Granting the unemployed person status

You can apply for the UNEMPLOYED PERSON status if you are:

1.

• a citizen of a European Union Member State,
• a citizen of the European Economic Area country not belonging to the European Union,
• a citizen of a country that is not a party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, who may exercise the freedom of movement of persons on the basis of agreements concluded by the countries with the European Community and its Member States (i.e. a citizen of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland),
• citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland who are beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement, as well as their family members covered by the same agreement 
• a foreigner who:

1. holds the status of a refugee in the Republic of Poland,
2. holds a permanent residence permit in the Republic of Poland,
3. holds a long-term EU resident's residence permit in the Republic of Poland,
4. holds a temporary residence permit in the Republic of Poland granted in connection with the circumstances referred to in art. 127, art. 137a or art. 186 par. 1 point 3 of the Act of 12 December 2013 on foreigners (Journal of Laws of 2018, items 2094, 2399),
5. holds a temporary residence permit referred to in art. 114 par. 1 or 1a or art. 126 par. 1 of the Act of 12 December 2013 on foreigners (Journal of Laws of 2018, items 2094, 2399), or a visa issued for the purpose of performing work on the territory of the Republic of Poland
6. resides on the basis of a humanitarian visa or a temporary residence permit granted in connection with the circumstances specified in Article 186(1)(9) of the Act of December 12, 2013, on Foreigners, which means that the foreign national previously entered and stayed in Poland on the basis of a humanitarian visa and is a citizen of a specific country  
7. holds a consent to stay for humanitarian reasons or a tolerated stay permit in Poland, 
8. is under temporary protection in the Republic of Poland, 
9. benefits from subsidiary protection in the Republic of Poland; 
10. is a party to the proceedings for the granting of international protection, who holds a certificate issued under Article 35 of the Act of June 13, 2003, on Granting Protection to Foreigners in the Territory of the Republic of Poland (Journal of Laws of 2025, item 223) 

• a foreigner accompanying a foreigner on the territory of the Republic of Poland who is:

1. a citizen of a European Union Member State,
2. a citizen of the European Economic Area country not belonging to the European Union,
3. a citizen of a country that is not a party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, who may exercise the freedom of movement of persons on the basis of agreements concluded by the countries with the European Community and its Member States (i.e. a citizen of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland),

* as a family member referred to in art. 2 par. 24 of the Act of 14 July 2006 on the entry into the territory of the Republic of Poland, on the stay and departure from the territory of citizens of the European Union Member States and their family members (Journal of Laws of 2019, item 293),

• a foreigner who, being a family member of a Polish citizen, obtained a temporary residence permit on the territory of the Republic of Poland, or after submitting an application for a temporary residence permit, permanent residence permit or long-term EU resident's residence permit, resides on the territory of the Republic of Poland on the basis of art. 108 par. 1 point 2 or art. 206 par. 1 point 2 of theAct of 12 December 2013 on foreigners (Journal of Laws of 2018, items 2094, 2399) or on the basis of a stamp placed in the travel document, which confirms the submission of the application for a long-term EU resident's residence permit, if immediately prior to submitting the application for a temporary residence permit, permanent residence permit or long-term EU resident's residence permit, they ahve a permit for a temporary stay,

and

2. A person who is not employed and does not perform any other gainful work, not attending school, except for a person attending adult education school, a second-level vocational school in full-time or part-time form, a post-secondary school in full-time or part-time form, or taking external exams in the curriculum of adult education school or second-level vocational school, or studying in non-stationary studies, or attending an art school providing solely artistic education, without a permanent source of income, capable and willing to take up full-time employment in the respective profession or service, or other gainful work, or if a person with disabilities, capable and willing to take up employment at least half the required full-time hours, registered at the county labour office, if: 

• is more than 18 years old,
• is under 60 years of age - if she is a woman or 65 - if he is a man,
• Is not registered in the Central Registration and Information on Business Activity, hereinafter referred to as 'CEIDG,' as conducting business activity, or
• has submitted an application to CEIDG to suspend business activity and the suspension period is still ongoing, or
• in the application for entry into CEIDG has specified the day of commencement of business activity and the period up to the date of commencement of that activity specified in the application has not yet passed
• is not a person under temporary arrest or is not serving a sentence of imprisonment, with the exception of imprisonment served outside the prison in the electronic supervision system,
• Has not acquired the right to a permanent allowance under the Act of March 12, 2004, on Social Assistance (Journal of Laws of 2024, items 1283 and 1572, and from 2025, item ...),
• Is not a member of the management board, attorney-in-fact, member of the supervisory board, or liquidator of a capital company within the meaning of the Act of September 15, 2000 – Commercial Companies Code (Journal of Laws of 2024, items 18 and 96),
• Is not an attorney-in-fact or representative of an individual entrepreneur conducting business activity within the meaning of the Act of March 6, 2018 – Entrepreneurs' Law (Journal of Laws of 2024, items 236, 1222, and 1871, and from 2025, item 222),
• Is not a partner in a general partnership, a partner or member of the management board in a limited liability partnership, a general partner in a limited partnership, a general partner or member of the supervisory board in a joint-stock limited partnership, an attorney-in-fact, or a liquidator of a partnership under the Act of September 15, 2000 – Commercial Companies Code,
• Is not a director in the board of directors referred to in Article 30073 of the Act of September 15, 2000 – Commercial Companies Code,
• Is not subject, under separate regulations, to the obligation of social security insurance, except for farmers' social insurance,
• Is not subject to compulsory unemployment insurance or mandatory social insurance in the countries listed in Article 1(3)(2)(a–d),
• Does not conduct business activity in a country other than the Republic of Poland based on registration in a register or without such registration, if the law of the given country does not require such registration.