Since 2018
We’ve been helping companies legally hire foreign workers and manage residence and work permit procedures in Poland since 2018.
Employment Legality Audit
We provide audits of the legality of stay and employment to help employers verify whether foreign employees’ documents, residence status and working conditions comply with current requirements. ONE PLUS specialists review employment documentation, identify practical risks that may arise during an inspection, assist with work permit applications, prepare documents for residence permit proceedings and advise employers on their obligations towards the Polish Border Guard, the National Labour Inspectorate and Voivodeship Offices.
An employment legality audit is one of the most important services for companies employing foreign nationals and seeking to ensure that their documentation complies with current regulations. In practice, even well-organised HR departments may have missing documents, expired permits, errors in contracts or discrepancies between the employee’s actual working conditions and the information stated in immigration documents.
We do more than provide an audit and a list of recommendations. As part of our cooperation, we take ownership of the legalisation processes for foreign employees covered by our support and assist the employer throughout the entire process.
We work with both local companies and well-known brands, including Pasibus, Inter Cars, ILS Logistics, Żabka, McDonald’s and many other employers across Poland.
ONE PLUS helps identify potential issues before they are discovered by the Polish Border Guard, the National Labour Inspectorate or another inspection authority. This gives the company time to organise its records, reduce the risk of penalties and prepare for a possible inspection.
What Is an Employment Legality Audit for Foreign Workers?
An employment legality audit is a comprehensive review of the documents, procedures and employment practices used by a company when hiring foreign nationals. Its purpose is to determine whether each employee’s stay and work in Poland are legal and whether the employer is correctly fulfilling all obligations arising from immigration and employment law.
During the audit, we review not only the employees’ documents but also the internal processes used by the company. We check whether foreign workers hold the correct residence documents, whether they are legally entitled to work in their current positions and whether their actual employment conditions match those specified in work permits, declarations or notifications.
The review may cover residence cards, visas, residence decisions, work permits, declarations on entrusting work to a foreign national, notifications concerning the employment of Ukrainian citizens, employment contracts, civil-law contracts, annexes, job descriptions, salaries and document expiry dates.
An audit helps identify errors that may remain unnoticed for months. These may include expired documents, missing notifications to public authorities, discrepancies between official records and actual employment conditions, or irregularities that could be questioned during an inspection.
Our role is not limited to identifying problems. The main objective is to develop practical solutions that allow the company to employ foreign nationals safely, reduce the employer’s legal exposure and prepare for a possible inspection by the Polish Border Guard, the National Labour Inspectorate or a Voivodeship Office.
Audits and Training for Employers Hiring Foreign Nationals
Employing foreign nationals requires more than correctly prepared documents. Employers must also keep track of changing regulations and understand their ongoing legal obligations. Even minor mistakes may cause difficulties during an inspection by the Polish Border Guard, the National Labour Inspectorate or a Voivodeship Office.
For this reason, in addition to employment legality audits, we provide training for business owners, HR departments, payroll and personnel teams, and employees responsible for hiring foreign nationals.
During the training, we discuss the most common mistakes made by employers, current regulations concerning the legalisation of stay and employment, notification obligations towards public authorities, and procedures relating to the employment of Ukrainian citizens and nationals of other non-EU countries.
Our training is practical and based on real cases, inspection experience and our day-to-day cooperation with Voivodeship Offices, the Polish Border Guard, the National Labour Inspectorate and local labour offices.
Employment Legality Audit Pricing
The audit includes a review of employee documentation, verification of the legality of stay and employment, preparation of a written report and recommendations for corrective action.
Number of foreign employees | Price per person |
|---|---|
1–5 employees | PLN 150 |
6–25 employees | PLN 120 |
26–50 employees | PLN 100 |
51–99 employees | PLN 85 |
100+ employees | Individual quotation |
Minimum audit fee: PLN 750 net.
For larger workforces, we prepare an individual quotation tailored to the company’s size, employment structure and sector.
Training on the Legal Employment of Foreign Nationals
Training may be delivered at the client’s premises or online.
Type of training | Duration | Net price |
|---|---|---|
Individual training session | Up to 5 hours | PLN 1,500 |
Package of 3 training sessions | Up to 5 hours each | PLN 4,500 |
Package of 8 training sessions | Up to 5 hours each | PLN 12,000 |
The price includes training materials and the opportunity to ask questions about specific cases occurring within the company.
Ongoing Corporate Support and Employment Legalisation Outsourcing
Many companies choose not only a one-off audit but also ongoing cooperation. Under this model, we manage the day-to-day processes connected with the legalisation of foreign employees’ stay and work.
We monitor document expiry dates, inform the employer about regulatory changes, prepare applications, represent the company before public authorities and help ensure that employment records remain compliant with current regulations.
This means that the company does not need to create a separate internal department dedicated to the legalisation of foreign employment. Immigration and employment compliance matters remain under the ongoing supervision of ONE PLUS specialists.
Why Is an Employment Legality Audit Important?
Employing foreign nationals in Poland involves a wide range of employer obligations. Regulations change, documents expire, and even a small difference in job title, salary or scope of duties may become relevant during an inspection.
Errors are particularly common when a company is recruiting quickly, changing employment conditions, working with employment agencies, hiring nationals of different countries or operating without one person responsible for the complete supervision of legalisation documents.
During an inspection by the Polish Border Guard or the National Labour Inspectorate, the employer must be able to demonstrate that the foreign national is legally staying and working in Poland. A missing document, an expired residence card, an incorrect permit or employment under conditions different from those stated in the official documents may result in serious consequences for both the company and the employee.
An employment legality audit should therefore be carried out before an inspection takes place. A properly conducted audit not only identifies errors but also explains why they occurred and how similar issues can be avoided in the future.
What Do We Review During the Audit?
During the audit, we assess each foreign employee’s documentation individually. We check whether the employee holds a valid residence document, whether their basis of stay permits employment and whether the employer has obtained the documents required to legalise their work.
We also verify consistency across all records. In many cases, the problem is not the absence of a document but a discrepancy between the employment contract and the work permit, a different job title in official records, a salary change that has not been properly reflected, or a failure to notify the relevant authority of a change.
We review document expiry dates, notification obligations, document storage procedures and the risks associated with continuing the employee’s employment.
Once the audit has been completed, the company receives clear information identifying which documents are correct, which require updating and what steps should be taken to reduce risk during an inspection.
Contact with the Polish Border Guard, the National Labour Inspectorate and Voivodeship Offices
ONE PLUS does not limit its support to document reviews. Where necessary, we communicate with the Polish Border Guard, the National Labour Inspectorate, Voivodeship Offices and other institutions involved in the legalisation of foreign nationals’ stay and employment.
We protect our clients’ interests, clarify disputed matters, help prepare responses to official requests and support companies in their dealings with inspection authorities.
We have many years of practical experience communicating with inspectors and public officials. Our specialists have also attended training sessions conducted by managers and representatives of institutions such as the Polish Border Guard, the National Labour Inspectorate and Voivodeship Offices. This gives us an understanding of practical inspection issues that are often not explained in publicly available guidance.
Our experience allows us to assess documentation not only from a formal legal perspective but also from the viewpoint of a real inspection. We understand what inspectors usually focus on, which questions they ask and which irregularities may be treated as particularly serious.
Who Should Consider an Employment Legality Audit?
An employment legality audit is particularly important for companies that employ non-EU nationals, including employees from Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, India, Nepal, the Philippines, Moldova and other countries. It is also valuable for employers planning to increase the number of foreign workers in their organisation.
The service is suitable for manufacturing, construction, logistics, transport, warehousing, hospitality and catering businesses, hotels, employment agencies and companies hiring foreign nationals under different legal arrangements.
An audit is also recommended when a company is preparing for an inspection by the National Labour Inspectorate or the Polish Border Guard, has taken over employees from another employer, has changed its employment structure or is unsure whether its foreign employees’ documents remain valid.
How Does Cooperation with ONE PLUS Work?
1. Review of the Company’s Situation and Definition of the Scope of Cooperation
We begin with a consultation and an assessment of the company’s current situation. We review the number of foreign employees, existing procedures, types of documents used and potential risk areas concerning the legality of stay and employment.
Based on this information, we prepare an individual proposal and define the scope of our services. After the agreement is signed, the company receives ongoing support from specialists in the legalisation of foreign nationals’ stay and employment, as well as continuous supervision of employee documentation.
2. Implementation of a Document Monitoring System
Once cooperation begins, we create a clear document control system or integrate our work with the company’s existing HR, CRM or payroll system.
We monitor the expiry dates of residence cards, work permits, visas, notifications and other documents required when employing foreign nationals. We keep the company informed about missing documents, approaching deadlines and the steps required to maintain compliance.
As a result, the employer does not need to independently monitor hundreds of documents and deadlines.
3. Comprehensive Management of Legalisation Processes
We support the employer at every stage of hiring foreign nationals.
We prepare documents, assist with work permit applications, review employees’ residence status, support residence permit applications and advise the company on its obligations towards public authorities.
For many clients, we act as an external department focused exclusively on the legalisation of foreign nationals’ stay and employment. This allows internal HR teams to concentrate on day-to-day operations while immigration and employment compliance matters remain under the continuous supervision of experienced specialists.
4. Ongoing Supervision and Monthly Reporting
Throughout the cooperation, we monitor the status of every employee covered by our services.
We prepare regular reports containing information about ongoing cases, document expiry dates, submitted applications, identified risks and actions requiring the employer’s attention.
This allows the company to maintain full control over employment legalisation processes and avoid situations in which an important document expires without the employer’s knowledge.
5. Ongoing Expert Support
Our specialists remain available to the company throughout the entire cooperation period.
We support clients during inspections conducted by the Polish Border Guard, the National Labour Inspectorate and other authorities. We help prepare responses to official requests, explanations for public authorities and documents required in administrative proceedings.
Thanks to our practical experience and regular contact with public institutions, we understand how these authorities operate and which problems most commonly arise during inspections.
6. Transparent Billing
Cooperation is available under a subscription model or based on an individually agreed scope of services.
We issue a VAT invoice once a month with a seven-day payment deadline. The client receives ongoing access to specialist support without the need to establish an internal team dedicated to the legalisation of foreign nationals’ stay and employment.
What Does the Company Gain?
Above all, the company gains greater security, properly organised documentation and ongoing supervision of processes related to the employment of foreign nationals.
The employer receives support from a team that works regularly with Voivodeship Offices, the Polish Border Guard, the National Labour Inspectorate and other institutions responsible for the legalisation of stay and employment in Poland.
This significantly reduces the risk of errors, delays and problems during inspections. It also allows the employer to focus on running the business instead of continuously tracking changing immigration and employment regulations.
What Does the Company Receive After the Audit?
An audit does not end with a list of errors found in the documentation. Our objective is to provide the employer with practical solutions that help reduce inspection-related risks and organise the company’s foreign employment processes.
After the audit, the company receives a detailed report covering the residence and employment documents of all employees included in the review. We identify not only irregularities but also the associated risk level and the potential consequences of each issue.
The report also includes specific recommendations for corrective action, arranged by priority. This means that the employer knows which matters require an immediate response and which can be addressed at a later stage.
We also prepare a list of documents that require updating, a schedule of expiry dates for work permits, residence cards, visas and other legalisation documents, as well as guidance on the future management of foreign employment processes.
Where irregularities are identified, we do not leave the client with the report alone. We assist with implementing the recommendations, preparing missing documents, correcting errors and organising internal procedures in line with the current requirements of the Polish Border Guard, the National Labour Inspectorate and Voivodeship Offices.
As a result, the audit becomes more than an assessment of the current situation. It becomes a practical tool for improving the company’s legal security and preparing it for a potential inspection.
The Most Common Errors When Employing Foreign Nationals
During audits, we frequently identify errors that remain unnoticed by the employer for many months and are only discovered during an inspection by the Polish Border Guard or the National Labour Inspectorate.
Common irregularities include expired residence documents, discrepancies between actual employment conditions and the terms stated in a work permit, changes in job title or duties without the required notifications, errors in personnel records and missing mandatory notifications to public authorities.
In many cases, the main problem is not the absence of a document but the lack of control over its validity. In many companies, no one actively monitors the expiry dates of residence cards, work permits, visas or documents submitted to Voivodeship Offices.
We also encounter situations in which the documents are formally correct but do not reflect the employee’s actual working conditions. This is one of the most common reasons for irregularities being identified during inspections.
Seemingly minor errors may lead to substantial financial penalties, difficulties with future legalisation applications and, in some cases, questions concerning the legality of the foreign national’s employment.
Why Choose ONE PLUS?
ONE PLUS has specialised for many years in the legalisation of foreign nationals’ stay and employment in Poland. Every day, we handle matters involving residence permits, work permits, notifications concerning entrusted work, changes of employer, employment legality inspections and proceedings before Voivodeship Offices.
Our key strength is practical experience gained through daily cooperation with employers, HR departments and inspection authorities. We regularly communicate with the Polish Border Guard, the National Labour Inspectorate and Voivodeship Offices. This means that we understand not only the regulations themselves but also how they are applied in practice.
Our specialists have attended training sessions conducted by representatives of the Polish Border Guard, the National Labour Inspectorate and Voivodeship Offices. This helps us recognise risks that may not be immediately apparent from the wording of the law and are rarely discussed in publicly available sources.
We do not simply identify errors. We help correct them, prepare missing documentation, support companies during inspections and take over the ongoing management of processes connected with the employment of foreign nationals.
Every company is assessed individually. The risks faced by a manufacturing company differ from those encountered in construction, transport, catering, logistics or the IT sector. Our recommendations are therefore always adapted to the client’s business model and employment structure.
Audit Before an Inspection by the National Labour Inspectorate or the Polish Border Guard
Many employers contact us only after receiving notice of a planned inspection or following the first contact from the Polish Border Guard or the National Labour Inspectorate. In practice, however, the best results are achieved when an audit is completed before an inspection authority becomes involved.
An early review allows the company to identify irregularities, organise employee files, verify the legality of foreign nationals’ stay and employment, and prepare the people responsible for communicating with inspectors.
As part of the audit, we also assess the company’s inspection risk and identify the areas most commonly examined by the Polish Border Guard and the National Labour Inspectorate.
In many cases, a properly conducted audit can help prevent costly errors, reduce the risk of financial sanctions and strengthen the company’s legal security before the inspection begins.
Employment Legality Audit and Residence Permit Documents
An employment legality audit is relevant not only to the employer but also to foreign nationals applying for a residence permit or planning to continue legalising their stay in Poland.
In practice, many proceedings before Voivodeship Offices are delayed because of errors on the employer’s side. Discrepancies between employment conditions and legalisation documents, outdated certificates, errors in contracts, missing notifications or incorrectly prepared documents may affect temporary residence and work permit proceedings.
When the documents provided by the employer do not reflect the employee’s actual working conditions, the Voivodeship Office may request additional documents, carry out further verification or significantly extend the proceedings. In some cases, irregularities may even lead to the basis of stay being questioned or to a negative decision.
Our experience shows that many residence permit problems can be identified and corrected before documents are submitted to the authority. For this reason, during the audit we assess not only the legality of employment but also whether the documentation meets the requirements applied by Voivodeship Offices in residence permit proceedings.
We review documents prepared for foreign employees, advise on supporting documents submitted to the authority and check whether the employment, residence and HR documentation forms a consistent whole. This helps reduce the risk of additional requests, lengthy proceedings and problems during the examination of a residence permit application.
Business Security Starts with Proper Documentation
The legal employment of foreign nationals requires regular monitoring, specialist knowledge and continuous document updates. Obtaining a work permit or residence card once is not enough. Throughout the employment period, the employer must monitor deadlines, changes in working conditions, notification obligations and the consistency of official records with the employee’s actual situation.
An employment legality audit helps organise this process and reduce the risk of problems during an inspection.
When your company employs foreign nationals and you want to verify whether its documentation complies with current regulations, contact ONE PLUS. We will assess the situation, identify potential risks and help prepare the company for the compliant and secure employment of international workers.
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