Graduate Job Search and Starting a Business in Poland in 2026
Graduates of qualifying Polish higher-education programmes can use a temporary residence permit to seek employment or prepare to start a business.
Duration
The permit is granted once, directly after qualifying graduation, for 9 months.
It is designed as a transition status. A graduate does not need to already have an employer in order to obtain this permit; if the graduate has already started work or has an employer ready to hire them, another work-based residence route may be more appropriate.
Graduates of full-time Polish university studies are exempt from the ordinary work-permit requirement, but they still need a lawful residence basis.
A graduate intending to launch a company should separately verify the business-form rules and, once the activity becomes the actual purpose of stay, the requirements for temporary residence for business activity.
Official guidance: Graduate Job Search and Starting a Business.
Related: Poland immigration hub, methodology, and the legal disclaimer.
Official and supporting sources
- Polish official guidance — Graduate Job Search and Starting a Businessgovernment · accessed 2026-09-22