Poland: why confirm a former employee's job?

In short

• The facts are already on paper. Every employer must state the period and kind of work performed and the positions held in the employment certificate (art. 97 § 2 of the Labour Code). Those are the facts we ask about.
• It is the check Polish hiring already makes. A new employer asks a job applicant for the course of their previous employment, never their pay (art. 22¹ § 1). Confirming the same facts to certo is the same check, done once and online.
• It helps the person who worked for you. A record confirmed by a former employer is what the next employer trusts. Answering takes about a minute and needs no account.
• certo asks on their behalf, with their explicit consent. The GDPR lets an employer disclose personal data with the consent of the person it concerns (Art. 6(1)(a)). The person started this check themselves, for these facts and no others.
• You do not have to answer. No Polish law obliges an employer to answer certo. Declining is fine.

The Labour Code

Kodeks pracy, the Act of 26 June 1974. Quoted from the official consolidated text published in Dziennik Ustaw 2026, item 1245.

Art. 97 § 2: what the employment certificate states

In English: the employment certificate must state the period and kind of work performed and the positions held. These are the facts we ask about, so your records already hold them.

Art. 22¹ § 1: what a new employer asks a candidate for

In English: an employer asks a job applicant for personal data including the course of their previous employment, excluding information about pay in the current and previous employment. Confirming that history to certo, at the person's request, is the same check, and it never includes pay.

What the Labour Code does not regulate

We found no provision of the Labour Code that governs what an employer may tell a third party about a former employee. That question is answered by the GDPR, below.

What is never asked

The Labour Code limits what an employer may ask a candidate for (art. 22¹), excludes pay from the employment history, and does not let consent cover data on criminal convictions (art. 22¹a § 1). certo never asks you about pay, convictions, health, family, beliefs or anything else beyond the facts listed.

Personal data

The GDPR applies directly in Poland; the Personal Data Protection Act of 10 May 2018 supplements it.

• Art. 6(1)(a), consent. The legal basis for your answer.
• Art. 7(1), proof of consent. certo records which account asked, when, and for which facts. Write to support@certo.bio and we send you the record for your request.
• Art. 5(1)(c), data minimisation. You confirm or leave unticked only the facts listed. Add nothing else: anything beyond them is not covered by the person's consent.

What this means for your answer

• Tick only what your HR, payroll or personnel records show.
• Not sure it is the same person? Press "We can't find a matching record". Never confirm a record you are not sure is theirs.
• Your policy is not to answer? Press "We do not answer these requests". The record shows your organisation declined, and nobody else there is asked.

Sources

• Kodeks pracy, consolidated text Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1245 (ISAP, the Sejm's legal acts database)
• Regulation (EU) 2016/679, the GDPR (EUR-Lex)
• Personal Data Protection Act of 10 May 2018, consolidated text Dz.U. 2019 poz. 1781 (ISAP)

This page is not legal advice. It reflects the law as it stood on 26 October 2026.