Polish citizenship for foreign residents: recognition by the voivode or a grant by the President

A foreigner who lives in Poland becomes a Polish citizen in one of two ways. Recognition as a Polish citizen (*uznanie za obywatela polskiego*) is decided by the voivode (*wojewoda*) under the statute, if the conditions of art. 30 are met. A grant of Polish citizenship by the President (*nadanie obywatelstwa polskiego przez Prezydenta*) is at the President's discretion: no conditions in the statute, but no deadline and no right to appeal a refusal either.

This page is about those two routes for people who have built a life in Poland. Confirmation of Polish citizenship for people with Polish ancestors — what most English searches for "Polish citizenship" mean — is a different procedure, and it is not covered here.

For most foreigners working in Poland the route is recognition: first a permanent residence permit or long-term EU resident status, then 3 years on it, a stable income, housing and Polish at level B1. With a Pole's Card (*Karta Polaka*) or Polish origin 1 year is enough; married to a Polish citizen, 2 years.

Two bills hang over this, and both would raise 3 years to 10. Below are both routes article by article of the Polish Citizenship Act (*ustawa o obywatelstwie polskim*): conditions, language, documents, deadlines, fees, the trap in filing two applications at once, and what happens to the bills. The whole path to citizenship, from the first residence card, is on the overview page Legalising your stay in Poland.

Polish citizenship in 2026: the short version

• Two routes. Recognition by the voivode on the statute's conditions, or a grant by the President at his discretion.
• The main period. 3 years without a break on permanent residence or long-term EU resident status, plus income and housing.
• Shorter. 1 year on a permanent residence permit granted for Polish origin or a Pole's Card; 2 years if married to a Polish citizen for at least 3 years.
• Language. An official B1 certificate or a school certificate from a school in Poland; a university diploma is not on the statute's list.
• Decision. 6 months at the voivode; the President has no deadline.
• Fee. 1000 zł for recognition, 1669 zł for an application to the President.
• Bills. Prints 1273 and 1759 propose 10 years instead of 3, and both keep the current wording for cases already started; as of 15 September 2026 neither has moved.

Poland citizenship requirements: how many years you need

In almost every case the clock runs not from your arrival in Poland but from the day you obtained a permanent residence permit (*zezwolenie na pobyt stały*), long-term EU resident status (*zezwolenie na pobyt rezydenta długoterminowego UE*) or a right of permanent residence; the exception is the route through 10 years of lawful stay. Art. 30(1):

Apart from minors, everyone needs Polish at B1, art. 30(2).

The realistic route for a working foreigner with no Polish roots is five years of lawful stay until long-term EU resident status, then three years on it. If you are a citizen of Ukraine and hold a CUKR card, the five years, according to the voivodeship offices, run from the day you received the card.

Continuity is tested by the rule in the Act on Foreigners: no single break longer than 6 months, all breaks together no more than 10 months, with exceptions for work for a Polish employer abroad and similar cases, art. 30(3).

Polish citizenship with a Pole's Card or Polish origin

A Pole's Card does not give citizenship by itself. The route has two steps:

1. A permanent residence permit on the basis of a valid Pole's Card or Polish origin — with no income, language or length-of-stay requirement, art. 195 of the Act on Foreigners.
2. Recognition as a Polish citizen after 1 year of uninterrupted stay on that permit, with a B1 certificate, art. 30(1)(7).

In total, about a year after you receive permanent residence, plus the time each of the two cases takes. People who themselves lost Polish citizenship before 1999 have a separate procedure, restoration by the minister of the interior, art. 38; repatriates have the Repatriation Act.

Polish citizenship by marriage

Marriage by itself does not change citizenship, art. 5. The spouse of a Polish citizen obtains it through recognition if they:

• have been married to a Polish citizen for at least 3 years;
• have lived in Poland for 2 years without a break on permanent residence or long-term EU resident status;
• have proved Polish at B1.

A permanent residence permit on the basis of marriage is granted after 3 years of marriage and 2 years on a temporary residence permit (*zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy*) on that basis. If it was issued on the basis of marriage, a divorce within 2 years can lead to the permit being withdrawn — explained in the entry on permanent residence.

If you are not sure which basis fits your own story, describe it.

Polish citizenship test: what level of Polish you need

What searches call the "citizenship test" is, in the statute, a language document. Art. 30(2) accepts three:

The last row is where citizenship differs from long-term EU resident status: for the resident status a Polish-taught university diploma is enough, while for citizenship the text of the statute does not name it. Minors recognised through a parent's citizenship need no language document.

Recognition as a Polish citizen by the voivode: documents and procedure

1. Check your basis and period against the table above.
2. Collect the documents, art. 33: proof of identity and citizenship, of income, of your legal title to your home, the details of your spouse, the B1 certificate or school certificate, photographs. Documents in a foreign language need a sworn translation (*tłumaczenie przysięgłe*), art. 12.
3. File the application with the voivode for your place of residence, on the official form, art. 33, 34 and 36.
4. Children. Recognition of the parents extends to their minor children; a child who has turned 16 must consent, art. 7 and 8.
5. Security check. The voivode asks the Police and the Internal Security Agency (*Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego*), which have 30 days, in special cases up to 3 months, art. 36.
6. Decision. Within 6 months of the application, art. 10(3a), in force since 1 August 2025. A refusal is appealed to the minister of the interior.

Income and housing. The statute requires "a stable and regular source of income" and a legal title to your home, but art. 30 names no amounts. We do not publish a threshold in złoty here, because there is none in the text.

The deadlines are not suspended. The suspension of deadlines until 4 March 2027 under art. 100d applies to residence permits; citizenship cases are not on its list. If the voivode has not decided within 6 months, the ordinary remedy for delay applies — a reminder (*ponaglenie*).

Polish citizenship granted by the President

The President may grant citizenship to any foreigner, art. 18. The statute sets no period of stay, no language requirement and no income requirement.

How it works:

• the application is filed through the voivode or a consul, art. 21; it states your Polish ancestors, sources of income, professional achievements, knowledge of Polish and your reasons, art. 20;
• the application is checked by the Ministry of the Interior (MSWiA), the Police and the Internal Security Agency, art. 21;
• the Code of Administrative Procedure and the courts do not apply, art. 10(1): there is no deadline for a decision, and a refusal cannot be appealed;
• citizenship arises on the day of the President's decision, art. 26.

The main trap: two applications at once

If you apply to the President, a recognition case already running at the voivode is discontinued, art. 23. And if you apply for recognition while a case with the President is running, the recognition case itself is discontinued, art. 35(1).

So "file with both, just in case" does not work: an application to the President ends the case in which you had conditions, a deadline and a right of appeal, and replaces it with one that has none of these. If you meet the conditions of art. 30, the route through the President usually only makes your position worse.

Already filed one of the two and thinking about the other? Describe the situation before you file.

Polish citizenship cost: the stamp duty

The amounts are from the schedule to the Stamp Duty Act, items 26, 27 and 27a. A decision recognising a minor through a parent's citizenship is exempt. Sworn translations and the B1 certificate are paid for separately.

Dual citizenship in Poland

Polish law does not prohibit a second citizenship. A Polish citizen who also holds another citizenship has the same rights and duties towards Poland as a citizen of Poland alone, and cannot rely on the other citizenship before the Polish authorities, art. 3.

Whether your other country allows a second citizenship is a question of its law and is not covered here. Check it before you apply, because the consequences arise there, not in Poland.

A child born in Poland does not become a Polish citizen by birth if neither parent is a Polish citizen. The exception is parents who are unknown or have no citizenship, art. 14.

The bills for 10 years: what happens to applications already filed

What follows in practice:

• Both open bills change only point 1 — the 3 years on permanent residence or long-term EU resident status. The routes through marriage, a Pole's Card and Polish origin are untouched.
• Both protect cases already started: an application filed before the law enters into force is decided under the 3-year rule.
• If you already meet the conditions of point 1, there is no point in waiting: filing is the only thing that protects you from a future change.

The information on the bills is from the Sejm's records. The government's position on print 1273 was published as a scan, and we have not read it.

Refusal of Polish citizenship

The voivode refuses if the conditions of art. 30 are not met, or if acquiring citizenship would threaten defence, security or public order, art. 31. A refusal is an administrative decision: it is appealed to the minister of the interior within 14 days, and then to a court.

A refusal by the President cannot be appealed. A new application can be filed.

How to check it yourself in five minutes

1. Open the consolidated text of the Polish Citizenship Act, Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1611: art. 30 for the conditions of recognition, art. 10(3a) for the 6 months.
2. In the same act, art. 23 and 35 — discontinuance of a case when there are two applications.
3. On the Sejm's website, open the legislative processes for prints 1273 and 1759: their stages and the date of the last change.
4. Open the schedule to the Stamp Duty Act, Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1154, items 26–27a.

Frequently asked questions about Polish citizenship

When getting citizenship in Poland is not a simple case

Applying for recognition yourself is realistic if the basis is obvious, the period has run, the B1 certificate is in hand, and income and housing are documented. It is different if:

• you are choosing between recognition and an application to the President;
• there were long absences during your years on permanent residence;
• your basis is Polish origin, and it has to be proved with your ancestors' documents;
• you hold a Polish university diploma but no B1 certificate;
• you have been refused and the 14 days for an appeal are running.

Here a mistake costs several years. Describe your situation in the form below, and our partner in Poland, a consultancy that handles foreigners' cases, will look at it.