Foreigner as a courier or app driver: legal work and your rights

Author: inspekcja-pracy.pl editorial teamChecked: 15 October 2026

Short answer

You can legally work as a courier or app driver if you have the right to work in Poland. This is given, for example, by a work permit (zezwolenie na pracę), a declaration on entrusting work (oświadczenie o powierzeniu pracy, only for citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine) or temporary protection for citizens of Ukraine. The company that gives you work on the basis of a contract is responsible for legality; with a fleet partner (partner flotowy, an intermediary company between you and the app) this is usually the partner itself. It must sign a written contract with you before you start work (Article 5(1)). If you work without the required documents, you are still entitled to payment for the work done.

This matter usually requires an individual legal assessment. The guide explains the rules, but the outcome depends on documents and circumstances. Before an important decision, consult a lawyer or a trade union, or use free PIP advice. PIP legal advice.

In this guide: Work permit, declaration, temporary protection and residence card for Ukrainian citizens, written contract. Who is responsible for legal work and your rights.

Who this applies to

Foreigners from outside the European Union who deliver food, parcels or carry passengers through an app, for example Glovo, Wolt, Uber, Bolt or Pyszne.pl.
People on an employment contract (umowa o pracę), a contract of mandate (umowa zlecenia) or a contract for the provision of services. The law calls this "entrusting work" (powierzenie pracy, Article 2(9) of the Act on Entrusting Work to Foreigners).
Citizens of Ukraine with temporary protection or with a residence card for citizens of Ukraine.
Citizens of other countries, for example Colombia, the Philippines, India, Nepal or Bangladesh.

If you have your own business and issue invoices (B2B), the rules are different. We do not describe that case in detail here. Ask a lawyer or the PIP (National Labour Inspectorate, Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy).

What to do

Find out who your "entity entrusting work" is. This is the company or person that gives you work on the basis of a contract (Article 2(4)). If you sign the contract with a fleet partner and not with the app, the partner is usually responsible for the legality of your work. More: Courier or app driver: who is your employer and what contract do you have?.
Check on what basis you can work.
- Without a permit work, among others, people with a permanent residence permit, long-term EU resident status, refugee status, subsidiary protection, and people with temporary protection in Poland (Article 3(1)).
- A declaration on entrusting work applies from 1 December 2025 only to citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. Georgia is no longer on this list. A citizen of Georgia with a declaration registered before 1 December 2025 may work until the end of its validity. The declaration is submitted by the company, not by you. Work on a declaration lasts at most 24 months (Article 61(1)).
- A work permit or a temporary residence and work permit is needed by everyone else, for example citizens of Colombia, the Philippines, India, Nepal and Bangladesh (Article 3(3)). You must also have a valid basis for residence in Poland.
Demand a written contract before your first day of work. The company must conclude it before allowing you to work (Article 5(1)). If the contract is in Polish and you do not know Polish, before signing you receive its content in writing in a language you understand (Article 5(2)). Work without a written contract is illegal entrusting of work (Article 2(2)(f)). See also I am working without a written contract. What does this mean and what can I do?.
Check the conditions in the permit or declaration. The contract must match the conditions in the permit or declaration. The company pays at least the minimum wage or the minimum hourly rate (Article 17(1), Article 68(1)). Work on other conditions or in a different position than in the permit is as a rule illegal (Article 2(2)(d)).
Show your residence document. Before you start work, the company must ask for a valid residence document and keep a copy of it (Article 4(2) and (4)). It must also inform you in writing, in a language you understand, that you may belong to a trade union (Article 5(4)).
Citizen of Ukraine with temporary protection: check the notification. The company must notify the county labour office (powiatowy urząd pracy) that it has given you work, within 7 days of the start of work, through the IT system (Article 5a(1)). It notifies again when, among other things, the type of contract or the position changes or the rate is reduced.
Keep evidence of work. Record rides, hours and payments. Take screenshots from the app and keep messages from the partner. This will help if someone does not pay.
Ask the PIP for help. The National Labour Inspectorate inspects the legality of work by foreigners (Article 10(1)(4) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate) and gives free advice. You will find contact details in advice at the inspectorates. You can prepare a complaint in the complaint generator.

Exceptions and caveats

Temporary protection for citizens of Ukraine lasts until 4 March 2028. This is set by Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1912. In Poland, the residence of a person with temporary protection is legal for as long as the Council decision is in force (Article 106 of the Act on Granting Protection to Foreigners). Some Polish provisions still mention the date 4 March 2027. Do not confuse these two dates. The new condition in the EU decision concerning military obligations does not apply to people who were using protection on 30 July 2026 or earlier and keep it without interruption.
Residence card for citizens of Ukraine. A citizen of Ukraine may receive a residence card if they had UKR status on 4 June 2025, have it on the day of application and have had it without interruption for at least 365 days (Article 42c of the Act on Assistance to Citizens of Ukraine). The application is submitted only electronically, with a qualified or trusted signature (Article 42f). The card is valid for 3 years (Article 42p(1)). With the card you do not need a work permit (Article 42v) and you can run your own business (Article 42w). If you submit the application by 4 March 2027, your residence is legal until you collect the card or until a final refusal (Article 42x).
The special act has not expired entirely. From 5 March 2026 it applies in a reduced scope. The rules on work by people with temporary protection are now in the Act on Entrusting Work to Foreigners.
You are entitled to pay even without a permit. If the company has not paid the pay due, it must pay the outstanding pay for the period of work done (Article 17(5) for a permit, Article 68(3) for a declaration). A person without a valid residence document has a claim for outstanding pay under the act of 15 June 2012 (Article 4). For an employment relationship, the act accepts (presumes) that it lasted 3 months, with the exceptions described in the act. For another contract, the act also applies a presumption as to the amount of pay. The company covers the cost of sending the money abroad (Article 5 of that act).
Penalties. For illegal entrusting of work the company faces a fine of PLN 3,000 to PLN 50,000 (Article 84(1)). For failing to notify the labour office about work by a person with temporary protection, the fine is PLN 1,000 to PLN 3,000 (Article 84(6)). Note: a foreigner who performs work illegally also faces a fine of not less than PLN 1,000 (Article 84(2)).
The PIP cooperates with other authorities. When the PIP finds violations, it notifies, among others, ZUS (Social Insurance Institution), the tax office, the Police or the Border Guard (Article 37(2) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate). The inspector does not reveal to the employer that the inspection results from your complaint, unless you agree to this in writing (Article 44(3)). For the legality of employment, the PIP may ask for such consent.
When to see a lawyer. Get advice when your residence depends on the work, when you have no valid residence document, when you work on B2B, or when the company has not paid for several months. The PIP gives free advice, see How do you get free legal advice from the PIP?.

Example

Assumptions: a citizen of one of the countries of Asia is in Poland legally. He delivers food by bicycle through an app. A fleet partner offers him a contract of mandate, but he has not signed it yet. He has no work permit.

The person checks that he does not have free access to the labour market and cannot work on a declaration, because his country is not on the list. He needs a permit.
He asks the partner whether it has applied for a work permit. He does not start work until he has a permit and a written contract.
He asks for a contract in a language he understands and checks whether the rate and the type of work match the permit.
If he has already worked a few weeks without documents and has not received money, he collects screenshots from the app and messages. He asks the PIP for advice, because the outstanding pay is still due to him.

Documents and deadlines

What	Who and deadline
Written contract	the company, before allowing you to work (Article 5(1))
Content of the contract in a language you understand	the company, before signing (Article 5(2))
Copy of the residence document	the company, before the start of work (Article 4(2) and (4))
Notification of the labour office (temporary protection)	the company, 7 days from the start of work (Article 5a(1))
Declaration on entrusting work	the company, work for at most 24 months (Article 61(1))
Application for a residence card for citizens of Ukraine	you, electronically; submitted by 4.03.2027 gives legal residence until the decision (Article 42x)
Temporary protection for citizens of Ukraine	until 4.03.2028 (Council Decision (EU) 2026/1912)

Frequently asked questions

Is the app responsible for my permit?

The Act places the obligations on the company that gives you work on the basis of a contract. If your contract is with a fleet partner, it is usually the partner. Whether the app is also responsible in a given case, the Act does not say directly.

What if I do not understand the contract in Polish?

Before signing, the company must give you the content of the contract in writing in a language you understand (Article 5(2)). Do not sign a contract you do not understand. Ask for a translation and keep a copy.

Will I lose the money if the work was illegal?

No. You are entitled to pay for the work done, even if the company did not have a permit. You can claim it in court, and the PIP can inspect the company.

Useful tools

PIP complaint generator

Related guides

Sources (documents in Polish)

Sources checked on 15 October 2026. Law as at 15 October 2026.

Change history

15 October 2026: First publication.

Have a question about this topic? Write to the editors Report an error or outdated information

This guide is for information only. The current legal provisions and the information of the National Labour Inspectorate apply. An independent information website. We are not the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy).