How many years can you work for Glovo, Uber Eats, Bolt Food, Stuart or other courier apps?
- Damian Brzeski
- 2 hours ago
- 11 min read
Want to earn extra money as a courier on an app, but aren't sure if you're even old enough? Most platforms set a hard age limit: 18, not a day younger.
This is due to legal liability, alcohol delivery, and identity verification requirements. However, there is one exception that breaks the mold and allows for a much earlier start.
Before you install the app and go for your first orders, check where you actually have a chance to enter the game.
Age and formal requirements
Starting cooperation with delivery platforms is not just a matter of downloading a program to your phone.
Experience shows that age is the quickest determinant of which fleet you will ultimately land in.
Just look at how differently the largest market players approach this topic, balancing between the need for recruitment and strict regulations.
Minimum age to work at Glovo
In fact, Glovo requires an absolute minimum age of 18. The Spanish giant makes no compromises in this regard. The app's couriers deliver not only ready-made meals but also regularly fulfill orders from supermarkets and dark stores.
As a result, they often transport products subject to strict age restrictions, such as alcohol or tobacco. Entrusting a minor with age verification would pose a significant fiscal risk for the operator.
Minimum age to work at Uber Eats
Are you considering the iconic green app? You also need to be of legal age to join the Uber Eats fleet . Eighteen is the legal age limit, as dictated by global corporate standards.
The company wants to make sure at all costs that in the event of an accident in dense city traffic, civil and financial liability rests solely with the adult contractor.
Minimum age to work at Bolt Food
Like its biggest competitors, Bolt Food strictly requires its couriers to be at least 18 years old . Estonians are very strict about identity verification procedures (KYC).
When creating an account, the system will request a high-quality scan of your ID card, passport, or residence card. Importantly, school IDs are automatically rejected , completely closing the door to minors.
Minimum age to work in Stuart
Just think, in a market strictly closed to young people, the French Stuart is an exception and allows couriers from the age of 16 to work .
Polish law, in 2026, allows for the conclusion of a mandate contract with a minor, but written consent from a parent or legal guardian is required. From a business perspective, this is a brilliant move.
On hot weekends or during holiday periods, young people looking for their first job perfectly fill staffing gaps.
App | Age requirement | Consent of legal guardian | Main corporate conditions |
Glovo | 18 years old | Not applicable | Deliveries of restricted goods (alcohol, tobacco). |
Uber Eats | 18 years old | Not applicable | Transfer of civil liability in motion. |
Bolt Food | 18 years old | Not applicable | Rigorous ID verification. |
Stuart | 16 years old | Yes (absolutely) | Strategic recruitment of motivated youth. |
Documents needed for registration
Entering the courier industry requires the efficient completion of several formalities, the most important of which are a sanitary-epidemiological certificate and an e-KRK certificate .
The basis is, of course, an ID card, a Polish bank account and a modern smartphone.
An interesting fact is that today you can get the decision from the Sanitary Inspectorate completely online for about PLN 299 in a package with mail-order tests.
You can download a certificate of no criminal record through your trusted profile for only PLN 20 in the form of an XML file straight to your disk.
Registration and start-up process
Entering the job market used to involve the arduous process of sending out CVs and attending interviews. The implementation of the three-party model has completely revolutionized this.
Specialist fleet partners, in exchange for a small commission, take all the bureaucratic burden off your shoulders, allowing for an incredibly smooth and quick start.
How to register with Glovo
Registering with Glovo's fleet is a brilliantly designed process that allows you to hit the road within 24 hours of submitting your application . You begin on your fleet partner's portal, where you sign an electronic mandate contract.
The system then redirects you to Glovo's servers, where you take a perfect, clear selfie for biometric verification. Finally, you receive your yellow thermal backpack, and you're ready to go.
How to sign up for Uber Eats
Joining the Uber Eats structure is based mainly on the architecture of the Uber Driver mobile application .
After the initial account pairing with the billing partner, all the remaining paperwork is uploaded straight from your phone.
You attach digital scans of your documents and photos of your vehicle. Once the support team validates the files, your account is instantly unlocked.
How to sign up for Bolt Food
Bolt Food has a unique supply control policy, which often means waiting several days for full activation in the virtual waiting room .
After linking your profile to the employment agency's Tax Identification Number (NIP), you download the native app. The company intentionally releases newbie accounts in batches, on average 2-3 times a week. This protects the streets from oversaturation and a lack of orders for existing couriers.
How to register with Stuart
Implementation into the Stuart application requires candidates to have the most intimate, multi-stage interaction with control systems .
After uploading your license, you'll need to access a dedicated external link to further authorize your readiness. The system absolutely won't let you out of the city until you physically prove you own and have paid for a certified blue Stuart bag.
Training for new couriers
Traditional onboarding has become a thing of the past, and platforms have implemented short, modular e-learning platforms directly in apps . Before you set off on your first tour, you'll watch condensed video instructions.
You'll learn contactless delivery procedures and understand the soulless mechanics of the algorithms. Successfully passing a short knowledge test unlocks you in the system.
What are the working conditions of a courier?
Where immense flexibility enters into dialogue with the predatory realities of the free market, you must give up traditional security.
Q-commerce applications allow algorithms to perfectly match hands to work, but they transfer operational and financial risks directly onto your shoulders.
Contract of mandate and flexible working hours
The main form of cooperation is a contract of mandate with a fleet partner , which secures the legal framework for your operations.
However, your actual income is generated on a pure piece-rate basis. You're paid for the packages you deliver, not for the time you spend using the app.
You are completely free from your boss and schedule by working an hour or ten, but in the end you lose paid holidays or L4 benefits.
Importantly, billing partners facilitate the phenomenon of multi-apps , allowing you to receive orders from several apps at once under one collective contract.
Means of transport and equipment needed for work
Hard data for 2026 shows that the undisputed king of profitability is modern, professional electric bikes (e-bikes) . By renting such equipment, you avoid gigantic traffic jams and parking fees in city centers.
That's why it's worth analyzing five key transportation options for hidden costs and efficiency:
Professional e-bike (fleet rental): Zero fuel costs, free battery changes in the city and seamless traffic jam avoidance, maximizing your hourly rate.
Combustion scooter: A great and very quick compromise, but requires regular third-party liability insurance, technical inspections and possession of an appropriate driving license.
Passenger car: Theoretically the largest load capacity, but in practice it generates huge financial and time losses in paid parking zones and at blocked intersections.
Regular city bike: The cheapest financial entry into the market, but the profits drop drastically and inexorably with physical exhaustion after a dozen or so rides.
Foot deliveries: Logistical bottom; drastically limited pickup radius results in minimal high-paying orders being dropped from the algorithm.
Courier earnings and remuneration in popular apps
In a world of soulless algorithmic pricing, you won't get a steady salary for being in the office. Statutory increases in the minimum wage in Poland have significantly forced platforms to inflate their multipliers and bonuses.
All this to maintain the profitability of this very demanding profession at all costs and to retain a hard-working workforce.
What does the salary depend on?
The final amount on your virtual payslip is the result of an algorithm that reacts precisely to fractions of a second .
Just think about it: the system constantly analyzes the market. Your profits are influenced by a golden location (like Warsaw, bursting at the seams), peaks in demand during corporate lunches, or evenings relaxing at home.
The weather plays a huge role – when it rains heavily, lazy couriers disappear and platforms throw in flat-rate compensations (up to +25% to the parcel) for getting wet.
In addition, there is hard gamification, i.e. huge bonuses for completing several dozen deliveries during one weekend.
Examples of courier earnings
A well-organized courier, working a full-time job a month on an e-bike, absolutely outclasses low-paid office and physical jobs financially .
In the Glovo multiplier system, with iron discipline you will close the month at a stable level of PLN 8,000 to PLN 10,000 gross.
The ruthless profit maximization mode allows you to confidently break the barrier of PLN 12,000.
From my observations, Uber Eats impresses with hourly rates reaching up to PLN 41 gross in dense cities.
Bolt Food, on the other hand, strongly tempts with its referral programs, where for implementing and activating a new courier friend you often receive a bonus of PLN 1,000 to even PLN 5,000.
The benefits and challenges of working at Glovo
Entering the algorithmic path of q-commerce is a very tough and pragmatic business decision.
This cooperation creates a unique contrast – it guarantees extraordinary operational freedom, but is also burdened with high risk and painful income volatility for the unprepared.
Advantages of working as a courier
The biggest draw for tens of thousands of people to this industry is the complete lack of capital and recruitment barriers at the start . You bypass lengthy administrative processes, apply in minutes, and earn cash almost immediately.
Weekly, instant fund transfers from fleet partners are a brilliant way to save your home's financial liquidity.
Additionally, as a courier, you can freely take advantage of rich fleet discounts at gas stations, cheaper vehicle repairs, and sports cards.
Challenges and opinions of couriers
The main problem, often expressed in anger on internet forums, is the lack of full transparency of the algorithms that allocate work .
The system can be heartlessly cold. If you're lazy and regularly turn down inconvenient assignments, the machine immediately cuts you off from the most lucrative ones. The extreme physicality of the work also presents a real challenge.
Carrying heavy cases of mineral water up to the fourth floor of an old tenement building is a brutal test of fitness. Do you stop working from exhaustion in the freezing cold? Your meter simply stops.
Is this a job for everyone?
This dynamic game on wet asphalt is an extreme environment designed only for the hard-nosed pragmatists . Looking for a warm, predictable job with guaranteed vacation time? You'll quickly run away in terror.
The winner here is the one who, pencil in hand, can optimize their profits. Such a person swaps their car for an efficient electric bike, ruthlessly exploits staff shortages during heavy downpours, and efficiently activates several systems simultaneously.
Thanks to this, he treats the application as an absolute tool for generating above-average, substantial income.
FAQ – Frequently asked questions about working as a courier in city applications
From my observations, newbies always have a lot of doubts before entering the market for the first time. Here, you'll learn absolutely everything you need to know about the formalities, equipment, and algorithms to get started, without any fluff.
How old do you have to be to work at Glovo? : You absolutely must be over 18 years old, because couriers on this platform often deliver alcohol and tobacco products from supermarkets.
Can minors work at Uber Eats? : No, the app strictly requires an age of majority due to global safety standards and accident liability.
How does Bolt Food verify the age of candidates? : During registration, the system requires uploading a scan of an ID card or passport, and regular school IDs are automatically rejected.
Which courier app accepts 16-year-olds? : French Stuart allows you to work fully legally from the age of 16, as long as you provide written consent from a parent or legal guardian.
Do I have to set up my own company (JDG) to deliver food? : No, the vast majority of couriers work without their own company, billing through specialized fleet partners under a contract of mandate.
How quickly can you start fulfilling orders with Glovo? : Thanks to highly automated procedures, you can start your first shift even within 24 hours of submitting your registration.
Do I need a paper sanitary-epidemiological booklet to work?: Currently, it is enough to obtain a digital e-sanitary-epidemiological certificate in a PDF file via telemedicine platforms.
How much does it cost to get a sanitary-epidemiological examination from scratch? : Ordering a mail-order kit, laboratory tests, and a teleconsultation with a doctor costs approximately PLN 299 in total.
Where can I get a certificate of no criminal record as quickly as possible? : The most cost-effective way is to download the XML file via the government e-KRK system (cost PLN 20), authenticating yourself with your own trusted profile.
What kind of phone do I need to run the courier app? : You need a modern smartphone with a powerful mobile internet package that meets the system requirements (e.g. iOS 16.4+ or Android 9.0+).
Do I need to participate in on-site training before launch? : No, the platforms have moved all implementations to the form of short e-learning and tests conducted directly in the application itself.
What is multi-appling? : It's an incredibly cost-effective and legal technique for running two or three apps at the same time, drastically reducing empty miles.
What is the most profitable means of transport at the moment? : The undisputed king of profitability is the professional electric bike (e-bike), which avoids traffic jams and does not generate horrendous fuel bills.
Why is it rarely profitable to work by car?: A passenger car burns expensive gasoline, wears out the suspension on city potholes, and forces you to pay high fees in paid parking zones.
As a courier, am I guaranteed a fixed hourly wage? : Your income is based on pure piecework, which means that you only earn for physically delivered parcels, not for passive waiting.
When is the best time to log into the system to maximize profits? : The highest market multipliers are achieved during peak trading windows: during business lunch (12:00-15:00) and in the evening (18:00-21:00).
How do algorithms react to heavy rain or freezing cold? : Taking risks and driving in extreme weather results in huge flat-rate bonuses, for example at Glovo it's a fixed 25% bonus on every order.
What are point challenges, or so-called Quests? : These are murderous time goals imposed by the platforms, for the completion of which you receive a round, very generous bonus of around 150-300 PLN.
How much does a full-time courier with an electric bike actually earn? : A perfectly organized and disciplined contractor generates stable income of PLN 8,000 to PLN 10,000 gross per month.
What happens if I reject inconvenient orders? : A heartless algorithm will quickly lower your internal stats, resulting in you being cut off from the most lucrative routes in the future.
Will I receive paid sick leave (L4) if I catch a cold? : When working on a contract of mandate, you are not covered by the code of conduct, so every day in bed means a complete lack of income.
How often will I receive my earned pay? : Financial liquidity is a huge advantage in this industry, as agencies make instant transfers every week (e.g., Bolt Food pays regularly every Tuesday).
How can I earn extra cash without racking up the miles? : Apps encourage the development of structures by paying out huge, lump-sum referral bonuses for successfully recruiting a new courier.
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