Poland Ends Visa-Free Work for Colombians, Georgians and Venezuelans

Poland has closed a visa-free work route for nationals of Colombia, Georgia and Venezuela. From August 15, 2026, workers from those countries must hold a national D-type visa before starting a job, replacing the old path that let some people enter for up to 90 days and then apply for a work permit locally.

The change was set out in a draft regulation issued in February 2026 by family minister Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, whose ministry said it aimed to curb the use of visa-free travel for paid work and to tighten migration control. It sits inside Poland's broader 2025–2030 migration strategy, which favors stricter up-front screening.

What changed

The legal basis is the Act of March 20, 2025 on the employment of foreign nationals, which allows the labor minister to strip specific nationalities of the right to work while visiting visa-free. Georgia had already dropped off Poland's simplified oświadczenie route on December 1, 2025; that streamlined path now covers only Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.

A grandfather clause offers a narrow bridge rather than a permanent exemption. Foreigners who already held valid work authorization, or had a pending legalization case when the rules took effect, can continue on the old basis until that case is resolved or the authorization lapses. Anyone who filed a temporary residence and work application before April 27, 2026 with a verified entry in the new MOS digital system may keep working for the same employer, on the same terms, while their case is pending. A separate carve-out covers holders of temporary protection certificates who began a specific job before March 5, 2026.

Students also lost ground: since July 1, 2026, the automatic work-permit exemption applies only to students at approved institutions. Graduates of Polish universities remain outside the new restrictions.

What it means for nomads

If you are a Colombian, Georgian or Venezuelan national planning remote-adjacent work in Poland, the informal "arrive and sort it out later" approach is no longer viable. You need the D-type visa arranged before you start working, and consular processing—expected to spike at posts like the Polish embassy in Bogotá—could add delays for new hires.

Employers face real exposure too. Hiring after the deadlines without the correct D-visa can trigger fines of up to PLN 30,000 per violation, and companies are now auditing their existing workforce. Reports suggest affected nationals have already seen more workplace inspections and entry refusals ahead of the cutoff. Key dates to watch are August 15 and a second deadline on August 22, 2026.

Not everything tightened: Poland has removed the labor market test for many hires and moved work-permit applications online, and EU Blue Card holders retain some flexibility. But for the three affected nationalities, the message is clear—plan the paperwork before arrival, not after.

Originally reported by VisaVerge.