Documents you need to work as a courier in Poland
No company, no folder of certificates — to start delivering you need a legal basis for your stay, a right to work and a photo ID. The rest depends on your citizenship. Below: what to have on day one, why a courier needs a PESEL, what UKR status covers and how the work looks on paper.
The minimum to get started
- At least 18 — the floor in Glovo, Wolt, Uber Eats, Bolt Food and Pyszne; no upper limit.
- Photo ID: passport, Polish dowód osobisty or karta pobytu. Bolt Food asks for a selfie with the document, photo and date of birth visible.
- A legal basis for your stay — visa, visa-free entry or karta pobytu — and, separately, a right to work.
- PESEL: fleets list it as mandatory when you sign the contract.
- A smartphone with mobile data (Bolt Food: Android 9+ or iOS 12+ and a Polish number) and a bank account.
- Your own vehicle or one rented from the partner, plus a thermal bag where the app requires it.
PESEL: why a courier needs that number
PESEL is not an app's invention — it is the number Polish registers know you by. Fleets treat it as mandatory: without it they cannot close the formal side of the umowa zlecenie under which the partner registers you with ZUS, withholds tax and issues your PIT-11.
The platform itself usually does not ask. Wolt officially requires only 18 years and a valid ID; karta pobytu, a visa or a PESEL with UKR status are fleet requirements and a matter of legalisation. Confirm your own case with the urząd wojewódzki of your voivodeship.
UKR status: what it gives a Ukrainian citizen
Ukrainians covered by the special act have free access to the Polish labour market — the same group as EU citizens, full-time students, Polish Card holders, permanent residents and graduates of Polish universities. For an umowa zlecenie no separate work permit is arranged.
What it does not do: UKR status is no karta pobytu and does not replace one. The rest of the list stays on you — ID, PESEL, bank account, vehicle. Its scope and validity are confirmed by the urząd wojewódzki, not by a fleet.
Karta pobytu, visa, oświadczenie — who needs what
- Free access to the labour market: EU citizens, full-time students, Polish Card holders, permanent residents, Ukrainians under the special act, graduates of Polish universities.
- Citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine outside the special act — an oświadczenie o powierzeniu pracy, fee 100 zł.
- A karta pobytu is photo ID too: Bolt Food accepts it at registration on a par with a passport.
- The classic trap: a karta pobytu issued for one employer does not transfer by itself — the decision must be changed.
- In Glovo, after the switch to umowa zlecenie at the end of June 2026, legalisation became a condition of further work.
How courier work looks later on paper
Plainly: nobody will promise you a residence card for carrying a delivery bag. The office decides, not the app or the partner. The form of cooperation decides something else — how your income looks on paper.
In Glovo the whole payout runs through the umowa zlecenie, not split into a minimal contract plus a vehicle rental the way some fleets do it elsewhere. So your documents show real income and contributions actually paid — and that is what the office looks at. Under minimal-plus-rental the official income is low, though the cash in hand is similar.
The income certificate comes from the settlement partner; thresholds and the full set of documents are confirmed by the urząd wojewódzki. This page is informational and does not replace legal advice.
Where the settlement partner helps
- Supports foreigners in obtaining the documents needed for legal work and residence in Poland.
- Support runs 7 days a week in Polish, English, Ukrainian, Russian and Turkish.
- You sign the contract online in the partner's app — no printer, no office visit.
- Registers you with ZUS, withholds the tax advance, issues your PIT-11 and your income certificate.
- Offices in ten cities: Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk, Łódź, Katowice, Lublin, Białystok, Rzeszów — walk in without an appointment.
- Operating since 2018 and listed on the official fleet-partner rosters of the largest apps.
What you do not have to arrange
Plenty of items on internet checklists are simply not required. To start in Glovo you need no registered business, no sanitary book, no licence — Polish or English, your own vehicle and a phone with data are enough. Uber Eats asks couriers for no criminal record certificate.
Bolt Food is the exception: mandatory hygiene and health-and-safety training, and the platform may ask for a medical certificate. First deliveries usually come two or three days after you register.
FAQ
Can I start without a PESEL number?
In practice you need one — fleets list PESEL as mandatory when the contract is signed. The platform itself usually does not ask: Wolt officially requires only 18 years and a valid ID. If you have no PESEL yet, say so at the start and confirm the procedure for your case with the urząd wojewódzki of your voivodeship.
I have UKR status — do I need a work permit?
Ukrainians covered by the special act have free access to the labour market, so no separate permit is arranged for an umowa zlecenie. Outside the special act an oświadczenie o powierzeniu pracy applies, fee 100 zł — the same as for citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Georgia and Moldova. Which version applies to you is confirmed by the urząd wojewódzki.
Is courier work enough for a residence card?
Nobody can guarantee that, and we will not pretend otherwise. What we can describe is the paperwork: when the whole payout runs through an umowa zlecenie, your documents show real income and contributions actually paid, and that is what the office looks at. The certificate comes from the settlement partner, the requirements from the urząd wojewódzki.
My karta pobytu is tied to one employer. Can I deliver?
This is the most common trap among couriers. Such a card does not transfer by itself to cooperation with a settlement partner — the decision must be changed. Before you go online, show your decision to the partner and check with the urząd wojewódzki what exactly needs changing. Working on the wrong basis is a risk not worth taking.
Do I need a business, a sanitary book or a criminal record certificate?
No. To start in Glovo you need no działalność gospodarcza, no sanitary book and no licence, and Uber Eats requires no criminal record certificate. An umowa zlecenie with full contributions works without registering a company. Bolt Food stands apart: mandatory hygiene and health-and-safety training, plus a possible request for a medical certificate.
What language can I sort things out in?
The settlement partner's support works 7 days a week in Polish, English, Ukrainian, Russian and Turkish. Contracts are signed online in the app, but if you would rather talk to a person, the partner has offices in ten cities — from Warsaw and Kraków to Białystok and Rzeszów — no booking needed.
Not sure which document you are missing?
Leave your contact and the settlement partner will go through your situation in Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, English or Turkish.
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