flash news: #foreigners
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced a major digitisation project – the Electronic Consular Services Platform (ePUK), which is to replace the existing tools used to manage consular matters for foreigners and Polish citizens (including the eKonsulat system). At the same time, an amendment to the Consular Law Act is being prepared to adapt the regulations to new e-services and technological realities, as well as to streamline and improve processes that are currently scattered, time-consuming, and inconsistent.
On 6 February 2026, details appeared in the legislative schedule of the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy about a draft regulation regarding countries whose citizens will not be entitled to work while visiting Poland under visa-free travel.
According to the latest information from Statistics Poland (GUS) (published on 10 February 2026), at the end of August 2025, over one million foreigners (1.1 million) were working in Poland. Their share in the total number of people working in Poland was thus 6.7% which represents a 5.6% increase in the number of foreigners working in Poland (compared to the previous year's data).
A regulation of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration came into force on 1 January 2026 extending until 30 June 2026 the period during which Belarusian citizens can apply for a Polish travel document for foreigners.
As of 1 June 2025, county administration offices were obliged to refuse to initiate EU Blue Card proceedings for Ukrainian residents who were enjoying temporary protection on the application date as a result of amendments to the Aliens Act. Due to the lack of relevant changes to the so-called special Ukrainian legislation this effectively meant that Ukrainians with this status could not apply for an EU Blue Card either.
Four new executive regulations to the Act on the Conditions for the Admissibility of Entrusting Work to Foreigners in Poland came into force on 1 December.
The changes include a simplified procedure, new fee rates, clarification of cases allowing work without a permit, and new scope of required documents.