A1 work permit.
“Experienced” foreigners who have been working in Poland for a long time are constantly thinking about opportunities to earn more. They consider other EU countries as the best option for increasing the cost of an hour of their work. Most often it is Germany: the payment there is higher than in Poland, and it is allowed to work for German employers, having a Polish work visa.
It is not easy to get a job in Germany from scratch, that is why many people prefer to first pass work experience abroad in Poland.
And then they apply for a Polish A1 form (certificate) for work, a Van der Elst visa and try their hand at a German employer. The work takes place in the format of a business trip: you come for a certain period of time, work and leave. And then, after a period of time, you repeat the business trip again.
An important point: not all EU countries allow you to work under such conditions. For example, if you want to get a job in Italy, you need an Italian work visa, as a Polish visa is not suitable for this purpose.
Now more about the A1 form for work.
What the A1 form is and what it is for.
Some foreigners call the A1 form for work “Polish work visa A1”, but the essence of this document is completely different.
Form A1 is a documentary proof of payment of social charges by the employer for his employee, issued by the Polish state authority ZUS.
In other words, the A1 form is needed to confirm the existence of Polish social health insurance in the state where you will be working. The validity of this insurance covers health insurance events that may occur in another EU country. And then conditional Germany has the right to charge Poland for the treatment of a foreigner on its territory.
And the very document which gives the right to work in other EU countries and which foreigners call "Polish work visa A1 ” is the Van der Elst visa. It can be issued to foreigners who have a residence card, a residence card or a Polish work visa.
And to get a Van der Elst visa, you need an A1 form for work.>
A little bit about Van der Elst: it is issued at the German consulate in Warsaw. Theprice of the “ Polish A1 visa” is 75 euros (this is the consular fee, which is paid at the embassy).
The visa is issued for three months per half-year.
If the foreigner has a Polish Wojewódowska visa open, it is possible to extend the period of work by leaving Germany for Poland and applying for a new Van der Elst visa without waiting for the visa corridor.
Important point: before opening a visa, the foreigner must have a certain length of service for his Polish employer. Some claim that it should be a year, and some foreigners assure that they have obtained a visa after three months of work.
If we reason logically, the A1 form cannot be issued in the absence of payment of social fees for the employee to ZUS. These fees are paid monthly, so a minimum of three months of work experience is required for A1 authorization.
Package of documents for obtaining this permit.
To obtain the A1 form, a foreigner must apply to ZUS with the following list of documents:
▪️ Housing rental agreement or residence registration.
▪️ Passport (copies of the first page and visa).
▪️ PESEL number.
▪️ CFR-1 certificate (it can be obtained from Užende Skarbový in your place of residence)..
▪️ Contract between the employer and the German company (copy).
The waiting period for the finished document is from 7 to 30 days.
How legal is it to work with an A1 form in other EU countries?
It is forbidden to work with a single A1 form without a Van der Elst visa. Otherwise, both the employee and the employer will face a fine. The employee can be deported for up to 5 years.
But there are exceptions. Without a visa Van der Elst can work without a resident card holders (for 90 days a year). As well as employees who perform a strictly specified list of works related to the repair and maintenance of certain devices and household machines. It is often through this “loophole” that enterprising employers try to legalize employment on regular construction sites and reduce the cost of construction with the help of foreign labor.
You can, of course, agree to such work without a visa, but keep in mind - the responsibility for your future is yours alone. Therefore, we do not advise you to take risks!
Friends, the experienced specialists of our company Global documents solution are always ready to help you with any documents for foreigners in Poland. We have been cooperating with foreigners for over 6 years, we are professionals and number one company in our niche.
You can contact us at +48 718 808 363. We are waiting for you!
