INTERNSHIP

A temporary residence permit for interns that is mentioned in art. 157a of the Foreigners Act can be granted to foreigners whose purpose of staying in Poland is to complete an internship  with an internship organizer approved by the minister in charge of internal affairs. A permit is granted for a period that is necessary for the implementation of an agreement on the basis  of which a foreigner will be completing an internship for the period over 3 months but not longer than 6 months. A subsequent permit can be granted once for a period that is necessary for  finishing the implementation of an agreement pertaining to completing an internship, not longer than 6 months. Apart from completing an internship, this permit does not grant the right to perform work on the territory of  Poland. A work permit ought to be obtained additionally in order to take up employment, unless it is not required.

An agreement on the basis of which a foreigner will complete an internship

This agreement can be concluded between a foreigner and an internship organizer that is a legal person or an organizational  unit not being a legal person to which the act grants legal capacity, in which  an internship takes place with the registered office on the  territory of  Poland. An intern organizer must be approved by the minister in charge of internal affairs.

The current  list of approved internship organizers is announced in an official journal by the minister in charge of internal affairs (the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration: https://www.gov.pl/web/mswia ).

An internship means a foreigner performing tasks in order to acquire knowledge, practical skills, and professional experience, not constituting work, on the basis of an agreement with an  internship organizer. An internship ought to be adequate to the field and the level of the studies completed or being in the course of completion.  

An agreement on the basis of which  a foreigner  will be completing an internship ought to be  concluded in the written form with  an  internship organizer, and it ought to specify:

a) the description of an internship curriculum  including  information on its educational aim  or educational components, theoretical and practical training, the position on which an internship will take place, the language in which an internship will take place, the level of linguistic proficiency necessary for completing an internship, the scope and kind of tasks performed, the scope of knowledge, practical skills, and professional experience  expected to be acquired,

b) the duration of an internship,

c) the terms and conditions of completing and supervising an internship including the place of completing an internship and appointing an internship supervisor,

d) the time of  completing an internship,

e) the parties’ rights and obligations pertaining to:

– covering the costs of completing an internship,

– necessary medical examinations,

– an accident insurance,

– days off,

– the terms of  terminating an agreement,

f) the way of confirming the acquired knowledge, practical skills, and professional experience;

Additionally, an  internship organizer ought to issue a written statement to a foreigner in which it undertakes to bear the costs connected with issuing and executing a decision on a foreigner’s obligation to return, if  a decision on a foreigner’s obligation to return has been issued and executed before the elapse of 6 months from the day of the expiry of an agreement regarding the completion of an  internship; and the basis for issuing this decision has been a foreigner’s stay on the territory of Poland without a valid visa, if it has been required or another important document entitling to the entry and residence on it.

VOLUNTARY SERVICE

A temporary residence permit for volunteers mentioned in art. 157g of the Foreigners Act may be granted to foreigners whose purpose of stay in Poland is the participation in the European Voluntary Service programme. The permit is granted for the period necessary to perform the agreement under which a foreigner is to provide services as a volunteer for a period exceeding 3 months, but no longer than 1 year with the possibility of applying for further permits.

The agreement under which the service is to be provided as a volunteer

The organizational unit for which a foreigner is to provide services as a volunteer ought to be approved by the minister in charge of internal affairs (the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration: https://www.gov.pl/web/mswia).

The current list of approved organizational units for which foreigners can provide services as a volunteer is announced in the official journal of the minister in charge of internal affairs.

An agreement under which a foreigner is to provide services as a volunteer ought to be concluded with an organizational unit for which a foreigner is to provide these services and specify:

a) the description of voluntary service,

b) the duration of voluntary service,

c) the conditions for performance and supervision of voluntary service,

d) the hours of performing services,

e) funds for covering the costs of living and accommodation of a foreigner and the minimum amount of allowance money received by a foreigner,

f) training for a foreigner that is necessary to provide services;