The Act on the Polish Language, passed in 1999, aims not only to protect the native language but also to regulate its use in the performance of public tasks, commerce, and the implementation of labor law provisions.
General obligation
In accordance with the Act, the Polish language must be used in Poland in carrying out labor law provisions. That said, the employment contract of a person who resides in Poland at the time of the contract’s conclusion and which is to be performed in Poland, has to be concluded in Polish.
The same applies to other employment-related documents, such as termination of an employment contract.
Employing foreigners requires flexibility
According to data published in January 2025 by the Polish Central Statistical Office (GUS), at the end of July 2024, foreigners accounted for 6.8% of the total workforce in Poland. They came from over 150 countries, totalling 1.041 million.
It is not surprising that more and more often, the business language in companies is a foreign language, especially English. Employees, especially those working in international companies, must be able to communicate with stakeholders from all over the world on a daily basis.
Bilingual contracts are standard in such cases. The Polish language version prevails in case of discrepancies, but only if the person performing the work is a citizen of Poland.
Otherwise, the parties may agree on different terms.
There are exceptions to every rule
An employment contract or any other document related to labor law may be written in a foreign language at the request of an employee, who must speak that language. This exception applies only to non-Polish citizens and upon informing of their right to receive the employment contract or any other document in Polish.
It is also recognized that the employer may use a foreign-language job title in the Polish language version of the contract, if no equivalent exists in Polish.
Legal consequences of violating the regulations
Whoever prepares an employment contract or other document exclusively in a foreign language when implementing labor law provisions, may be subject to a fine. Such fine may be imposed by a labour inspector or a court on a “person acting on behalf of the employer”.
Furthermore, the labor inspector may also demand the employer to amend the described practice and translate documents into Polish.
Lack of Polish translations can also potentially cause errors in employees’ documentation, for example, if the company provides job titles in medical referrals for employees. For more complicated names a medical facility may require the employer to provide all information regarding the performed work in Polish.
The article was prepared by att. Monika Aniszewska from our Polish member firm Zawirska Ruszczyk.
Do you have questions on this topic or any other employment related question? Our associates would be happy to advise you and support you in all questions that arise.
