Who does the application apply to?
This applies to persons who wish to obtain Polish citizenship through the recognition procedure by the Masovian Voivode, in accordance with the requirements set out in Art. 30 of the Act on Polish Citizenship, for example by having a permanent residence permit in the territory of the Republic of Poland.
There are two main paths to obtaining Polish citizenship:
- Granting citizenship by the President of the Republic of Poland,
- Recognition as a Polish citizen by the Voivode.
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Pursuant to Art. 30 section 1 of the Act on Polish Citizenship of April 2, 2009, a foreigner may be recognized as a Polish citizen if he or she meets at least one of the following conditions:
- Condition:
- He has been living legally in Poland for at least 3 years without interruption on the basis of a permanent residence permit, a long-term EU resident’s residence permit or the right of permanent residence.
- He has a stable and regular source of income in Poland.
- He has the right to occupy the residential premises.
- Condition:
- He has been legally residing in Poland for at least 2 years without interruption, on the basis of one of the above-mentioned permits.
- Has been married to a Polish citizen for at least 3 years or does not have any citizenship.
- Condition:
- He has been staying in Poland continuously and legally for at least 2 years on the basis of a permit obtained as a refugee.
- Condition:
- Is under 18 years old.
- He legally resides in Poland on the basis of one of the above-mentioned permits.
- One of the parents has Polish citizenship, and the other parent agreed to recognize the child as a Polish citizen.
- Condition:
- Is under 18 years old.
- He legally resides in Poland on the basis of one of the above-mentioned permits.
- Polish citizenship was restored to at least one of the parents, and the other parent, who did not have Polish citizenship, consented to the recognition of the child as a Polish citizen.
- Condition:
- He has been residing in Poland continuously and legally for at least 10 years.
- He has a permanent residence permit, a long-term EU resident permit or the right of permanent residence.
- He has a stable and regular source of income in Poland and a legal title to occupy a residential premises.
- Condition:
- He has been residing in Poland continuously and legally for at least 1 year.
- He has a permanent residence permit obtained due to his Polish origin or possession of the Pole’s Card.
Remember that:
Your travel documents, such as a passport or residence card, must be valid for at least 3 months from the date of submitting the application for recognition as a Polish citizen. All data contained in Polish civil status records, residence cards and foreign passports should be consistent and consistent.
When submitting the application, use the same personal data that is recorded in copies of civil status records issued by the Polish Civil Registry Office. Documents drawn up in a language other than Polish must be submitted together with their translation into Polish, made or certified by a sworn translator or Polish consul. You can find a list of sworn translators on the website of the Ministry of Justice.
Information about Polish language exams is available at https://certyfikatpolski.pl/. During the proceedings, the authority may request from you additional documents or information that are needed to fully clarify the facts. Submitted documents are not returnable.
If you have a Pole’s Card, you will have to return it when you receive a document confirming the acquisition of Polish citizenship. The Pole’s Card expires by operation of law on the date of issuance of the document confirming the acquisition of citizenship.
What fees do I have to pay?
- PLN 219 for the decision to recognize you as a Polish citizen;
- PLN 17 for a power of attorney if you act through a proxy and your proxy is not your spouse, ascendant, descendant or sibling. The relationship should be confirmed by the documents attached to the application.
How long will you wait?
Up to 2 months maximum.
IMPORTANT: To be recognized as a Polish citizen, knowledge of the Polish language at the B1 level is required. Official confirmation of this skill can be obtained by passing an appropriate exam, and details about this process can be found at https://certyfikatpolski.pl/.
The voivode has the right to refuse to grant Polish citizenship if it could pose a threat to defense or national security, as well as to public order and security.