Polish pay rules for a Filipino worker are simple to state and expensive to get wrong: the statutory minimum, equality with comparable employees, a written contract before the first shift, and a sworn translation on file. This page sets out the 2026 figures, the state fees, what employers customarily provide, and what we tell the worker in Manila so that the first payslip holds no surprises.
A work permit type A is issued only if the pay is not lower than the statutory minimum — PLN 4,806 gross a month and PLN 31.40 an hour in 2026 — and not lower than that of comparable employees performing the same work; the voivode checks the offer and the Labour Inspectorate checks the payslips. The 2025 Act requires a written employment contract before the worker is admitted to work, given to the worker in a language he understands before signing, with a sworn Polish translation kept if the contract is in a foreign language and the Polish contract submitted to the authority before work begins. A civil-law contract may be converted to an employment contract without a new permit since 8 July 2026 if the other terms stay the same. The employer informs the voivode in writing within seven days if the worker does not start, stops early or changes position. The penalties are PLN 3,000 to 50,000 for illegal employment or work on terms other than the permit's, scaled by the number of foreigners, and PLN 1,000 to 3,000 for a missing contract, translation or notification.
Since 1 June 2025 a Polish employer hires a Filipino on a work permit type A applied for electronically through praca.gov.pl at the voivodeship office for the place of work: no labour-market test, no starosta opinion, pay at least the statutory minimum and not lower than comparable employees, a written contract before work begins in a language the worker understands, a validity of up to three years, a fee of PLN 400 for work longer than three months (PLN 200 for up to three months) since 1 December 2025 (Regulation of 20 November 2025, Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1622). The statutory decision time is one month (two in complex cases); the national average in practice has lengthened to about 81 days in April 2026, and it varies by voivodeship. With the permit the worker applies for a national visa D through the Embassy's visa application centres in the Philippines — where appointment capacity, not the permit, is the real bottleneck of the Polish route — and, once in Poland, may switch to a temporary residence and work permit filed only through the MOS system since 27 April 2026. The declaration route (oświadczenie) that makes Poland fast for Ukrainians is not available to Philippine nationals.
The employer pays the state fees — PLN 400 for the permit (PLN 200 for work of up to three months, since 1 December 2025), PLN 540 for the single permit, PLN 100 for a driver's licence exchange — and customarily provides housing for the first period, transport to the site, winter clothing and a safety induction in English; the contract states exactly what is provided and what, if anything, is deducted at cost, because deductions that push net pay below the lawful level are the first thing an inspector looks for. Polish tax and social contributions are deducted from gross pay as for any employee; the visa consular fee, like the permit fees, is met by the employer under the employer-pays principle. Recruitment, trade testing and the Philippine process are a separate engagement with us; they are not charged to the worker under DMW rules and are not quoted on this site.
The gross pay by role, the estimated net after Polish tax and ZUS, the housing and its cost if any, the shift pattern, overtime rules, the climate and the distance from the site to the nearest town — in writing, in English, before the worker signs. Workers who arrive knowing their first net payslip stay; workers who were told a gross figure and discovered the deductions leave in the first winter.
Recruitment runs through our own DMW-licensed agency, Prime Search Manpower Agency Inc. in Makati (licence DMW-027-LB-11182024): your company is accredited at the Migrant Workers Office in Prague, which has handled labour matters for Poland since December 2021, the job order is registered with the DMW, and every worker leaves Manila with a verified contract, medical clearance, pre-departure orientation and an Overseas Employment Certificate. Recruitment follows the employer-pays principle: no applicant pays for an interview, a trade test or a place on a shortlist. Your company is the employer from day one; we never employ or lease the workers.
Everything here is subject to the Act of 20 March 2025 on the conditions for entrusting work to foreigners, the Act on Foreigners, the voivode's practice in force, the Polish Embassy in Manila's appointment rules, Polish labour law and Philippine DMW rules.
PLN 4,806 gross a month and PLN 31.40 an hour. The permit also requires pay not lower than that of comparable employees.
The worker must receive it in a language he understands before signing; if it is in a foreign language, a sworn Polish translation is kept and the Polish version is submitted to the authority before work starts.
Only as stated in the contract and never below the lawful minimum; we recommend providing housing for the first period and stating the terms plainly.
PLN 3,000–50,000 for illegal employment or work on other terms than the permit's; PLN 1,000–3,000 for a missing written contract, translation or notification.
General information for employers, not legal or migration advice. Rules change; we re-verify before each hire.