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Ask to be recognised as a Polish citizen

How to get it done?
In the office or by letter.

Who can benefit from the service?
A foreigner who meets at least one of the following conditions:

1.    condition:

  • for at least 3 years, continuously and legally resides in Poland on the basis of a permanent residence permit, a residence permit for a long-term EU resident or the right of permanent residence,
  • has a stable and regular source of income in Poland,
  • has legal title to occupy the dwelling,

2.    condition:

  • for at least 2 years, continuously and legally resides in Poland on the basis of a permanent residence permit, a residence permit for a long-term EU resident or the right of permanent residence,
  • for at least 3 years has been married to a Polish citizen or has no citizenship,

3.    condition:

  • for at least 2 years continuously and legally resides in Poland on the basis of a permit that they obtained in Poland as a refugee,

4.    condition:

  • is under 18 years of age,
  • resides legally in Poland on the basis of a permanent residence permit, a residence permit for a long-term EU resident or the right of permanent residence,
  • one of their parents has Polish citizenship,
  • the other parent agreed to the child being recognised as a Polish citizen,

5.    condition:

  • is under 18 years of age,
  • resides legally in Poland on the basis of a permanent residence permit, a residence permit for a long-term EU resident or the right of permanent residence,
  • at least one of their parents regained Polish citizenship,
  • the other parent, if they do not have Polish citizenship, agreed to the child being recognised as a Polish citizen,

6.    condition:

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

7.    condition:

  • has continuously and legally resided in Poland for at least 1 year;
  • has a permanent residence permit obtained in connection with Polish ancestry or the Pole’s Card.

Remember! To be recognised as a Polish citizen you need to know Polish at B1 level, which has to be officially confirmed. Information on how to obtain such a certificate can be found here.

Remember! The voivode may refuse to recognise a Polish citizen if such recognition would constitute a threat to the defence or security of the state or the protection of public safety and order.

When to submit the application?
At any time.

How to submit the application?
1.    Gather all the necessary documents. See the ‘What to prepare’ section for details.
2.    Pay the stamp duty. See the ‘Fees for applying’ section for details.
3.    Submit your application to the voivode. See the ‘Where to apply’ section for details.
4.    Wait for a response. See the ‘How long is the wait?’ section for details.

Where to submit the application?
You can submit your application or send it by post to the voivode – depending on where you live. For example, if you live in the Opole Voivodeship, apply to the Opole voivode,

Fees for applying
PLN 219 for the issuance of a 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 to Polish – if you are enclosing documents in a foreign language with your application. Such a translation must be carried out by a sworn translator or a Polish consul,
  • a statement of the other parent's consent to your children under 18 years of age acquiring Polish citizenship – if only one parent is applying for citizenship.

How long is the wait?
No longer than 2 months.

How to appeal?
If you do not agree with the voivode's decision, you can appeal to the Minister of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA). Below you will find the address:
Ministerstwo Spraw Wewnętrznych i Administracji ul. Stefana Batorego 5, 02-591 Warsaw.

You should do this in writing within 14 days of receiving the decision. You can submit your appeal in person at the office or by letter.

If you also disagree with the decision of the Ministry of the Interior, you have the right to challenge it in the administrative court. You should do this within 30 days of receiving the minister's decision. Submit your letter of complaint also to the Ministry of the Interior and Administration.

Worth knowing
Recognition as a Polish citizen and children – if you are recognised as a Polish citizen, your children who have not yet reached the age of 18 also receive Polish citizenship.

If the child is over the age of 16, they must agree to acquire Polish citizenship. They can do this in person at the voivodeship office or consulate or by correspondence affixed with an officially certified signature.

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