Country guide · Poland

Polish citizenship by marriage: the spouse route

Citizenship-by-Descent.com·Last reviewed November 2026

Educational information only — not legal advice. Always verify with the relevant authority, consulate or registry office.

If you’re married to a Polish citizen, you can become Polish by recognition after 3 years of marriage and 2 years of living in Poland on a permanent residence permit, with a B1 Polish certificate and a PLN 1,000 fee. You can’t do it from abroad: the route assumes you’ve moved to Poland. The slow part is getting the permanent permit in the first place. For most spouses that takes 2 years on a temporary permit first.

This is a separate route from citizenship by descent. If you or your spouse has Polish ancestry, read the Polish citizenship by descent guide first. Your spouse may already be Polish without knowing it, and their status has to be on record before yours can follow: confirmation of Polish citizenship explains how they prove it.

The rules at a glance

  • Marriage: at least 3 years married to a Polish citizen.
  • Residence: at least 2 years of uninterrupted stay in Poland on a permanent residence permit, an EU long-term resident permit or a right of permanent residence.
  • Language: Polish at B1, with official proof.
  • Who decides: the voivode (regional governor) for the place where you live.
  • Fee: PLN 1,000.
  • Decision time in law: 6 months, extendable in justified cases.
  • Dual citizenship: allowed. Poland doesn’t ask you to give up your current citizenship.

Who qualifies

Article 30(1)(2)(a) of the Act of 2 April 2009 on Polish Citizenship says a foreigner is recognised as a Polish citizen if they:

  • have stayed in Poland without interruption for at least 2 years on a permanent residence permit (zezwolenie na pobyt stały), an EU long-term resident permit or a right of permanent residence; and
  • have been married to a Polish citizen for at least 3 years; and
  • know Polish at B1 or above, proven officially.

Unlike the general route for long-term residents, the spouse route doesn’t ask you to prove a stable income or a legal title to your home. The voivode must refuse if you don’t meet the conditions, or if your becoming Polish would threaten national defence, state security or public order. Before deciding, the office asks the regional police and the Internal Security Agency (ABW) whether there’s any objection.

“Uninterrupted” has a precise meaning. The Act borrows the rule from the Foreigners Act: no single break longer than 6 months, and no more than 10 months away in total. Some absences don’t count against you, such as work abroad for an employer based in Poland, accompanying a spouse who does, or a study placement with a Polish university.

First, the permanent residence permit

Recognition only starts once you hold a permanent permit, so most of the waiting happens before you apply. For a spouse arriving from outside the EU, the usual path runs like this:

  1. Temporary residence permit as a spouse. The voivode grants it for the length of stay needed, from over 3 months up to 3 years, and it can be renewed.
  2. Permanent residence permit. Under Article 195(1)(4) of the Foreigners Act you qualify if you’re in a marriage recognised by Polish law with a Polish citizen, you’d been married at least 3 years when you apply, and you’ve stayed in Poland without interruption for at least 2 years immediately before, on a temporary permit granted because of that marriage. The law gives the voivode 6 months to decide.
  3. Two more years on the permanent permit, then apply for citizenship.

So even if you’ve been married for decades, plan on at least four years of living in Poland before you can file, plus however long the offices take. The office checks whether the marriage was entered into to get around immigration rules: the Lubuskie voivode’s list asks for a written account of how you met, up to 30 dated photos of your life together and proof of a shared household.

Since 27 April 2026, permit applications are filed online through the MOS portal. You need a PESEL number and a Trusted Profile (Profil Zaufany) to log in, and you must sign the application yourself. The Lubuskie office lists 640 zł in stamp duty for the permanent permit and 100 zł for the residence card.

Already have a permanent permit on another basis? Any permanent permit, EU long-term resident permit or right of permanent residence counts for the 2 years. If you have Polish roots yourself and got your permanent permit through Polish origin or a Karta Polaka, a separate rule needs only 1 year.

The B1 Polish requirement

The Act accepts three kinds of proof:

  • the state certificate of Polish as a foreign language at B1 or higher, issued by the State Commission for the Certification of Proficiency in Polish as a Foreign Language (Państwowa Komisja do spraw Poświadczania Znajomości Języka Polskiego jako Obcego). The MSWiA page points to certyfikatpolski.pl for exam dates and centres;
  • a school-leaving certificate from a school in Poland; or
  • a school-leaving certificate from a school abroad that teaches in Polish.

A certificate from a Polish post-secondary school (szkoła policealna) hasn’t counted since 1 July 2025. A transitional rule still accepted one finished by 30 June 2025, but only for applications started between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026. For anyone applying now, that window has closed. No other certificate, such as a private language school’s, is accepted.

For adults, the law currently caps the B1 exam fee at the local equivalent of EUR 150. A new law takes effect on 1 January 2027: exam fee caps will be tied to the Polish average wage, and passing candidates will pay 100 zł for the certificate. Our language requirements guide compares Poland’s test with other countries.

Documents

The Łódź voivode’s office lists these for a spouse:

  • the application on the official form, in Polish, and one biometric photo;
  • your birth certificate and your marriage certificate: an extract from a Polish civil register, or the foreign record with a translation;
  • a copy of your passport;
  • copies of your permanent residence permit and residence card;
  • your B1 certificate or school-leaving certificate;
  • a list of every departure from and return to Poland, with proof such as passport stamps or tickets, to show your stay was uninterrupted;
  • a document proving your spouse is a Polish citizen;
  • any documents about Polish citizenship you held or applied for in the past; and
  • proof that you paid the PLN 1,000.

Every document in a foreign language must come with a Polish translation made or certified by a sworn translator or a Polish consul. Lists vary slightly between offices, so check the page of the voivode for the place where you live. Our certified translation guide and apostille guide explain those steps for foreign records.

Applying, step by step

  1. Get the permanent permit and keep your stay uninterrupted for 2 years on it.
  2. Pass the B1 exam or gather your Polish school-leaving certificate.
  3. Pay PLN 1,000 to the account listed by your voivode’s office.
  4. File with the voivode for the place where you live, in person or by post. You can include your minor children, even if they don’t live in Poland. If only you are becoming Polish, they’re covered only if their other parent consents in writing or has no parental authority, and a child over 16 must consent too.
  5. Wait for the decision. The law gives the voivode 6 months, extendable in justified cases. There’s no official figure for actual waiting times.
  6. If you’re refused, you have 14 days to appeal to the Ministry of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA), and then 30 days to take the ministry’s decision to the administrative court.

The alternative: a grant from the President

Article 18 of the Act says simply that the President may grant Polish citizenship to a foreigner. The Act sets no minimum residence, no marriage period and no language test for this route, but it’s entirely discretionary:

  • From abroad you apply through the Polish consulate that covers your area, booked through e-konsulat. The form must be filled in Polish, and copies must be certified by a consul. The consulates in the US, for example, charge 529 USD. Other consulates set their fee in local currency, so check your consulate.
  • In Poland you apply through the voivode, and the stamp duty is 1,669 zł. The Zachodniopomorskie office says it accepts applications only from people living there on a residence permit or right of stay, not a visa or visa-free entry.
  • No deadline and no appeal. The President isn’t bound by any time limit, and the decision can’t be challenged.

The application asks about your income, professional achievements, social activity, your knowledge of Polish and any Polish ancestors, and you explain why you’re applying. A strong personal tie to Poland helps, but no official source says how much weight a marriage carries. Don’t run both routes at once: if you apply for recognition while a grant application is pending, the Act says the recognition case is discontinued.

Same-sex marriages

Polish law doesn’t allow same-sex marriage, and the spouse permit requires a marriage “recognised by Polish law”. On 25 November 2025 the EU Court of Justice ruled in case C-713/23 that Poland can’t refuse to recognise, or to transcribe, a same-sex marriage that two Polish citizens concluded lawfully in another EU country while exercising their free-movement rights, where transcription is the only way Poland recognises foreign marriages. Since 23 August 2026 Polish civil registry offices have new marriage-certificate templates so those marriages can be transcribed.

The ruling concerned two Polish citizens who married in Germany. It doesn’t say anything about a marriage performed outside the EU, such as in the US, and we found no official guidance on whether a transcribed same-sex marriage now counts for the spouse residence permit or for recognition. If this applies to you, get advice from a Polish immigration lawyer before you plan around this route.

Can you keep your current citizenship?

Poland doesn’t ask you to give up your current citizenship, and nothing in the Act makes renunciation a condition of recognition. But Article 3 says a Polish citizen who also holds another citizenship has the same rights and duties as any Pole, and can’t rely on the other citizenship before Polish authorities. In Poland you’re simply Polish. Whether you keep your other citizenship also depends on that country’s law: some countries end citizenship when you voluntarily take another, so check yours. Our Polish dual citizenship guide covers what that means at the border and beyond.

Will the rules change?

Bills to tighten the rules for foreigners becoming Polish have been put before the Sejm since 2025. When we checked, none had changed the Act: the official legal database lists no amendment in force after 1 August 2025. If a change passes, it may come with transitional rules for pending cases, so check before you file.

Frequently asked questions

Does marrying a Polish citizen make me Polish?

No. Article 5 of the Citizenship Act says marriage between a Polish citizen and a foreigner doesn't change either spouse's citizenship. You have to apply, and the spouse route only opens once you've lived in Poland for some years.

Can I apply from abroad?

Not for recognition. You need at least 2 years of continuous stay in Poland on a permanent residence permit, an EU long-term resident permit or a right of permanent residence, and you apply to the voivode for the place where you live. The only route open from abroad is asking the President for a grant through a Polish consulate, which is discretionary.

How long does the whole process take?

Most spouses moving to Poland from outside the EU start with a temporary residence permit based on the marriage. After at least 2 years on it, and at least 3 years of marriage, you can apply for permanent residence. After 2 more years on that permit you can apply for citizenship. That's at least four years of living in Poland, plus the time the offices take. By law the voivode has 6 months for each decision, though that can be extended.

What Polish level do I need?

B1, proven with the state certificate issued by the State Commission for the Certification of Proficiency in Polish as a Foreign Language, or with a school-leaving certificate from a school in Poland or a Polish-language school abroad. A certificate from a Polish post-secondary school (szkoła policealna) doesn't count.

How much does it cost?

PLN 1,000 in stamp duty for the citizenship decision. Before that, the permanent residence permit costs 640 zł plus 100 zł for the card, according to the Lubuskie voivode's office. Add the B1 exam, sworn translations and certified copies.

Do I have to give up my current citizenship?

No. The Act doesn't make giving up another citizenship a condition of recognition. But under Article 3, once you are Polish, Polish authorities treat you only as a Polish citizen and you can't rely on your other citizenship before them. Whether you keep your other citizenship also depends on that country's law: some countries end citizenship when you voluntarily take another, so check yours.

Does a same-sex marriage count?

This is unsettled. Polish law doesn't allow same-sex marriage, and the spouse permit requires a marriage recognised by Polish law. The EU Court of Justice ruled in November 2025 that Poland must recognise a same-sex marriage two Polish citizens concluded in another EU country, and Poland changed its marriage-certificate templates in August 2026 to allow transcription. We found no official guidance on whether such a marriage now qualifies for the spouse permit or citizenship, so get advice from a Polish lawyer before you rely on it.

What if we divorce before I apply?

The spouse route requires that you are still married to a Polish citizen, and have been for at least 3 years, so a divorce before the application ends that route. You could still qualify later on another ground, such as 3 years on a permanent permit with stable income and housing.

Official sources

Checked against these sources on 11 November 2026. Each voivode’s office publishes its own document list and bank details, so check the page of the office for the place where you live.