Polish CV format and the RODO consent clause
A Polish CV is usually one A4 page, newest first, built around the data Article 22¹ of the Labour Code lets employers request. That data needs no RODO consent clause; UODO reserves consent for extras and future recruitments.1
Written 13 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides
First step: read the data notice in the job ad
Before you add any clause, scroll to the bottom of the ad. A Polish employer has to tell candidates who processes their data, why, on what legal basis and for how long, under Article 13 of the GDPR, which Poland calls RODO. UODO, the Polish data protection authority, lists the job ad itself, a reply after your CV arrives, or an automatic email answer as places to do it. If that notice asks you for a specific consent sentence, copy it exactly; the employer wrote it for its own records.
- Find the information clause (klauzula informacyjna) in the ad or on the careers page.
- Check whether it asks for consent and for what: this recruitment, future recruitments, or both.
- If it gives wording, paste that wording at the foot of your CV.
- If it says nothing, decide with the table further down whether you want any clause at all.
How the law and the regulator see it
What an employer may ask for
Article 22¹ § 1 of the Labour Code, in the consolidated text published in the Journal of Laws on 24 September 2026 (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1245), lists what an employer requests from a candidate: first name(s) and surname, date of birth, the contact details the candidate chooses, education, professional qualifications, and previous employment history. Education, qualifications and work history may be requested only where the job needs them. The data are given as the candidate's own statement, and the employer may ask for documents to confirm them.
Pay history is now off that list
Since 24 December 2025 the same article excludes information about pay in your current and earlier jobs. A new Article 18³ᶜᵃ works the other way: the employer must tell you the starting pay or its range, in the ad, before the interview or before the contract. A salary line from your last job has no place on a Polish CV.
Consent covers only what goes beyond the list
Article 22¹ᵃ lets consent serve as the basis for any other personal data, except criminal record data, and says refusing or withdrawing consent cannot be held against you, for example as a reason not to hire. Article 22¹ᵇ allows sensitive data, such as health, only when you hand it over on your own initiative.
UODO’s position on the CV clause
UODO's employer guide of October 2018 says the habit of putting a recruitment consent clause in a CV or cover letter ‘is not appropriate’. It adds that ordinary extra data you send, such as a photo or hobbies, are processed on consent shown by the act of sending the CV itself. A separate consent is needed only to keep your data for future recruitments, or to process sensitive data you included.
Why job centres still print the clause
The Warsaw regional labour office's CV page, last modified on 1 September 2023, still ends with a ready-made consent clause, and the Olsztyn office lists a missing clause, or a missing handwritten signature under it, among common CV mistakes. Adding the generic clause does no harm; leaving it off is not a legal defect.
Which clause to use: four options with the official wording
The Polish text in each row is quoted from the source named. The English lines are our translations, for applications written in English; they carry no official status.
| Option | Polish wording and source | English version (our translation) | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| No clause | None | None | The ad asks for nothing and you send only the Labour Code data plus ordinary extras. UODO treats sending the CV as consent to those extras. |
| Generic recruitment consent | „Wyrażam zgodę na przetwarzanie moich danych osobowych dla potrzeb niezbędnych do realizacji procesu rekrutacji (zgodnie z rozporządzeniem Parlamentu Europejskiego i Rady (UE) 2016/679 z dnia 27 kwietnia 2016 r. …)” (WUP Warszawa) | I consent to the processing of my personal data for the purposes of this recruitment process, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016. | The ad or a recruiter asks for a clause without giving wording. Harmless, but UODO says it is not the basis for the core data. |
| Future recruitments | „Wyrażam zgodę na przetwarzanie danych w celu wykorzystania ich w kolejnych naborach prowadzonych przez X przez okres najbliższych 6 miesięcy.” (UODO guide, 2018) | I consent to the processing of my data for use in future recruitments run by X for the next 6 months. | You want the company to keep your CV after this vacancy closes. Replace X with its name. |
| Sensitive data | „Wyrażam zgodę na przetwarzanie szczególnych kategorii danych, o których mowa w art. 9 ust. 1 RODO, które zamieściłem w liście motywacyjnym oraz załączonych do niego dokumentach.” (UODO guide, 2018) | I consent to the processing of the special categories of data under Article 9(1) GDPR that I included in my cover letter and attached documents. | You chose to mention a disability or health matter. Without this, UODO says the employer should delete those data. |
Placing and signing it
Put the clause in small type at the very bottom of the last page. A signature is something the Olsztyn office recommends; neither Article 22¹ᵃ nor the UODO guide requires one, and UODO says consent can be a statement or a clear action. Withdrawing consent must be as easy as giving it, so an email to the recruiter is enough.
Section by section: a CV for a Polish employer
The headings follow the Warsaw labour office's list. The sample person is invented: Mert Aydın, a logistics planner from Mersin applying in English to a warehouse operator near Łódź.
| Section (Polish heading) | What goes in it | Sample line |
|---|---|---|
| Dane osobowe | Name, date of birth, phone, email, town. A photo is optional; Olsztyn asks you to think about whether it is needed. | Mert Aydın · born 22.07.1994 · Mersin, Türkiye · +90 532 000 00 00 · mert.aydin@example.com |
| Cel zawodowy | One line naming the post you want. | Logistics planner for a regional distribution centre |
| Doświadczenie zawodowe | Newest first: dates, employer, title, tasks and results. No pay figures. | 03/2021 to present Logistics Planner, Örnek Lojistik A.Ş., Mersin: planned 120 outbound loads a week and cut empty kilometres by 14%. |
| Wykształcenie | Newest first: school, faculty, specialisation, degree. | 2012 to 2016 BSc Logistics Management, Mersin University |
| Kursy i szkolenia | Courses, especially ones linked to the post. | 2024 SAP S/4HANA Transportation Management, 40 hours |
| Języki obce | Best language first, with level, courses and certificates. | Turkish native · English C1 (IELTS 7.0, 2025) · Polish A1, online course since 2026 |
| Umiejętności | Software; driving licence categories and year obtained. | Excel (Power Query), SAP TM · driving licence B (2013) |
| Zainteresowania | Specific interests, not generic ones. | Amateur rally navigation; organised two regional events |
| Referencje | Not attached; say they are available. | References available on request |
| Klauzula | Only if asked, or one of the options above. | See the table above |
Length
Olsztyn's advice is one A4 page as the norm, two for specialist technical posts or senior managers, and up to three for researchers with long publication lists. Print or export on one side only; Olsztyn lists two-sided CVs as a mistake.
Sources and the dates they carry, read on 13 October 2026
| Source | Date | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Code, consolidated text, Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1245 | Announced 1 September 2026, legal state 27 August 2026 | Articles 18³ᶜᵃ, 22¹, 22¹ᵃ, 22¹ᵇ |
| UODO, Ochrona danych osobowych w miejscu pracy. Poradnik dla pracodawców | October 2018 | Consent in CVs, sample clauses |
| UODO, Poradnik dla pracodawców: rekrutacja (slides) | 2018 | How employers can meet the information duty |
| WUP Warszawa, Jak przygotować CV? | Published 28.07.2016, modified 01.09.2023 | Section list, generic clause |
| WUP Olsztyn, Jak napisać CV? | Published 11.02.2020, modified 22.09.2022 | Length, common mistakes |
| Dolnośląski Urząd Wojewódzki, work permit page | No date shown | Who applies for a work permit |
Work permits in one paragraph
For a work permit for a foreign national working under a contract with a Polish employer, the Lower Silesian voivode's office says the only party to the procedure is the employer, which files through praca.gov.pl; paper or post applications are left unprocessed. Rules for foreign workers change; check the voivodeship page before you apply.
Limits of this guide
- The UODO guide was written in 2018, before the 2019 Labour Code changes, and says so. Its view on consent in CVs is still the regulator’s published guidance, but read it alongside the current articles quoted above.
- Public sector recruitment in the civil service has its own rules; the UODO guide treats it in separate sections.
- This is not legal advice for employers writing their own clauses.
- Nothing here covers how long an employer may keep your CV after the recruitment ends, where UODO and other bodies have disagreed.
Next steps and other tools
- Zielona Linia’s free CV builder on zielonalinia.gov.pl; it needs an account, and every field in it is optional.
- The salary guide, if an ad asks for your expected pay rather than your history.
- CitedCV, if you want the English CV drafted from facts you confirm, with EU conventions. It writes in English, Turkish and German, not Polish, and adds no RODO clause for you.
Questions people ask
Is a RODO clause required on a CV in Poland?
No. UODO says a consent clause is not the right basis for the data the Labour Code lets employers request; add one when the ad asks or for future recruitments.
What is the RODO clause for a CV in English?
A common English version reads: I consent to the processing of my personal data for the purposes of this recruitment process, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679.
Do I have to sign the RODO clause on my CV?
No law quoted here requires a signature. The Olsztyn labour office recommends one, while UODO says consent can be a statement or a clear action.
Should I put my date of birth on a Polish CV?
Yes, it is normal: date of birth is one of the items Article 22¹ of the Labour Code lets an employer request from a candidate.
Can a Polish employer ask about my current salary?
No. Since 24 December 2025 the Labour Code excludes pay in current and earlier jobs from what an employer may request, and the employer must state the offered pay.
How long should a CV be in Poland?
Usually one A4 page. The Olsztyn labour office allows two for specialist or senior posts and up to three for researchers with many publications.
Do Polish CVs include a photo?
Often, but it is optional. The Warsaw office lists a current photo, and the Olsztyn office asks you to consider whether it is really needed.
Who applies for a Polish work permit, me or the employer?
The employer. The voivode’s office says the employer is the only party and must apply online through praca.gov.pl.
Sources
- Kodeks pracy, tekst jednolity, Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1245 (PDF)api.sejm.gov.pl/eli/acts/DU/2026/1245/text.pdf
- Sejm ELI API, Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1245api.sejm.gov.pl/eli/acts/DU/2026/1245
- UODO, Ochrona danych osobowych w miejscu pracy. Poradnik dla pracodawców (October 2018)uodo.gov.pl/file/1469
- UODO, Poradnik dla pracodawców: rekrutacja (2018)uodo.gov.pl/file/1545
- Wojewódzki Urząd Pracy w Warszawie, Jak przygotować CV?wupwarszawa.praca.gov.pl/dla-bezrobotnych-i-poszukujacych-pracy/poszukiwanie-pracy-i-rekrutacja/jak-przygotowac-cv
- Wojewódzki Urząd Pracy w Olsztynie, Jak napisać CV?wupolsztyn.praca.gov.pl/web/doradca/jak-napisac-cv-
- Zielona Linia, Kreator CVzielonalinia.gov.pl/kreator-cv/
- Dolnośląski Urząd Wojewódzki, Zezwolenie na pracę cudzoziemcawww.gov.pl/web/dolnoslaski-uw/zezwolenie-na-prace-cudzoziemca-na-rzecz-polskiego-podmiotu-powierzajacego-prace-cudzoziemcowi