Your Guide to Poland’s Freelance Visa

Europe has become increasingly popular for Americans in recent years, not only as a vacation destination since Americans have been traveling abroad more since the pandemic, but also as a place to live and work. As data shows, the number of Americans residing in Europe has almost doubled in the past decade. 

Reasons for moving abroad at higher levels include the increased cost of living in the US, the prevalence of remote work, rising crime rates, political polarization, and growing dissatisfaction with America’s healthcare system. 

But many American would-be expatriates are quickly dissuaded by the seemingly near-impossible nature of obtaining a work visa. It can be easy to dream about sipping a cappuccino every morning in an old medieval market square, but when the reality sinks in of how difficult it can be to find a job as a foreigner, that dream seems a bit further away.

Poland’s unique freelance visa could be perhaps Europe’s best-kept secret for Americans looking to make the jump across the pond. 

This visa is uniquely available to US citizens thanks to a bilateral agreement between the US and Poland. It offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to register as self-employed in Poland and thus be allowed to live and work in the country with few limitations. 

Though similar freelance visas do exist in a few other countries in Europe, such as Germany, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands, Poland’s freelance visa offers several advantages that make it a truly unique opportunity. Let’s start by having a look at these.

As a sole proprietor, you’ll be paying tax in Poland and thus will be entitled to all of the social benefits that Polish and EU citizens benefit from. Not only in Poland, but in all of the European Union and the UK, thanks to the unified European Health Insurance scheme.

Poland, like most countries in Europe, has a nationalized, single-payer healthcare system, which covers every taxpayer. There are no copays, deductibles, or additional fees for medical treatment, no matter how complex. 

If you can’t get what you need done within the national system, the country also has a robust and affordable private healthcare market, with most simple procedures costing between $30 and $100. 

What’s more, Poland and the US have a tax totalization agreement, which means that you won’t be on the hook from the IRS for the dreaded self-employment tax that often haunts self-employed Americans living abroad. 

Poland’s digital nomad visa is much faster to obtain, more affordable, and has fewer complex requirements compared to other similar visas offered in the EU.

There are no financial or capital requirements that must be met, nor are you required to pre-pay for accommodation or health insurance. Poland also doesn’t require an FBI criminal background check or medical certificate, both of which can be costly and time-consuming to obtain.

With the help of a lawyer to prepare your documents from within Poland, the one-year visa can be obtained from a Polish consulate in the US (or abroad if you’re already overseas) in as little as 3-4 weeks. Unlike most other European countries, Poland does not require holders of one-year visas to register their stay upon arrival and apply for a long-term residence card within the first few weeks.

If you want to stay longer, you can extend your stay by applying for a temporary residence permit, using basically the same procedure as the visa. This can be valid for up to 3 years. You can apply for long-term EU residence after 5 years and citizenship after 8 years.

Though the paperwork is a bit complicated, many people choose to work with a professional firm to help complete and submit all of the paperwork, as doing it alone would mean having to make a number of trips to various government offices in Poland.

Even if you are in Poland already, the required paperwork (which needs to be completed in Polish) is enough to deter most applicants from going at it alone.

Erase all your stereotypes about Poland being a poor Eastern European country. 

Poland has the fastest-growing economy in Europe, with the continent’s lowest unemployment rates and highest rate of job growth and income growth. Many pundits predict that it will become the next major European economic power, with a GDP that will catch up to the UK and Germany within the next decade.

Poland’s booming economy means that work and business opportunities are plentiful once you have the right to work. Beyond the typical jobs for Americans abroad like teaching English, numerous work opportunities exist for Americans in other economic sectors like finance, tech, marketing, and business administration. The language barrier is rarely an issue when it comes to finding white-collar jobs in major cities like Warsaw and Krakow. 

Most other European countries with freelance visas have a limited definition of what they consider to be “freelancing” and will deny visas (often arbitrarily) if they believe your work doesn’t check all the boxes.

But this is not the case in Poland. With this visa, there are very few restrictions on what type of jobs you can accept and what type of companies or clients you can work for. You can, should you choose, work a regular full-time job and receive essentially the same benefits as if the company had hired you as a standard employee and sponsored your work visa.

The only restriction is that you must be hired as an independent contractor, or on what’s called a “B2B contract” in Poland. This is, in fact, incredibly common in Poland, especially in the IT sector and among startups. A 2022 study of Poland’s IT and startup sector found that 38% of Polish citizens working full-time in the industry were working as independent contractors. 

Most of Poland’s major job portals, like Pracuj and RocketJobs, have simple filters to allow you to search only jobs that offer this type of cooperation.

There is also no rule requiring your work to be based in Poland, which makes this visa also a popular option for remote workers and digital nomads.

The main requirements for Poland’s freelance visa are that you must register as a sole proprietor (działalność gospodarcza ​​jednoosobowa) in Poland and have a work contract or at least some documented interest from prospective companies or clients. 

While we have had cases of applicants getting this visa approved without yet having a job or potential offer, we recommend at least getting some offers first to make your visa application stronger. 

If you come to Poland visa-free, you can register your sole proprietorship and start accepting jobs (and even working) right away, even before you get your visa. 

To obtain your visa, you’ll need to provide the embassy with the following:

• Valid Passport: With at least 18 months of validity
• 2 passport-style photos
• Freelance Registration: That działalność gospodarcza ​​jednoosobowa that we mentioned
• ZUS & NFZ Registration: You’ll need to register with Poland’s social security (ZUS) and healthcare (NFZ) institutions
• Accommodation: It Doesn’t need to be for the entire duration of your stay, but they’ll want to see that you at least have something booked for when you arrive
• Funds and/or Income: You must prove that you have enough funds to cover your stay in Poland. Usually this will be covered by your work contract(s), but if you still don’t have any formal work offers, you can also show money in the bank or credit card statements. The funds must cover:

○ General expenses (about 750 PLN per month)

○ Accommodation (about 1500 PLN per month)

○ A return flight home in case of an emergency (about 2000 PLN)

• Contracts and/or Letters from clients You’ll need something in writing from your client(s). This should ideally state your pay rate, dates of cooperation (best if it’s open-ended), and your NIP (Polish sole proprietorship registration) number. If you don’t yet have a formal job offer, you can instead attach correspondence with businesses expressing interest.
• Medical Insurance: You’ll need to have travel medical insurance valid for the entire European Union covering your first 1-2 months before your national healthcare coverage kicks in.
• Letter of Intent: A short letter explaining your freelance work and your intentions for moving to Poland.

● Completed Application: If applying through an embassy, it can be done online and in English. If applying within Poland, it must be done in Polish.

Additionally, if applying within Poland after arriving visa-free, you’ll also need to provide:

• Photocopy of Passport: This must include all pages with any stamp or visa affixed
• Long-Term Accommodation: This time, a simple hotel or Airbnb reservation won’t cut it. You’ll need an actual rental agreement signed by a landlord (not an agency). If you are staying with a friend or family member for free, they can write a letter satisfying this requirement.
• Business Plan—including income projections and an expense ledger.
• Proof that your sole proprietor doesn’t have any overdue taxes
• Income Statements: this time you must show that your sole proprietor has active income coming into your Polish bank account. This must amount to at least the median income of your vocation.

● Sworn Translations: Any documents in English or any foreign language must be accompanied by a sworn translation into Polish if applying within Poland.

First and foremost, you need to register yourself as a sole proprietor before anyone will even look at your visa application, so it’s best to start here.

This can only be done from within Poland, so if you are applying from your home country, you will need to use the services of an accountant or lawyer to register you via power of attorney. This takes approximately 1-2 weeks.

If you are in Poland, you can do this in a single visit to any Urząd Miasta (city hall). However, we still recommend enlisting the services of a lawyer or accountant, as the paperwork can be quite cumbersome (and it’s all in Polish).

Now it’s time to gather and prepare the other documentation you’ll need to support your application. Your accountant or lawyer can probably help you with some of it.

If you’re applying from within Poland, documents concerning proof of income and lack of missed taxes can (and should) be provided later in the application process, as the office will not expect you to already have income and tax records to show since you’ve only just registered.

Pro Tip: If you’re applying within Poland, it’s possible to submit your application with only your sole proprietor registration, even if you haven’t landed any work yet. Though they won’t approve your visa until you have a job offer and income to show, they’ll still give you a temporary stamp to legalize your stay as they hold your application and you continue looking for work.

Once you’ve got everything ready, it’s time to schedule an appointment. If you’re applying from your home country, you can do this online here along with completing the application form.

If applying from within Poland, contact your city’s Office of Foreigner Affairs to inquire about appointments, as each office has their own system for booking visits. Some require the application to be submitted by mail, and they’ll call you for an appointment at a later date of their choosing. You must apply at the office in the city where you’re living within 90 days of entering Poland visa-free.

If all goes well, your visa should be approved! If you applied through a Polish embassy or consulate, your 1-year visa will be ready in a maximum of 2 week’s time. 

The processing of applications made within Poland is considerably longer (about 6–8 months in Krakow and Warsaw), but on the day you apply, they’ll give you a piece of paper or stamp to put in your passport that will act as your “temporary” visa while you wait. And the longer wait might be worth it—visas issued from within Poland (coming in the form of a plastic residence card) are valid for 3 years.

If you’re an American looking to make a new home for yourself in Europe and access the job market, Poland’s freelance visa might just be your best golden ticket.

At English Wizards, we’ve assisted over 100 freelancers in successfully obtaining this visa. We’ve got a tried and tested methodology to help you prepare the more complicated parts of your application and supporting documentation and manage the visa process, and we’ll take care of the bureaucratic headaches of registering your sole proprietorship and translating documents into Polish if necessary. 

Ready to get started as well? Contact us and let’s get the ball rolling!