Dismissed in Poland: unlawful termination, protection and appeal
Short answer: A Polish dismissal must be written, give a real reason and mention the right to appeal to the labour court. If it fails these tests, you can seek reinstatement or compensation.
Losing a job is stressful anywhere, and in a second language it is worse. This guide follows the Polish Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy page on the end of an employment relationship (gov.pl, undated page, read on 18 October 2026). It covers what a dismissal letter must contain, which dismissals are unlawful, what you can claim and which employees get extra protection. The page describes employees under an employment contract and does not single out foreigners, so the same rules apply to expats on a Polish employment contract. Civil law contracts such as a B2B or a contract of mandate are a different matter and are not covered here.
What a valid dismissal letter looks like
According to the ministry, a notice of termination must be in writing. It must state the reason, and it must tell the employee that they can appeal to the labour court. The reason has to be concrete, real and material. A vague "loss of trust" with no facts behind it is the kind of wording that gets challenged.
The page also lists reasons that cannot justify a dismissal. These include asking for a permanent contract or for more predictable working conditions, asking for information the employer must give you, attending training the employer requires, and holding a parallel job.
If you were not given a reason, the ministry says you can ask the employer to state it. The request can be on paper or electronic, it must be sent within 7 days of receiving the notice, and the employer must answer within 7 days of your request.
When a dismissal is unlawful
The ministry names these grounds for treating a notice as unlawful:
* no reason was given, * the trade union was not consulted where that is required, * a special protection rule was broken, * the notice period was too short, * the notice was not in writing, * the letter did not mention the right to appeal.
What you can claim
If the dismissal was unlawful, the employee can ask the labour court to declare the notice ineffective, to reinstate them on the previous terms, or to award compensation. By the ministry's description, compensation is at least the pay for the notice period and at most 3 months of pay.
If you are reinstated and go back to work, you are owed pay for the time without work, but only up to 2 months (1 month if your notice period was 3 months). Some groups get pay for the whole period, which is covered below.
Who has extra protection
The page lists several situations in which an employer generally cannot dismiss with notice:
* in the 4 years before reaching retirement age, * during annual leave and unpaid leave, * during justified sickness absence, * for pregnant employees, and during maternity, parental and paternity leave.
For leave, the protection starts when the employee files the application for it, within the early windows the page gives: 14 days before part of maternity leave, and 21 days before additional maternity leave or parental leave. There are exceptions, such as the employer going bankrupt or being liquidated.
Dismissal without notice
This is the "disciplinary" route, where the contract ends at once. The ministry says it must be in writing, state the reason and mention the right to appeal. For reasons that are the employee's fault, such as a serious breach of basic duties, the employer must act within 1 month of learning about the facts.
Other grounds in the page include a long sickness absence beyond the periods it sets out, and a justified absence of more than 1 month for other reasons. The employee can also end the contract without notice when the employer seriously breaches basic duties, for example by not paying wages on time or in full.
If an employer ends a contract without notice unlawfully, the employee can ask for reinstatement or compensation. For a fixed-term contract, the page says compensation is the only option when the end date has already passed, or when reinstatement would make little sense because little time was left. Pay for time out of work after reinstatement is between 1 and 3 months, and for the protected groups above it covers the whole period.
The appeal deadline
The ministry page does not give the deadline in the lines we read. It comes from Article 264 of the Labour Code: an appeal against a notice of termination goes to the labour court within 21 days of the day the letter was delivered. This is quoted in judgments published on the Common Courts Judgments Portal (for example case IV Pa 32/23, published 25 September 2023). The deadline for a dismissal without notice is set separately in the same article, so check it before you rely on a date. If you are close to any deadline, get advice from a lawyer, a trade union or the National Labour Inspectorate quickly.
* Photos: district courts in Radomsko and Bydgoszcz, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
What to keep
Keep the original letter and the envelope, as the delivery date starts the clock. Keep your contract, payslips and any messages about the reason for the dismissal. Do not sign a termination by agreement unless you understand what you give up.
Frequently asked questions
Does a foreigner have the same dismissal protection in Poland?
The ministry page describes rights for employees under an employment contract and does not make a distinction by nationality. It does not discuss residence permits, so check separately how a job loss affects your stay.
What if the letter does not say I can appeal?
The ministry lists a missing appeal notice among the grounds that make a dismissal unlawful. That is a point to raise in court, but still file within the deadline.
Can I be dismissed while on sick leave?
The page lists justified sickness absence as a period of protection for a dismissal with notice. It also sets out long absences that can allow termination without notice, so the answer depends on the length of the illness and your time with the employer.
