How to Hire Foreign Chefs and Kitchen Staff in Poland (2026)

7 min

The Chef and Kitchen Staff Shortage in Poland

Running a restaurant, hotel kitchen, or catering operation in Poland has become increasingly difficult due to labor shortages in the gastronomy sector (gastronomia). Local line cooks, commis chefs, and kitchen assistants are in high demand across major urban centers like Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań, and the Tri-City (Gdańsk, Gdynia, Sopot). Seasonal pressure is equally acute in resort regions along the Baltic coast during summer and in mountain destinations like Zakopane during winter.

High staff turnover and competition from other service industries mean many Polish hospitality businesses regularly struggle to keep kitchens fully staffed. Hiring workers from outside the European Union has moved from an exceptional measure to a standard operational strategy for many venues. While non-EU recruitment can secure dependable, long-term culinary personnel, it is not a quick fix for an unexpected vacancy next week. It requires forward planning, administrative discipline, and realistic expectations regarding approval timelines.

Work Permits and Legal Routes for Non-EU Kitchen Staff

To employ a non-EU worker in Poland legally, you as the employer must initiate the paperwork. The process is managed through two main administrative authorities: the Voivodeship Office (Urząd Wojewódzki) and the District Labour Office (Powiatowy Urząd Pracy - PUP). Always verify current procedures directly with these official bodies or through the official government portal (biznes.gov.pl), as rules and processing speeds shift.

The standard process for hiring non-EU culinary staff relies on a work permit issued by the regional governor (Wojewoda):

Type A Work Permit (Zezwolenie na pracę typ A): This is the primary permit for non-EU citizens who do not qualify for simplified declaration routes. It is tied to your specific company, role, pay rate, and contract type. It can be issued for up to three years.
Labour Market Test (Test rynku pracy): Before applying for a Type A permit, you usually must request an information document from the local starost (Informacja starosty) via your District Labour Office. This test confirms that no unemployed Polish or resident EU jobseekers registered with the office match your job requirements. If the role or region is listed on a regional shortage list, this requirement may be waived.
Simplified Declaration (Oświadczenie o powierzeniu wykonywania pracy): This route applies only to citizens of specific countries (such as Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, Ukraine, and Belarus). It allows a streamlined process through the PUP without a labour market test, allowing work for up to 24 months. For workers from Asia, Africa, or South America, you must use the standard Type A permit route.

Once you receive the official work permit decision (decyzja), you must transmit the original document to the candidate. They will then submit it to the Polish embassy or consular visa application center in their home country to obtain a National Visa (Type D) for work purposes.

Timeline: From Job Offer to First Shift in the Kitchen

Expect the full process for a non-EU candidate entering on a Type A work permit to take between 4 and 8 months. You cannot shorten these official administrative wait times, so hiring must be planned around seasonal and operational horizons.

Labour market test (if required): 14 to 21 days at the District Labour Office.
Type A Work Permit processing: 2 to 5 months. Processing times vary widely by Voivodeship Office. Offices in high-density regions like Mazowieckie (Warsaw) or Małopolskie (Kraków) routinely take longer due to backlog.
Consular visa appointment and issuance: 4 to 8 weeks, depending on visa appointment availability in the candidate's home country.
Arrival and onboarding: 1 to 2 weeks for travel, local housing setup, mandatory health checks, and initial training.

If you are hiring candidates who are already legally present in Poland on a valid temporary residence card (Karta Pobytu) with work access or a flexible visa, the transition is faster, but you must still ensure their underlying work authorization document correctly reflects your company before they start duties.

Pay, Contracts, Sanepid Rules, and Housing Requirements

Employers in Poland are bound by statutory wage floors and strict food safety regulations. You must meet these legal standards on the work permit application and in actual monthly payroll.

Statutory Pay Floors: You cannot pay a foreign worker less than the Polish statutory minimum wage or less than local workers performing comparable duties in your business. The pay rate specified on the work permit application is legally binding. Any reduction in base pay or contract hours below what was declared on the permit constitutes illegal employment.
Realistic Market Salaries: While basic kitchen helpers or dishwashers often start near the statutory minimum wage, skilled line cooks (kucharz) and specialty chefs command significantly higher pay. In major cities, line chefs typically earn between 5,500 PLN and 8,000 PLN gross per month, while head chefs or specialized ethnic chefs earn considerably more depending on experience.
Contract Types: Kitchen staff are typically employed either under a standard employment contract (Umowa o pracę) or a mandate contract (Umowa zlecenie). The contract choice must be clearly indicated on the permit application and must grant the worker full social security and health insurance coverage (ZUS).
Sanepid and Health Requirements: Culinary roles in Poland are legally regulated regarding food contact. Every kitchen worker must undergo mandatory health testing (badania sanitarno-epidemiologiczne, commonly referred to as a Sanepid test) and receive a medical clearance certificate from an occupational health doctor (lekarz medycyny pracy) before touching food or equipment. You must arrange and pay for these tests upon the worker's arrival.
Housing Considerations: Providing accommodation is not legally mandatory under standard Polish employment law for urban restaurants. However, in seasonal tourist destinations or when bringing candidates directly from overseas, offering free or subsidized housing (or assisting with local flat rentals) is standard practice. Without housing assistance, non-EU arrivals face extreme difficulty securing rental contracts independently in competitive Polish cities.

What This Costs You, Roughly

Recruiting and onboarding a foreign chef involves administrative, medical, and optional relocation expenditures. Below is an outline of the realistic direct costs an employer should anticipate per worker:

Type A Work Permit application fee: 100 PLN paid to the Voivodeship Office.
Labour market test (Informacja starosty): Free of charge at the District Labour Office.
Official document translations (sworn translator / tłumacz przysięgły): 150 PLN to 400 PLN for official translation of culinary certificates, trade qualifications, or background checks if required.
Sanepid testing and occupational doctor examination: 200 PLN to 450 PLN per worker prior to starting duties.
Initial housing and relocation support (if provided): 800 PLN to 1,800 PLN per month for rented staff quarters or shared accommodation, plus optional airfare assistance (1,500 PLN to 4,000 PLN).

Ethical Recruitment and Employer Liability

A legitimate employer never charges a prospective worker any fees for a job offer, work permit application, or employment guarantee. Charging workers for recruitment costs, forcing them to sign debt agreements, or withholding their personal identification documents and work permits is illegal under Polish law and violates international labour conventions.

When candidates are charged illegal placement fees by overseas intermediaries, they often arrive in Poland burdened with unsustainable debt. This leads to higher distress, financial instability, and high rates of staff abandonment. Employers who cooperate with agencies that charge candidates face severe legal liabilities, including penalties from the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy - PIP) and the Border Guard (Straż Graniczna), as well as potential revocation of their rights to hire foreign national labor.

Finding Chef and Kitchen Workers on Workuro

If you have decided to recruit non-EU kitchen personnel directly, you can use the Workuro registry to connect with candidates. Workuro is a worker registry where candidates abroad publish their profiles, list their kitchen experience, and indicate their desire to relocate to Poland for work. Workers never pay to join or use the platform.

As an employer, you can search the registry based on trade skills, language abilities, and experience levels. You deal with candidates directly, conduct your own interviews, and manage your own hiring choices. Workuro is not a recruitment agency, takes no per-hire fees, and does not act as an intermediary in your hiring decisions.

Please note that our registry is young and growing. While candidate numbers are expanding steadily, you will find a focused, direct pool of individuals rather than a massive database. By communicating directly with applicants, you maintain total oversight of your recruitment process, ensure full transparency, and cut out third-party fees entirely.