Polish citizenship

How to become a Polish national

Polish citizenship

Foreigners legally resident in Poland for a certain amount of time (depending on their status) can apply to become a Polish citizen. Different factors are taken into account for eligibility for nationalization in Poland.

An application for Polish citizenship has to be submitted in person to the Voivod’s office. If you’re living outside of Poland you should submit your application to the Polish Consulate in your country of residence.

Who can apply for Polish citizenship?

A citizenship can be obtained exclusively by foreigners who meet one of the following requirements:

  • a child (still a minor) born in the territory of the Republic of Poland to foreign parents who hold a legal residency permit
  • marriage to a Polish citizen for a minimum of 3 years AND living in Poland without interruption on the basis of residence permit issued for at least 2 years prior to the application
  • residing in Poland for at least 10 years on the basis of a permit for a tolerated residence, or for 5 years in connection with a refugee status,
  • children of a Polish citizen under parental authority.

Residence in Poland is deemed uninterrupted if it was not broken for longer than 6 months and all the breaks together did not exceed 10 months, unless the break was caused by:

  • fulfilment of professional duties and work outside of Poland, on the basis of an agreement made with an employer whose place of business is situated in Poland;
  • accompanying a spouse who was fulfilling his/her professional duties as defined above;
  • the need to obtain new travel documentation; and/or
  • medical treatment.

Application requirements for Polish citizenship

A foreign citizen who intends to apply for a Polish citizenship should submit:

  • four completed application forms
  • five passport size photographs ( 4.5 cm -3.5 cm )
  • a valid passport
  • documents certifying the required periods of uninterrupted stay in Poland
  • certification of no tax arrears towards the State Treasury
  • current certificate of temporary residence
  • legal title to a rented or owned apartment/house and documents certifying this fact

Further reading

Does this article help?

Do you have any comments, updates or questions on this topic? Ask them here: