As a foreigner living in Poland, sooner or later there comes a desire to acquire Polish citizenship. According to the law, such a person may acquire Polish citizenship in two ways: by being granted citizenship by the President of Poland or by being recognized as a Polish citizen. In either case, you must take care to prepare all the necessary documents or meet certain conditions. Read the article to the end and find out how to obtain Polish citizenship.
How to obtain Polish citizenship? – Granting by the President of the Republic of Poland
The President of the Republic of Poland may, upon application, grant Polish citizenship to a foreign national. The President of the Republic of Poland is not limited in his constitutional powers by any conditions and may grant Polish citizenship to any foreigner. Additionally, the foreigner does not have to meet any conditions, e.g. he does not have to have lived in Poland for a certain number of years. However, in his/her application he/she must prove his/her ties with Poland. The President of the Republic of Poland is not bound by any deadlines in Polish citizenship granting cases. In practice, the decision of the President of the Republic of Poland is currently awaited for over a year. You cannot appeal from this decision. The decision of the President of the Republic of Poland is final.
Recognition of a foreigner as a Polish citizen
In this case, the foreigner should submit an application to the Province Governor competent for his/her place of residence. At the same time, he/she is obliged to fulfil several conditions. These are
- uninterrupted stay on the Polish territory for at least 3 years,
- having a certificate confirming their Polish language skills on B1 level,
- a residence permit for a long-term resident or a permanent residence permit.
The application should be accompanied by a list of required documents. Their list can be found on the website. You will have to wait a maximum of two months for a decision. If you do not agree with the decision of the Governor, you can appeal to the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration (MSWiA).
How do I acquire Polish citizenship? – Citizenship and children
If one parent obtains Polish citizenship, his/her children who have not yet turned 18 will be granted Polish citizenship only if
- the other parent does not have parental authority,
- the other parent has consented to the child acquiring Polish citizenship (the consent is given in an affidavit).
If both parents acquire Polish citizenship, their children who have not yet turned 18 will also acquire Polish citizenship.
Remember, whatever the case, if you have children between the ages of 16 and 18, they must agree to become citizens too. They can only do this in person at the USC Office or consulate.