Polish citizenship opens access to a large number of opportunities offered by the EU passport. Undoubtedly, the greatest advantage is the freedom to choose the country of association for employment and residence, as well as access to the single European market with wide prospects for business and trade. Immigrants are interested in Polish citizenship because of the stability and security, developed economy, high standard of living and social guarantees provided by the state.

It is possible to obtain a Polish passport in 2025 by birthright, by granting, naturalization, repatriation, as well as by restoring the status of a citizen. With each method you need to live in the country from 2 to 10 years, while moving to Poland as a citizen can be much faster and easier – for this purpose you can obtain a passport of another EU country under a simplified program in the period from 4 months.

Migration legislation of Poland

The main legal acts regulating the processes of migration and acquisition of citizenship in Poland are the Polish Citizenship Act and the Regulation on Foreigners. Since 2022, the country has faced a large flow of immigrants and refugees, which has affected the overall migration policy of the government.

In October 2024, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Poland adopted the draft “Comprehensive and Responsible Migration Strategy for 2025-2030”. The document consists of 8 chapters addressing the topics of access to the labor market, integration into society, the right to asylum and protection, as well as the legal stay of foreign citizens in the Republic. Tougher conditions for immigrants in Poland’s new migration strategy include the introduction of a point system for evaluating candidates, priority for EU citizens in employment and restrictions on seasonal migration.

Who is eligible to apply for Polish citizenship

A Polish passport can be obtained on condition of long-term and legal residence in the country, as well as:

• having a stable income on the territory of the state;
• 2 to 10 years of continuous residence in the country;
• mastery of the state language;
• availability of housing in the country;
• absence of threat to public and state security from your side.

Basic package of documents:

• application form in Polish;
• a 3.5 x 4.5 cm photograph of the applicant;
• copies of the residence permit and all completed pages of the passport;
• civil status and birth certificates issued by the Polish civil registry office, including documents of children in case of joint acquisition of citizenship;
• residence registration certificate with a PESEL number;
• a certificate confirming proficiency in Polish at level B1;
• autobiography;
• a receipt for payment of stamp duty;
• photocopies of proof of education obtained in Poland and abroad;
• a statement of the dates of departure and return, as well as the places of stay abroad;
• documents confirming professional achievements (for example, academic degrees or professional titles), political and social activities.

In case of multiple citizenship, copies of other citizenship acquisition certificates and passports should be provided. Documents issued by another country must be translated into Polish and certified by a Polish notary or consul abroad. It is also allowed to be certified by an employee of the Department at the time of application, for each page you have to pay a fee of 1.20 EUR and present the original documents for verification.

Ways of obtaining Polish citizenship

Polish citizenship is automatically granted to children born to Poles. The status can be acquired through restoration, naturalization and repatriation.

Granting

If a foreigner does not meet all the legal requirements for granting citizenship, he has the right to submit an application to the President of Poland. The application must be filled in at the Voivodeship Office or the Civil Registry Office, then it is submitted to the Minister of the Interior and to the Office of the President. Decisions on such applications are made directly by the Head of State and are not subject to appeal.

Restoration

Citizenship status may be restored to applicants who lost it before January 1, 1999 on these grounds:

• did not have a citizenship certificate and when applying for the status did not meet the requirements of the Act on Polish Citizenship of January 20, 1920;
• acquired the citizenship of another State or were deprived of it because of acts against the interests of the State, illegal departure and refusal to return after May 9, 1945 or evasion of military service under the Act on Polish Citizenship of January 8, 1951;
• acquired citizenship of another state without the permission of the competent Polish authority or as a result of marriage to a foreigner under the Polish Citizenship Act of February 15, 1962.

Decisions are made by the Ministry of the Interior. The application must be accompanied by all available documentary evidence of past citizenship, the fact of its loss and the circumstances that contributed to it.

Repatriation

Acquisition of Polish citizenship through repatriation is available to descendants of Polish citizens who before January 1, 2001 permanently resided in the countries of the Caucasus or the Asian part of Russia. The method is available to children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Poles. In doing so, the applicant must demonstrate a close connection with the Polish people passed down through their roots. Proof of such a fact may be the confirmation by any of the above-mentioned relatives of their belonging to the Polish nation, including through observance of folk customs and traditions.

Certificates issued by Polish state or church authorities, as well as records of Polish nationality in documents of the USSR, which contain a record of Polish nationality, may be used to prove the applicant’s origin:

• extracts on deportation or imprisonment;
• military tickets with a record of service in the Polish army;
• extracts on the rehabilitation of a deported person;
• proof of persecution of a person on the basis of origin;
• certificates and extracts from civil status registers;
• birth or baptism certificates.

Naturalization

Acquiring citizenship by this method is a long bureaucratic process. You can obtain a Polish passport through naturalization if you are in the country with permanent residence or long-term resident status in the EU, as well as:

• residing in Poland for 3 years or more;
• having a stable income and housing;
• staying in Poland continuously for 2 years or more, married to a citizen for at least 3 years, or being stateless;
• staying in the country for at least 2 years on the basis of a residence permit granted in connection with the acquisition of refugee status;
• having lived in Poland for 10 years or more, having a regular income and housing;
• staying in the country continuously for 1 year or more on the basis of a permanent residence permit through Polish origin or with a Pole card;
• being in the country as a minor, with one parent having/recovering Polish citizenship and the other parent, who does not have such status, giving written consent to the child’s citizenship.

Initially, you should legalize your stay in Poland by obtaining a residence permit card. The document is issued to foreign citizens who plan to stay in the republic for longer than 3 months on one of the following grounds:

• employment – in the case of a foreign worker occupying a position that cannot be occupied by local applicants;
• highly qualified specialist – employment for a period of 12 months or more to perform work requiring special professional qualifications;
• business – running a business activity with income in the previous tax year of 12 times the average monthly salary of the voivodship (before tax deductions);
• internship – graduation from a higher education institution in the previous 2 years before submitting the application if there is an agreement with the organizer of the internship program;
• seasonal work – labor activity under a permit with a validity period exceeding the permitted stay under the visa or visa-free regime upon submission of an agreement with the employer;
• business trip – coming from abroad to perform assigned tasks on the territory of Poland, provided you have a work permit and guaranteed accommodation in the country;
• intra-corporate transfer – employment in a branch of the company abroad for 12 months (specialist) or 6 months (trainee), with accommodation in Poland and guarantees of return to the main employer upon completion of the transfer;
• research activities – work on the basis of an employment contract with a scientific unit for the performance of tasks and a written application of the employer with the obligation to reimburse the costs of returning the employee with funds from the state budget;
• education – study at a Polish university with the submission of a certificate of admission and documentary proof of course fees;
• family reunification – arrival in the country of a spouse, children under 18 years of age or under 21 years of age and under his/her guardianship of a Polish citizen, a holder of a residence permit card or a person with refugee status.

Other reasons for issuing a temporary residence permit in the Republic include humanitarian purposes (refugee, subsidiary protection or recognition as a victim of human trafficking), volunteering, status of a family member of an immigrant working in Poland, religious activities or graduation from a Polish university (for the purpose of starting a business, employment).

For a more detailed comparison of the available methods of acquiring Polish citizenship, it is worth considering the cost and processing time of the application:

Additionally, you should take into account the cost of obtaining a visa for legal entry into Poland, as well as the subsequent issuance of a temporary residence permit. The price for translation of one page of a document in Poland varies between 16-24 EUR, and notarization – 6-12 EUR per copy. After a minimum of 4 years (for most categories of applicants) it is possible to obtain a permanent residence permit.

When choosing the most suitable way of formalizing the status of a citizen, it is important to pay attention to the required period of residence in the country. It should be borne in mind that recently quite often applicants have encountered workarounds to obtain citizenship. Some immigrants think that to formalize the status it is possible to:

• to buy Polish citizenship – it is impossible, as it is prohibited by law and is a punishable offense;
• marry to obtain citizenship – it will not allow to obtain the status quickly, as it is necessary to live together with the spouse for at least 3 years, and at the same time to be subjected to regular checks on the fictitiousness of such a union;
• give birth to a child in Poland – giving birth in the country will not allow the status to be granted to either the child or the parents, as this possibility is not regulated by the legislation;
• purchase real estate – at the moment there are no active programs in the country to grant citizenship for investment or purchase of housing;
• to provide forged documents – threatens legal consequences and is guaranteed to result in denial of citizenship.

Procedure for obtaining Polish citizenship

The step-by-step process of obtaining Polish citizenship consists of 8 steps:

1. Obtaining a visa.
   You should apply for a visa at the Consulate of the Republic of Poland. It is necessary to obtain an entry permit on the same basis on which you plan to apply for a residence permit card in the future.
2. Issuance of a residence permit.
   After arriving in the country, you should make an appointment for a visit to the Voivodship office using the InPOL portal. During the visit to the Voivodship office, you must provide documentary evidence of the grounds for long-term stay in Poland and pay the stamp duty.
3. Obtaining a permanent residence card.
   Foreign nationals who have lived in Poland for 4 years or more with a residence permit and who have passed the B1 level Polish language exam are eligible to obtain a permanent residence card. It is necessary to register for an appointment at the Voivodship, and during the visit you must fill in an application for a permanent residence card and pay the stamp duty.
4. Preparation of the application package.
   It is possible to become eligible to apply for Polish citizenship after legal residence for 2-10 years (depending on the basis). During this time, you should prepare a package of documents confirming the length of stay, financial security and law-abidingness of the applicant.
5. Filing an application for citizenship.
   You can fill in the application for Polish citizenship after registering on the InPOL service at the Voivodeship Office for Foreigners. After submitting the documents, it is also necessary to pay the stamp duty.
6. Waiting for a decision.
   Consideration of the application for citizenship in Poland usually takes 30 days, but in individual cases, when it is necessary to clarify information or conduct additional checks, the period may be increased to 3 months.
7. Taking the oath.
   In case of a positive response, the applicant will be invited to the Office to take the oath and receive a certificate of citizenship of the Republic of Poland.
8. Issuance of internal documents of a citizen of the country.
   In order to obtain a passport in the format of a book and an identity card, you should apply to the Passport Office at your place of residence with personal documents and a certificate of citizenship. You can make an appointment in advance on the government website, where you need to register.

Denial of status and deprivation of citizenship

Polish citizenship can be denied to someone who:

• resides in the state without authorization;
• poses a threat to security, public order and defense of the state;
• stays in the Republic for less than the minimum required period;
• does not have a stable income or housing in Poland;
• has a criminal record and tax arrears.

Also, the applicant may be denied the status of a citizen if he/she has not completed the package of documents in a timely manner at the request of the Voivodeship staff – in such a case the proceedings are terminated.

A negative answer can be challenged by filing an appeal to the Minister of the Interior within 14 days from the receipt of the decision, either in person or by mail. If a repeated refusal is received, it can be appealed to the administrative court within 30 days from the issuance of the Minister’s reply, simultaneously filing a complaint with the Ministry of Interior. You can also avoid rejection by contacting migration specialists, who will provide all the necessary assistance in obtaining citizenship of an EU country for moving to Poland.

Advantages of Polish citizenship

Polish citizenship is also a status in the EU, so passport holders of the republic have the same advantages as residents of other states of the association. A Polish passport gives:

• the opportunity to freely choose an EU state for residence and employment;
• travel to more than 160 countries without the need for a visa;
• the right to participate in elections and run for public office;
• access to health care services in the country and the EU, as well as European insurance;
• the possibility to receive education in higher education institutions in Poland and EU countries on preferential or free of charge basis;
• protection and assistance by the state through diplomatic and consular services abroad;
• access to the social protection system and payments to low-income categories of the population;
• advantage in occupying highly paid positions in comparison with foreign citizens;
• receiving financial support and benefits for doing business;
• State funding for micro, small and medium-sized businesses in the areas of innovation, scientific research, computerization and environmental technologies;
• the right to retain original citizenship, unless prohibited in the country of origin;
• possibility of obtaining status for descendants of a Polish passport holder born abroad;
• access to mortgages and loans on more favorable terms compared to non-residents;
• the right to purchase real estate without obtaining additional permits.

Polish citizenship also has certain disadvantages, which are mostly related to the process of obtaining it. For most applicants, the only way to acquire the status is naturalization, which requires long residence in the country.

Dual citizenship in Poland

Dual citizenship as a separate status is possible when there is an agreement between countries, but Poland has no such agreements. Having a second passport in Poland is not prohibited only if the country of origin also allows it. A Polish passport holder who holds a second citizenship in another country is perceived by the Republic exclusively as a Polish citizen – persons with dual status cannot claim to belong to another country. The law does not require to notify the state of origin about obtaining a Polish passport.

Testimonials of those who have obtained a Polish passport

The reviews published on the Internet by immigrants who have obtained a Polish passport contain a lot of information about both the advantages and disadvantages of the status. The main difficulties encountered during the passport application process are the length of the procedure and the need to collect a large number of documents to obtain a positive decision. The mandatory requirement to speak the state language already at the stage of permanent residence has significantly complicated the process of citizenship registration.

The cost of the procedure is quite high, the costs of preparing a dossier, namely translation of documents and their notarization are quite expensive. It should be remembered about the need for long-term residence in the country, which requires payment of rent and various fees, extension of documents and confirmation of income.

In order to save time and money, it is better to get the support of Relocation Compass migration specialists, who will find a faster and more inexpensive way to immigrate to Poland or any EU country. EU citizenship is a status that opens up a wide range of opportunities, and its processing with the help of experienced specialists takes up to 14 months.

Assistance in acquiring a second citizenship

Acquisition of citizenship in the European Union is a complex process, the legislation provides for a large number of requirements and conditions that must be met by the applicant.

In order to achieve a positive result and obtain the status of a citizen in the EU, it is advisable to contact migration specialists who will be able to choose the optimal program with the preservation of the passport in the country of origin. Relocation Compass lawyers will be able to consider your situation and offer the fastest and most inexpensive way to a European passport, which will open access to life in Poland.