, for example in agriculture, horticulture or tourism, for a set number of months.
Jednolite zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy i pracę (single permit for temporary residence and work). Combines the right of stay and the right to work in one document, convenient when planning a longer life in Poland.

One trap that catches the most people: a visa issued by another Schengen country does not entitle you to work in Poland. If someone tells you that "a visa from another country is enough," check it before you start.

Because every situation is different, there is no single universal path here. This is exactly the moment to ask a specialist rather than guess.

How to check that everything about the job is in order

You can recognise a fair employer and a good contract by a few simple signs. Before you sign, check:

The contract is in writing and contains what you agreed: the type of contract, the position, the pay and the working hours.
You understand the contract. If you do not speak Polish well enough, before signing you should receive the text of the contract in a language you understand, for example a Polish-Ukrainian or Polish-English version. Do not sign a document whose terms you cannot read or have explained. After signing, you should receive your own copy.
The pay meets the minimum for that type of contract. From 1 January 2026, for a full-time umowa o pracę (employment contract) the pay may not be lower than 4,806 PLN gross per month. For a umowa zlecenia (mandate contract) or a service contract, a minimum rate of 31.40 PLN gross per hour generally applies. A lower offer is a warning sign.
The employer has completed the formalities with the office. For a Ukrainian citizen this is the notification within 7 days. For everyone else it is a valid permit or declaration, usually before work begins. Ask for confirmation.
You are registered with ZUS. Registration for insurance should take place within 7 days of starting work. You can check this yourself by setting up a profile on the ZUS platform.

When a red flag should go up

The employer proposes "no contract to start with, we will sort out the papers later."
Your documents list one position, but you actually do a completely different job.
Someone demands money from you for finding a job or for "arranging" documents. A legal employment agency does not charge candidates.
The rate is lower than the minimum for that type of contract.
The employer avoids answering the question about registration with the office and with ZUS.
Someone wants to hold on to your passport or other documents. Your documents always stay with you.

It is worth knowing that legality of employment is checked by the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy) and the Border Guard (Straż Graniczna). For illegally entrusting work to a foreigner, the act provides for a fine of 3,000 to 50,000 PLN, and in certain cases, for example when someone misleads a foreigner, 6,000 to 50,000 PLN. A labour inspector can also impose a fine of up to 10,000 PLN. A foreigner who works illegally is subject to a fine of not less than 1,000 PLN. The level of liability depends on the type of violation and the circumstances.

Legal work in Szczecin step by step

Get your residence document in order. Do you have UKR status? Check whether the obligation to update your data by 31 August 2026 applies to you. Do you have another basis of stay? Check that it is valid and that it allows work.
Determine on what basis you can work. Notification, declaration, work permit or single permit for residence and work. Everything else depends on this.
Find an employer who knows the procedure. Companies that regularly hire foreigners have this sorted out. Those doing it for the first time are more likely to make mistakes that you pay for.
Sign the contract in writing, in a language you understand, and read it. Check the position, the hours and the pay.
Make sure the employer has completed the formalities. Notification, permit or declaration, plus registration with ZUS. Ask for confirmation.
Work in line with what is in the documents. Some changes, for example of position or terms, may require updating documents or a new notification. If in doubt, ask the employer or ask us.

How LSJ helps with legalisation

Legalising work and residence requires checking many documents, deadlines and employment terms. At LSJ HR Group we support foreigners and employers in preparing this process and help reduce the risk of formal errors. In practice we:

check which basis for work and stay may apply in a given situation,
help prepare documents and applications,
support the employer with notifications and keeping to deadlines,
help put employment documentation in order,
serve candidates in Ukrainian as well.

Thanks to this, the employer and the candidate get support in sorting out the formalities before work begins. The final assessment of the right of stay and the right to work depends, however, on the individual situation and the current rules, and decisions on permits are made by the competent offices.

Job offers and the first step

If your residence status is in order and you can legally take up work, you will find current positions in manufacturing, warehousing, construction and the maritime industry in the LSJ job offers. We have been employing workers from abroad in Szczecin and the region for years. If you do not know where to start in your situation, write or call. It is better to ask before starting work than to fix things afterwards.

Sources and legal status

Legal information verified as of 4 August 2026. Rules concerning foreigners change often, so before publication and before starting work, confirm that the deadlines and procedures are current.

Act of 20 March 2025 on the conditions for entrusting work to foreigners (Journal of Laws 2025 item 621), in force since 1 June 2025. ISAP
Penalties for illegally entrusting work: art. 84 of that act and the National Labour Inspectorate (PIP)
Changes for Ukrainian citizens from 5 March 2026 and work on notification until 4 March 2029. gov.pl
Updating PESEL UKR data by 31 August 2026. Office for Foreigners
List of countries covered by the declaration and the conditions: Zielona Linia
Minimum wage 2026: 4,806 PLN gross per month, 31.40 PLN gross per hour for the specified civil-law contracts. Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 11 September 2025 (Journal of Laws 2025 item 1242)
Number of foreigners: ZUS data (as of end of 2025, assigned by the contribution payer's location). The data requires cautious interpretation.
Pay ranges: Blue Collar Pay Report, LSJ HR Group, October 2025 edition (data from the first half of 2025, Szczecin Metropolitan Area). Indicative data.