How to proceed

At the office or by mail.

Who is it for?

A foreign national who meets at least one of the following conditions:

1. criterion:

• has resided legally in Poland for a continuous period of at least 3 years based on a permanent residence permit, an EU long-term residence permit or the right of permanent residence,
• has a stable and regular source of income in Poland,
• has the right to occupy a dwelling unit,

2. criterion:

• has resided legally in Poland for a continuous period of at least 2 years based on a permanent residence permit, an EU long-term residence permit or the right of permanent residence,
• has been married to a Polish citizen for at least 3 years or has no citizenship,

3. criterion:

• has resided legally in Poland for a continuous period of at least 2 years based on a residence permit as a refuge which has been granted in Poland,

4. criterion:

• is under 18,
• has resided legally in Poland based on a permanent residence permit, an EU long-term residence permit or the right of permanent residence,
• one of their parents has Polish citizenship,
• the other parent has consented to their child being granted Polish citizenship,

5. criterion:

• is under 18,
• has resided legally in Poland based on a permanent residence permit, an EU long-term residence permit or the right of permanent residence,
• at least one of their parents had their Polish citizenship restored,
• the other parent who does not have Polish citizenship has consented to their child being legally recognised as a Polish citizen,

6. criterion:

• has resided legally in Poland for a continuous period of at least 10 years;
• has a permanent residence permit, an EU long-term residence permit or the right of permanent residence,
• has a stable and regular source of income and the right to occupy a dwelling unit in Poland;

7. criterion:

•    has resided legally in Poland for a continuous period of at least 1 year;
•    has a permanent residence permit obtained on the ground of Polish origin or in connection with their status as a holder of the Polish Card (Karta Polaka).

When to apply

At any time.

What to do

1. Collect all the necessary documents. For details, see ‘What to prepare’.
2. Pay the stamp duty. For details, see ‘How much to pay’.
3. Submit your application to a voivodeship governor. For details, see ‘Where to apply’.
4. Wait for a reply. For details, see ‘How long you will wait’.

Where to apply

You can submit your application or send it by post to a voivodeship governor – depending on where you reside. For example, if you live in Opolskie Voivodeship, apply to the governor of Opolskie Voivodeship.

How much you will pay

PLN 219 for issuing the decision. You will find the account number on the website of the voivodeship office.

What to prepare

• application for recognition as a Polish citizen,
• translation of foreign documents into Polish – if you attach foreign-language documents to the application; such translation must be done by a sworn translator or the Polish consul,

9. A statement of consent by the other parent to their children under 18 being granted Polish citizenship – if only one parent applies for citizenship. They can do it in person in the presence of an employee of a voivodeship office or a consul, or by correspondence with an officially certified signature.

How long you will wait

Up to 2 months.

How to appeal

If you disagree with the voivodeship governor's decision, you can lodge an appeal with the Minister of the Interior and Administration (Ministerstwo Spraw Wewnętrznych i Administracji, MSWiA).

The address is stated below:

Ministerstwo Spraw Wewnętrznych i Administracji ul. Stefana Batorego 5, 02-591 Warszawa.

You must appeal in writing within 14 days after receiving the decision. You can submit the appeal in person at the office or by post.

If you also disagree with MSWiA decision, you can appeal against it to a competent administrative court within 30 days after being issued with MSWiA decision. You must also submit a letter of complaint to MSWiA.

Good to know

Recognition as a Polish citizen and citizenship for children – if you are recognised as a Polish citizen, your children under 18 years will also receive Polish citizenship.
If the child is over 16, they must consent to being granted Polish citizenship. They must do it in person in the presence of an employee from the voivodeship office or a consul or by correspondence with an officially certified signature.