Working After Graduation in Poland: The 9-Month Job-Search Permit

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

A degree from a Polish university gives non-EU graduates one specific route to stay and look for a job: a temporary residence permit for graduates. It lasts nine months and can be used only once. This guide follows the pages of a voivodeship office, the national migrant information portal and the Green Line service, checked in October 2026. The pages say that they are informational and not a source of law, so confirm the details with the office that handles your case.

EU, EEA and Swiss graduates

If you are a citizen of an EU, EEA or Swiss country, you do not need this permit. You can stay and work under the general rules for EU citizens. The rest of this guide is for graduates from other countries.

The graduate permit in short

The permit is a temporary residence permit granted on other circumstances (Article 186 of the Act on Foreigners, according to the Green Line page). It is available to a foreigner who graduated from a Polish university and wants to look for work in Poland or start a business.

It is granted once, and only immediately after graduation.
It is valid for nine months.
It does not itself decide your right to work, but it lets you stay while you search.
You cannot get it if you hold a permit for an intra-company transfer or for a highly qualified profession, according to the voivodeship page.

When and how to apply

You must apply no later than the last day of your legal stay in Poland. The office's FAQ says you may apply before graduating but gives no timeframe, so ask your office and start preparing early. The application is made online through MOS, the national portal for foreigners, where you create an account, fill in the application and print and sign it. You then send it by post or deliver it to the correspondence office of the voivodeship office, and you appear in person for fingerprints at a later visit. Postal applications count from the day of posting.

Apply on time and without formal defects, or correct defects within the deadline set by the office, and your stay stays legal from the day of submission until the decision becomes final, according to the voivodeship page. Details of the procedure differ between offices, so read the instructions of the voivodeship where you live.

Documents

The voivodeship page lists:

the application form, signed
two photographs
a copy of your valid travel document, with the original shown for inspection
proof that you paid the stamp duty (the amount is on a separate page)
the diploma confirming completion of higher education at a Polish university
proof of an active job search, such as CVs you sent or interviews you scheduled
proof of health insurance (see health insurance for students in Poland)
proof of sufficient funds for nine months plus the cost of a return ticket
proof of accommodation in Poland

The same page states the minimum amounts it uses for the funds requirement as 1,010 zł a month for a person living alone and 823 zł a month for each person in a shared household, and says they may change. Treat the figures as a starting point and ask the office which amount applies on the day you apply.

Work during and after the permit

The permit does not entitle the holder to work by itself. The voivodeship page says that graduates of full-time programmes at a Polish university can work without a work permit, while graduates of part-time programmes need a work permit that the employer applies for. More on student work rights is in student visa for Poland.

If you find a job or start a business, the voivodeship office asks you to tell it within 15 days if the reason for your permit no longer applies. If you do not apply for a new permit that reflects your new circumstances, the office can start a procedure to revoke the old one. The Green Line page describes a request to reclassify a pending application as an application for work, with a fiscal fee of 100 zł, and it dates from June 2024, so check whether the procedure has changed.

After the nine months

The graduate permit cannot be repeated, so you need another basis to stay. Usually this means a permit linked to a job, which your employer starts, and the conditions depend on the type of job and the contract. The UdSC (Office for Foreigners) publishes the current options. If you would rather continue studying, a master's programme restarts the student route. See how to get into university in Poland.

Where to look next

Official sources

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.