Zimbabwean truck driver faces deportation from Poland after illegal weekend taxi work

A Zimbabwean truck driver working in Poland has been ordered to leave the country after authorities discovered that he was allegedly transporting passengers for money during his weekends without the required authorisation.

The 37-year-old man was legally employed by a transport company as a tractor-trailer driver, but his weekend activities landed him in trouble with Polish immigration authorities.

According to the Polish Border Guard, officers from its Czestochowa unit discovered the arrangement during routine checks on the legality of foreigners’ stay and employment.

During questioning, the driver presented a work permit allowing him to work for a transport company as a tractor-trailer driver. He told officers that he worked for the company from Monday to Friday.

However, on weekends, he used his private car to transport passengers who booked rides through a mobile application.

Further investigations revealed that he had allegedly been carrying out the passenger transport activities since April 2025 without the documentation required to work as a taxi driver.

The authorities subsequently initiated proceedings over the legality of his employment.

The Commander of the Border Guard Post in Czestochowa issued a decision requiring the Zimbabwean national to return to his home country. He was given 30 days to leave Poland and was also handed a one-year ban on entering Poland and other Schengen countries.

*A warning to African truck drivers working overseas*

The case serves as an important reminder to African truck drivers pursuing employment opportunities in Europe and other overseas markets: having a valid work permit does not automatically mean you are allowed to take on any additional work.

A permit may restrict a foreign worker to a particular employer, occupation or set of employment conditions. Additional work or running a side business may require separate authorisation.

This is particularly important for drivers who take up overseas trucking jobs while looking for additional ways to support their families back home.

An opportunity to earn extra money during weekends or after working hours may appear attractive, but doing so without first checking the applicable immigration and employment rules could put an entire overseas career at risk.

Drivers should carefully read the conditions attached to their permits and establish whether additional employment, self-employment or commercial activities are allowed before accepting any side work.

Rules differ between countries and permit categories, so drivers should seek clarification from the relevant immigration authorities or qualified advisers rather than relying on advice from fellow drivers.

For the Zimbabwean driver in Poland, what appears to have started as a weekend income opportunity has ended with an order to leave the country and a one-year Schengen entry ban.

For other African truck drivers hoping to build a better future abroad, the lesson is clear: understand the conditions of your work permit and protect the opportunity you worked so hard to secure. *_-NewZimbabwe_*