Occupational medicine certificates go electronic from 18 October 2026
Short answer: From 18 October 2026 occupational medicine certificates are issued electronically and appear on your IKP. You can still ask for a signed printout. The employer pays for the exam.
What changes on 18 October 2026
When you see an occupational medicine doctor (lekarz medycyny pracy) before a job in Poland, the doctor's certificate is now issued electronically. From 18 October 2026 the doctor has to put the certificate (orzeczenie lekarskie) into the e-health system, and you find it on your Internet Patient Account (IKP). Employers in Poland must have a current certificate for each employee before the person starts work, according to GazetaPrawna (17 October 2026), which cites Article 229 § 4 of the Labour Code.
The rule comes from a Ministry of Health regulation dated 20 March 2026, published in the Journal of Laws on 2 April 2026 as item 456. It entered into force 14 days after publication, and the electronic certificate has been available since 17 April 2026. The regulation allowed the old paper procedure for six more months, and that transition period ends on 17 October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
Which examinations are covered
The new form applies to the certificates issued after:
pre-employment examinations (badania wstępne), before you start work;
periodic examinations (badania okresowe), during employment;
follow-up examinations (badania kontrolne), in situations set by law, such as after a longer illness.
According to Centrum e-Zdrowia, quoted by GazetaPrawna, only the form of the certificate changes. The scope of the examination, how it is done and how the doctor decides stay the same. The certificate still says whether you can work in the specific job, taking its conditions into account.
What you get, and what the employer gets
Under the regulation, an electronic certificate is stored in the Medical Information System. The data goes to your Internet Patient Account. The doctor signs it with a qualified electronic signature, a trusted profile signature, a personal signature, or a method available in a system provided free by ZUS.
The clinic that did the examination (the primary occupational medicine unit) sends the certificate to your employer, at the time and in the way set out in its contract with the employer. So you do not have to carry a paper form. GazetaPrawna adds that the employer should agree with the clinic how it will receive the document, and that you can download your copy from the IKP and email it to the employer, as Infor.pl also describes.
You can still ask for paper
On your request the doctor must give you a printout of the electronic certificate, signed by hand. The regulation says so directly. A paper certificate is issued from the start only in two cases: when there is no access to the IT system named in the law, and for officers of certain security services and some professional soldiers. Asking for paper does not turn the certificate into an exception. It means you receive a signed printout of the electronic one.
What the employer can see
According to the National Labour Inspectorate (PIP), quoted by GazetaPrawna, digitalisation does not give the employer access to your medical records or private health advice. The employer sees the certificate. Recommendations addressed to the employer about the working conditions, for example glasses to correct eyesight or adapting the workstation, are separate from personal health advice meant only for you.
Who pays
The employer pays for these examinations. This follows from the Labour Code, and PIP reminds employers of it, according to GazetaPrawna. The doctor may use the clinic's own software or the free Gabinet.gov.pl application, so you do not have to choose or arrange the software.
* Photos: illustrative photos of medical examinations, CC0 and public domain via Wikimedia Commons. They were not taken in Poland.
For foreign employees
The sources do not say anything specific about foreigners. If you do not have access to an Internet Patient Account, for example because you do not yet have a PESEL number, ask the clinic for the signed printout, which the regulation lets you request. Also ask the employer how the clinic will deliver the certificate. Do not start work before the employer has the certificate.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to bring a paper certificate to my employer?
Not in the usual case. The clinic sends the certificate to the employer under its contract with the employer, and you can also download it from the IKP and email it.
Can I get a paper copy?
Yes. On your request the doctor gives you a printout of the electronic certificate, signed by hand, according to the regulation.
Does the examination itself change?
No. Centrum e-Zdrowia says the scope and the way of examining are unchanged. Only the form of the certificate changes.
