Polish Citizenship in 2026 — Who Can Obtain It Right Now and What the Announced Rules Would Change

In 2026 Polish citizenship can still be obtained under the current, favourable rules — but everything suggests this will not last long. Work on tightening the law is under way in the Sejm and in the government in parallel: from extending the required period of residence to as much as 10 years, to a state exam on knowledge of Poland. As of July 2026, however, the position is unambiguous: none of these changes has entered into force. Anyone who meets the current conditions should file the application now, not wait for the law to change.

The paths to Polish citizenship

The Act on Polish Citizenship provides for several procedures. In practice, two of them matter for foreigners living in Poland:

• recognition as a Polish citizen — a decision of the voivode (wojewoda), based on specific, verifiable conditions; if you meet them, the office must issue a positive decision,
• grant of citizenship by the President of Poland — a fully discretionary procedure, with no formal conditions and no deadline for examination.

Recognition as a citizen — the conditions in 2026

The most popular route is recognition based on 3 years of uninterrupted residence in Poland under a permanent residence permit (pobyt stały) or EU long-term resident status, combined with a stable source of income and legal title to a home. Shorter periods apply, among others, to:

• spouses of Polish citizens — 2 years of residence on a permanent residence permit and at least 3 years of marriage,
• refugees — 2 years of residence on a permanent residence permit obtained in connection with refugee status.

Every recognition application requires official certification of Polish at level B1 or higher (a state certificate or a leaving certificate from a school in Poland). The stamp duty is PLN 219. We covered the key piece of the puzzle separately: how to obtain a permanent residence permit or EU long-term resident status — without it, the 3-year clock never even starts.

Grant by the President — for those who do not meet the conditions

The President may grant citizenship to any foreigner, with no statutory conditions whatsoever — what counts is the overall picture: length of stay, family, work, integration. The application is filed through the voivode (in Poland) or a consul (abroad). The downsides: proceedings can take a long time, the deadlines of the KPA do not apply, and a refusal requires no reasons and cannot be challenged. It is a route for those who fall short of recognition — a plan B, not a substitute.

What is coming: 8-10 years of residence and a state exam

That the rules will be tightened is discussed openly:

• on 9 January 2026 the Sejm rejected at first reading a parliamentary bill extending the required residence from 3 to 10 years and raising the language requirement to C1,
• still before the Sejm is a presidential bill, likewise envisaging 10 years of residence,
• the Ministry of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA) has announced a government amendment: a total of 8 years of legal residence (including 5 years of permanent residence) plus a state exam on history and constitutional values.

None of these bills has become law yet — but the direction of change is obvious and shared across the political spectrum. The window for obtaining citizenship after 3 years of permanent residence may close within months.

Why it pays to act now

New legislation as a rule contains transitional provisions under which applications filed before the change are examined under the old rules — although nobody today knows what the final transitional provisions will say. One thing is certain: an application filed today is an application assessed under the current, more lenient conditions. If you hold permanent residence and are approaching the required 3 years, count your dates precisely — and if you are still building your path, start by putting your residence status in order.

How we can help

We analyse which path to choose, assemble the documents, draft the applications and conduct recognition cases — including when the voivode has refused. See how we work in foreigners' cases in Warsaw, and book a consultation before the law changes.