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Registration and regulationPoland

PWZ (prawo wykonywania zawodu, Poland's right to practise)

Definition

PWZ (prawo wykonywania zawodu) is the right to practise a regulated health profession in Poland, granted to doctors and dentists by a regional medical council and to nurses and midwives by a regional council of nurses and midwives. It comes with a PWZ number, which for doctors is a unique 7-digit number recorded in the Central Register of Doctors.

Also called: PWZ, prawo wykonywania zawodu, right to practise Poland, numer PWZ, PWZ number, prawo wykonywania zawodu lekarza, ograniczone prawo wykonywania zawodu

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What is a PWZ?

Without a PWZ you cannot work as a doctor, dentist, nurse or midwife in Poland. The council that grants it enters you on its register and issues a document headed "Prawo wykonywania zawodu lekarza" (or the equivalent for your profession). Employers, pharmacies and patients use the number to identify you.

The Naczelna Izba Lekarska (NIL) says a doctor's PWZ number is unique, has seven digits, never starts with 0, carries no information about you and includes a check digit, which is the first digit. You can look up a doctor or dentist in the Central Register of Doctors (CRL) that NIL runs.

Full, limited and conditional PWZ

  • Full PWZ, doctors trained outside the EU. Article 7 of the doctors' Act lists the conditions: a diploma recognised in Poland or a passed LEW verification exam, Polish language knowledge, a completed postgraduate internship and a passed LEK, plus fitness and good conduct.
  • Limited PWZ for training. The Act grants a PWZ for at least the length of the postgraduate internship or of specialist training to doctors who meet the conditions for that stage.
  • Conditional PWZ on the simplified route. With Ministry of Health consent, a specialist with at least 3 years of specialist experience in the last 5 years can get a PWZ for a set scope, period and place of work. The employer's certificate is valid for 3 months, and the first year is supervised by a senior specialist.
  • Nurses and midwives. Under articles 35 and 36 of the nurses' Act, a foreign nurse first gets a limited PWZ to complete a 6-month adaptation internship, then a full PWZ. An official Polish language certificate and a recognised diploma are needed.

How to get it on the simplified route

  1. Get the employer's certificate naming the units, the period and the scope of work, and a supervising specialist.
  2. Send the Ministry of Health your application with the certificate, a fitness certificate no more than 3 months old, declarations on Polish language, legal capacity and conduct, proof of experience and your apostilled or legalised diplomas with sworn translations. The service is free.
  3. After the Ministry's consent, apply to the regional medical council within 6 months. The council grants the PWZ within 30 days of receiving the decision; a late application is refused.

Common problems

  • Stale documents. The employer's certificate and the medical certificate are both refused if more than 3 months old.
  • Leaving the job. A simplified-route PWZ is tied to that employer. If the contract ends, the council can strike you off unless you report a permitted change within a month.
  • Refusal. The Ministry says you have 14 days to ask for a negative decision to be reconsidered.
  • Diploma recognition for nurses. NIPiP points out that regional councils cannot recognise a foreign diploma themselves: you need nostrification at a Polish university first.

The PWZ is separate from your residence status, which you hold through a karta pobytu or visa. See Poland for the full route.

Questions

Use the search in the Central Register of Doctors (CRL) on the NIL website. NIL publishes the rules for the number: seven digits, not starting with 0, with the first digit as a check digit.

Yes, in practice. It is Poland's right to practise and works like a licence to practise elsewhere, but it is granted by the professional self-government (the regional council), not by a state regulator.

No. It covers the scope of work, period and place of employment named in the Ministry of Health decision, and you cannot practise outside that employer.

Yes. Nurses and midwives receive a right to practise from their regional council of nurses and midwives and are entered on its register. Foreign nurses usually start with a limited PWZ for the 6-month adaptation internship.

For a full PWZ, yes. Doctors must show Polish knowledge set by regulation, and foreign nurses need an official Polish language certificate. On the simplified route doctors sign a declaration that their Polish is sufficient for the scope of work.

No. You also need a visa or residence permit, such as a temporary residence and work permit, which is shown on a karta pobytu.

Sources

  1. 1Naczelna Izba Lekarska: rules for verifying the PWZ number
  2. 2Naczelna Izba Lekarska: Central Register of Doctors
  3. 3Act on the professions of physician and dentist (consolidated text, CEM)
  4. 4Ministry of Health (gov.pl): consent to practise for doctors with a non-EU specialist title
  5. 5NIPiP: right to practise for foreign nurses and midwives under articles 35 and 36