Poland uncovers fake certificate scheme for foreigners — RMF24
In Poland, border guards from the Rzeszów-Jasionka unit uncovered an organized group suspected of producing and selling fake certificates confirming student status or enrollment in post-secondary educational institutions. Foreigners under the age of 26 used these documents when applying for residence and work permits, RMF24 reports.
The scheme operated throughout Poland
According to Poland’s Border Guard, the group operated across the country from June 2022 until the end of 2025. Investigators traced it in 2024, including thanks to information from a liaison officer working at the Podkarpackie Voivodeship Office.
Foreigners, mainly from Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and Georgia, submitted forged certificates of study to voivodeship offices. On the basis of these documents, they received positive decisions granting residence and work permits in Poland.
Documents were sold for 230–800 zlotys
The group offered certificates purportedly issued by five Ukrainian higher education institutions and two Polish post-secondary schools from Piotrków Trybunalski. One document or a package of documents, together with a Polish translation, cost from 230 to 800 zlotys.
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Captain Piotr Zakelarz, spokesperson for the Bieszczady Border Guard Unit, stated that such documents for foreigners under 26, among other things, enabled employers not to pay contributions to ZUS.
Arrests and seized funds
The first arrests took place at the end of 2025. Law enforcement officers searched six premises, including in Pruszcz Gdański, Żyrardów, Warsaw and Kraków. Three Ukrainian citizens were detained, including the suspected 42-year-old leader of the group. He was charged with leading an organized criminal group, and 87,000 zlotys in cash were also seized.
According to the investigation, about 1.2 million zlotys were transferred to the suspect’s bank accounts, which law enforcement links to criminal activity. In total, charges were brought against 19 Ukrainian citizens, three Moldovan citizens and a Georgian citizen, as well as foreigners who used forged documents at the voivodeship offices in Rzeszów and Łódź.
