How Long Is a Health Card Valid?
The law gives no validity period for the health card. See where the 2-year myth comes from, what to do with a lost certificate and how to track dates.
How long is a sanitary-epidemiological health card ("książeczka sanepidowska") valid? The shortest honest answer is: the law gives no period at all. Not two years, not three, not five. This disappoints owners who want to put a date in the calendar, but it also saves mistakes. And if an employee has come to you saying "I lost my card", you have an easier route than it seems.
In brief
- The Act does not set a validity period for the certificate. It speaks only of a "current" certificate and does not define what that means.
- The date of the next examination is indicated by the doctor. If they entered a date in the certificate, transfer it to the register.
- The myth of 2 and 3 years is a custom of clinics and guides, not a legal provision. Do not put it in your documentation as a legal requirement.
- A lost certificate is recreated from the clinic's records. You have the original in the personnel file and a copy at the venue.
- Removal from work follows from contraindications or symptoms, not from the passing of a certain number of years.
How long a health card is valid: what the law says
Let us start with the name. The sanitary-epidemiological examination booklets were in force until 31 December 2011, as stated by the sanitary station in Gryfino. Today what counts is the medical certificate for sanitary-epidemiological purposes. If you are thinking about the obligation as a whole, start with the article on sanitary-epidemiological examinations in foodservice.
What does the Act of 5 December 2008 say about deadlines? Three things:
- Art. 6(1)(5) imposes the obligation of examinations on people who start or perform work in which infection can be transmitted, and who "do not hold a current certificate". The word "current" has no definition.
- Art. 10(2)(2) authorises the minister of health to issue a regulation on the types and dates of examinations. In the list of implementing acts of this Act in ELI we found no such regulation.
- Art. 7(2) says that the doctor issues a certificate of fitness or of contraindications. It does not mention an expiry date.
The spokesperson of the Chief Sanitary Inspector said in 2023 in Prawo.pl that the name "card" functions colloquially and that there are no legal regulations concerning it. The obligation to be examined, however, has stayed.
What sanitary stations say about this
The station in Świdwin writes on its website that it does not specify the frequency of renewing examinations. What is current is decided by the doctor, and also by whether the employee continues to work in the same establishment and what the scope of activities at the position is. It adds that having the examinations done each time on starting work and on changing employer is substantively justified. This is not a legal provision, but an official statement. It does, however, give a good practical hint.
Where the myth that the certificate is valid for 2 or 3 years comes from
The phrase "2 years" appears in many guides with the addition "usually" or "most often", and some sources add that the doctor may issue a certificate without a date. We found no provision from which any number of years would follow. Most likely it is a custom of clinics: doctors enter a date they consider reasonable, and employers repeat it.
The consequence is practical. If someone tells you "you only have 2 years", ask for the source. If the doctor wrote a specific date in the certificate, stick to it, because it is their medical decision. If there is no date, do not guess. Ask for it at the nearest visit or write "not specified" in the register.
How long Sanepid (State Sanitary Inspection) examinations are valid in different situations
Instead of one number you have several rules. The table below organises them by situation:
| Situation | What you do |
|---|---|
| The certificate contains a date for the next examination | You enter it in the register and set a reminder before the deadline |
| A certificate without a date | An entry "not specified" and a request to the doctor at the next visit |
| The employee changes the type of work | You check whether the certificate covers the new activities. The type of work is indicated at the examination (Art. 6(2a)) |
| A new employee comes with a certificate from the previous employer | Ask the doctor or the station whether this is enough. The station in Świdwin considers a new examination on changing employer to be justified |
| The employee returned after an intestinal illness | You apply the removal and return procedure, and do not wait for the end of the "validity" |
You can set your own review rule, for example checking the register once a year. Call it an internal company rule, not a statutory deadline. Otherwise you will attribute to the provision something that is not in it.
A lost health card: what to do
First, breathe. The certificate is not the only copy. The doctor enters its content in the examination record card (Art. 7(3)), and records the examinations performed and the results in the patient's medical records (Art. 6(3)). On the company's side you have your own copy: the original certificate in the personnel file and a copy at the workplace (Art. 59(4) and (5) of the Act on Food and Nutrition Safety).
What you do step by step:
- Check the files. If the original is in the files, the employee can get a copy from you. The employee losing their copy does not invalidate the document.
- Ask the clinic that issued the certificate. Ask for a transcript or a copy from the medical records. We found no separate "duplicate of the certificate" procedure in the Act, so the rules for issuing it are set by the clinic within the provisions on patients' rights.
- Recreate the stool test result. Stations issue a transcript of the report on request. In Wałbrzych the first transcript is free of charge, and you submit the request in person or through e-Delivery (the state electronic delivery system). The station in Bydgoszcz accepts the request electronically and states that it keeps examination reports after 2011 for 20 years.
- Go to the doctor with the transcript of the result. Ask whether they will issue a new certificate on its basis. This is the doctor's decision and they may require the examination to be repeated.
Do not let the employee work with food just on the basis of "they promised to bring it". If you have neither the original nor a copy, and the clinic needs time, set a temporary schedule outside the production area, in line with the staff hygiene procedure. You will find the sample collection instructions, if the examination has to be repeated, in the article Sanepid examinations: which tests and how to collect stool samples, and the cost of a repeat in the article how much a health card costs in 2026.
How to keep track of certificate dates in the team
A single person remembers their own date. A team of ten does not. A certificate register solves the problem in a minute, and you have a template with columns (full name, type of work, certificate date, clinic, date of next examination, copy at the venue) in the pillar article. The GastroReady package contains it together with the staff hygiene procedure. We also described the rules for keeping registers in the article HACCP registers: how to keep them so that they make sense.
Three habits that work:
- The column "date of next examination". It is what triggers the reminder, the rest is supporting information.
- One person responsible. The shift manager or the owner, by name, not "someone".
- The shift start rule. No certificate on the list means no work with food. Include this item in the plan for the first 7 days of a new employee.
Expiry of the certificate versus removal from work
The certificate does not "expire" automatically after a certain number of years, because there is no such rule in the Act. Removal from work follows from two other grounds:
- Contraindications in the certificate. A person for whom temporary or permanent contraindications have been determined may not perform that work, and the employer or the commissioning party is obliged, with confidentiality, to remove them without delay (Art. 10(1)).
- Symptoms or illness. Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 (Annex II, Chapter VIII) does not allow a person who is ill or a carrier of a disease transmitted through food, or who has infected wounds, skin infections or diarrhoea, to work with food if there is a likelihood of contamination. The employee has an obligation to report symptoms immediately.
What about an inspection? The inspector will ask about the certificates of the people on shift and whether the copies are at the venue. A state in which there is no certificate is a non-conformity regardless of how many years have passed. We collected typical staff hygiene problems in the article staff hygiene: the most common non-conformities.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a health card valid?
The law gives no validity period. The Act speaks of a "current" certificate, and the regulation on examination dates, which Art. 10(2)(2) authorises, has not been issued. The doctor decides on the date of the next examination and may enter the date in the certificate.
Is it true that a health card is valid for 2 years?
We found no provision that would provide for this. "Two years" is a common custom of clinics and guides. If the doctor entered a different date, stick to their date. If they entered none, ask for one.
How long are Sanepid examinations valid after changing jobs?
The Act does not settle this. The sanitary station in Świdwin considers having the examinations done on starting work and on changing employer to be substantively justified. Ask the doctor whether the existing certificate covers the activities at the new position.
What should I do with a lost health card?
Check whether you have the original in the personnel file or a copy at the venue. Then ask the clinic that issued the certificate for a transcript from the records, and the sanitary station for a transcript of the examination report. With the transcript of the result, the doctor may decide on a new certificate or on repeating the examinations.
Can an employee work if the date of the next examination from the certificate has passed?
The Act does not speak of automatic expiry. The date from the doctor is their indication of when to perform the next examination, so refer the employee before it. If the date has already passed, book the examination right away and until the certificate is renewed do not put this person at the food.
Legal status as of: 2 November 2026
Legal basis: Act of 5 December 2008 on the Prevention and Control of Infections and Infectious Diseases in Humans (Art. 6(1)(5), (2a), (3); Art. 7(2) and (3); Art. 10(1) and (2); consolidated text: Journal of Laws (Dz.U.) 2025, item 1675); Act on Food and Nutrition Safety of 25 August 2006 (Art. 59(2), (4) and (5); consolidated text: Journal of Laws 2026, item 1399); Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 (Annex II, Chapter VIII). We state the absence of the regulation under Art. 10(2) on the basis of the list of implementing acts in ELI and statements of sanitary stations, we did not review legislative drafts. We did not check the provisions on patients' rights concerning transcripts of medical records, and the rules for issuing transcripts are given by the clinics.
Last review: 2 November 2026
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