How to Hire Non-EU Truck Drivers in Poland (2026 Guide)

7 min

Shortage and Market Realities in Polish Road Transport

Poland is the logistical backbone of European road freight, accounting for over 20 percent of cross-border transport in the European Union. Because of this massive fleet size, the domestic supply of category C+E drivers has been exhausted for years. Transportation hubs surrounding Warsaw (Mazowieckie), Poznań (Wielkopolskie), Wrocław (Dolnośląskie), and Upper Silesia (Śląskie) operate under constant staffing deficits.

Historically, Polish transport firms filled this gap by employing drivers from Ukraine and Belarus. However, regional geopolitical shifts, mobilization laws, and changing border constraints have altered that pipeline. Today, hauliers in Poland increasingly recruit drivers from Central Asian states such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, as well as countries like India, the Philippines, and Turkey.

Hiring from outside the European Union is entirely routine for Polish hauliers, but it is not quick. It requires navigating regional Voivodeship offices, driver qualification protocols, and federal transport inspectorates. Employers who succeed treat international recruitment as a planned supply chain process rather than a quick fix for an idle vehicle.

The Legal Route: Permits, Code 95, and Driver Certificates

To employ a non-EU truck driver legally in Poland, you must coordinate procedures between the Voivodeship Office (Urząd Wojewódzki), the General Inspectorate of Road Transport (Główny Inspektorat Transportu Drogowego - GITD), and local medical and training centers. Because immigration and transport regulations update frequently, always verify current procedural details with the specific Voivodeship Office where your firm is registered.

Work Permit Type A (Zezwolenie na pracę typ A): This is the standard authorization required for non-EU citizens. You, as the employer, submit the application to the Voivodeship Office corresponding to your company headquarters.
Labour Market Test (Test rynku pracy): Before issuing a Work Permit Type A, the authorities usually require a test of the local labor market from the regional labor office (Starosta). However, category C+E truck drivers are frequently listed on the official shortage registry (Barometr zawodów) across most Polish voivodeships, which waives this requirement. Check your local office for exact exemption status.
Declaration Procedure (Oświadczenie o powierzeniu wykonywania pracy): For citizens of specific countries (such as Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, or Ukraine), employers can use a simplified registration procedure through the local labor office (Powiatowy Urząd Pracy), which allows faster access to the labor market.
Code 95 (Kod 95) and Driver Qualification Card: A foreign commercial licence alone is not sufficient to drive professionally in the EU. A non-EU driver must complete initial qualification training (Kwalifikacja wstępna) or periodic training (Szkolenie okresowe) at an accredited Polish training center, pass medical and psychological examinations, and obtain a Driver Qualification Card (Karta kwalifikacji kierowcy) or an equivalent Polish entry.
GITD Driver Certificate (Świadectwo kierowcy): For international transport operations, a Polish employer must apply for a Driver Certificate from the GITD for every non-EU driver. This document proves that the driver is legally employed and qualified according to EU regulations.

Realistic Timelines from Job Offer to the Driver Starting

Employers should plan for a total timeline of 4 to 7 months between extending a job offer and having a non-EU driver complete their first commercial route. The exact schedule depends heavily on administrative processing speeds in your specific Voivodeship.

Step 1: Work Permit Processing (1 to 3 months): You apply for the Work Permit Type A. In high-demand voivodeships like Mazowieckie or Dolnośląskie, administrative backlogs can push processing times toward the longer end of this range.
Step 2: Visa Application Abroad (1 to 2 months): Once you mail the original work permit to the candidate, they book an appointment at the Polish embassy or VFS Global visa center in their home country to receive a Type D national visa.
Step 3: Arrival and Qualification in Poland (1 to 2 months): After arriving in Poland, the driver must complete medical and psychological tests, undertake the necessary Code 95 coursework, and obtain their Polish driver qualification documentation.
Step 4: GITD Certificate and Onboarding (2 to 3 weeks): You submit the driver's qualification paperwork and contract details to the GITD to issue the Driver Certificate. Once issued, the driver can legally operate on international routes.

Mandatory Pay, Driving Rules, and Accommodations

Polish labor law requires international drivers to be employed under a formal employment contract (Umowa o pracę). Following the implementation of the EU Mobility Package into Polish transport legislation (Ustawa o czasie pracy kierowców), the pay structure for drivers on international routes changed significantly.

You can no longer pay low base salaries supplemented by tax-free daily allowances (diety i ryczałty) for international routes. The driver's base salary must reflect statutory minimum standards and cover all social security contributions (ZUS). In practice, gross pay for a C+E driver operating on international European routes ranges between 7,500 PLN and 12,000 PLN gross per month, depending on the route schedule, rotation model (such as 3 weeks on, 1 week off), and driver experience.

Regarding housing, EU rules strictly prohibit drivers from taking their regular weekly rest (45 hours or more) inside the vehicle cab. As the employer, you must provide and pay for suitable, gender-appropriate accommodation with adequate sleeping and sanitary facilities when drivers take regular weekly rests away from home. For domestic routes or local hub logistics, drivers usually arrange their own living quarters, but providing initial temporary housing during their first month helps reduce early turnover.

What This Costs You, Roughly

Budgeting for international driver recruitment involves administrative fees, local qualification expenses, and initial onboarding logistics. Below is an overview of the primary cost lines for bringing a non-EU driver to Poland:

Work Permit Application Fee (Type A): 100 PLN paid directly to the Voivodeship Office.
Code 95 Training: 1,200 PLN to 3,500 PLN, depending on whether the driver requires full initial qualification or a shorter refresher course based on existing credentials.
Medical and Psychological Examinations: 400 PLN to 600 PLN per driver.
GITD Driver Certificate: 40 PLN to 150 PLN, depending on the validity period requested (up to 5 years).
Driver Qualification Card Application: Approximately 150 PLN.
Initial Travel and Relocation Support: 1,500 PLN to 4,000 PLN if you choose to cover or subsidize the candidate's flight and initial arrival logistics.
Temporary First-Month Lodging: 1,200 PLN to 2,500 PLN depending on the city or hub location.

Protecting Your Firm: Zero Candidate-Paid Fees

A legitimate employer or ethical hiring partner never requires a worker to pay for their job placement, work permit applications, or employment contract generation. Charging candidates recruitment fees or deducting these fees from their future wages violates Polish labor laws and international ethical standards established by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Workers who are charged thousands of dollars by unauthorized third-party agencies often arrive in Poland burdened by extreme debt. Drivers under severe financial distress represent an operational risk to your firm, and utilizing illegal fee-charging brokers exposes your company to legal liability, reputational damage, and potential fines from the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy - PIP). Ensure that your hiring practices are transparent, direct, and completely free of charge to the worker.

Finding Drivers Directly on Workuro

If you prefer to handle recruitment directly without paying heavy placement commissions to third-party agencies, you can search the Workuro registry. Workuro is an open directory where international candidates publish their professional profiles and express their willingness to relocate to Poland for work.

On Workuro, you can filter for C+E drivers who possess valid commercial credentials and review their background directly. Because Workuro is not a recruitment agency, we do not charge per-hire fees, take commissions on wages, or act as an intermediary in contract negotiations. You contact candidates directly, evaluate their qualifications, and manage the work permit process through your local Voivodeship Office.

Please note that our registry is young and growing steadily. You will not find hundreds of thousands of candidates here; instead, you will find active, real workers who are actively looking for employers in Europe. Searching profiles is free, transparent, and puts hiring control back in your hands.