Holding a residence card and thinking of a Polish passport? This application may not wait
The Interior Ministry has entered in the government's legislative list a draft that tightens the path to Polish citizenship: B2 instead of B1, a civic test, a declaration of loyalty. What applies today and why the timing of your application matters.
A B1 certificate, three years on permanent residence, a lease and a steady job — today that is, in most cases, enough for the voivode to recognise a foreign national as a Polish citizen. The government wants to raise that bar: B2 instead of B1, a test on knowledge of Poland, a declaration of loyalty and a longer stay. For now this is only a draft. But if you already meet the conditions today, this article explains why you should not put off your application.
What the government’s legislative list says
On 27 October 2026 the legislative work list of the Council of Ministers gained draft UD491 — an act amending the Act on Polish citizenship and certain other acts. It is being prepared by the Ministry of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA), with Secretary of State Magdalena Roguska responsible, and the government plans to adopt it in Q4 2026. Gazeta Prawna writes of a “new act”; according to the list, it is an extensive amendment of the 2009 Act.
Important: this is not law in force. The list contains only the outline. As at the date of publication we did not find the text of the draft on the website of the Government Legislation Centre (RCL), so there are no articles, figures or transitional provisions yet. The ministry justifies the changes by the need to “verify a genuine connection with Poland” and to limit threats “to state security and public order”.
Two routes to citizenship — the change hits one
A foreign national can become a Polish citizen in two main ways, and they must be kept apart:
- Recognition as a Polish citizen (uznanie za obywatela polskiego, Art. 30–36 of the Act). The decision is issued by the voivode (wojewoda, regional governor) for your place of residence. If you meet the statutory conditions and pose no security threat, the voivode must recognise you. This is the route most residence-card holders take.
- Granting of citizenship by the President of Poland (nadanie obywatelstwa, Art. 18–29). The Act says only that the President “may grant” citizenship. There are no statutory conditions and no minimum period of residence — the decision is discretionary and takes the form of an order (postanowienie). The application is filed through the voivode or a consul.
The outline of the draft concerns recognition and the restoration of citizenship. The list says nothing about granting by the President.
One trap already applies today: if you apply to the President while your recognition case is pending, the recognition proceedings will be discontinued (Art. 23). It also works the other way round (Art. 35(1)). Do not file both applications “just in case”.
Today and in the draft
We checked the current position in the consolidated text of the Act (Dz.U. 2025 item 1611). The “draft” column reflects only what MSWiA wrote in the list.
| Condition (recognition) | Today | In the draft |
|---|---|---|
| Period of residence | usually 3 years without interruption on permanent residence, EU long-term resident status or right of permanent residence; 2 years for marriage to a Polish citizen (at least 3 years) and stateless persons; 1 year with permanent residence based on Polish origin or the Karta Polaka (Pole’s Card); 10 years of legal residence in the route under point 6 | longer — by how much, the list does not say |
| Polish language | B1 (certificate, or a school certificate from Poland or from a school teaching in Polish; a post-secondary school certificate is not enough) | B2 |
| Civic test | none | exam on knowledge of Poland |
| Declaration of loyalty to Poland | none | mandatory |
| Income | “stable and regular source of income” — only in the 3-year and 10-year routes | minimum income level; sources of support for everyone |
| Housing | legal title to occupy a dwelling — only in the 3-year and 10-year routes | legal title to a dwelling for everyone |
| Centre of life | no requirement | centre of life in Poland and tax residence |
Gazeta Prawna points to a change of wording on housing: from title “to occupy a dwelling” to title “to a dwelling”. Whether, in practice, a loan-for-use arrangement or registration at a relative’s flat will stop being enough will only be settled by the wording of the provision.
Refusal and withdrawal: new tools for the authorities
Today the voivode refuses recognition in two situations: when you do not meet the conditions of Art. 30, or when acquiring citizenship poses a threat to defence, state security or public order (Art. 31). Before deciding, the voivode asks the Police and the Internal Security Agency (ABW) (Art. 36(2)).
The draft is to add mandatory grounds for refusal: a final criminal conviction, fines (including on-the-spot fines) within a specified period before the application, false data in the application and forged documents. How long that “specified period” will be, and whether every traffic ticket counts, the list does not say.
The second tool is the annulment of a decision on recognition or restoration of citizenship at any time, where the foreign national submitted forged documents, made false statements or concealed the truth — including earlier, in residence-card or Karta Polaka proceedings. MP Artur Łącki (KO) spoke to Gazeta Prawna of a “path to taking away” citizenship obtained in that way. Bear in mind that the Constitution (Art. 34(2)) allows citizenship to be lost only by renunciation. How the draft reconciles annulment with that will only be shown by the provisions and the explanatory memorandum.
The draft also phases out the simplified restoration of citizenship under Art. 38 — applications will be accepted until 31 December 2030.
Apply now or wait?
When this Act changes, cases already under way are usually completed under the rules in force on the date of the application — but only because a transitional provision says so. That is exactly what happened at the last amendment: recognition cases opened and not completed by 30 June 2025 were handled under the old rules (Art. 15 of the Act of 4 April 2025, Dz.U. 2025 item 622). Without such a provision, the authority as a rule applies the law in force on the date of the decision. So there is no guarantee it will be the same this time — that will be decided by the draft’s transitional provisions, which we have not yet seen.
The conclusion is simple: if you already meet the conditions — the required period of residence, a B1 certificate, income and a housing title — consider filing your application before the new rules take effect. A complete application filed today is the best protection available.
What this means for you
If you are a foreign national:
- Count from when you have held permanent residence or EU long-term resident status without interruption. That period counts, not your whole stay in Poland.
- Have a B1 certificate? Do not delay your application. If you are still learning, aim for B2 — a higher-level certificate will not hurt in any scenario.
- Gather proof of income and a legal title to your home (a lease, a deed of ownership). These documents may become required from everyone.
- Check your history of fines. The draft wants to make them a mandatory ground for refusal.
- Give truthful data and documents in every case — including residence-card proceedings. A false statement may one day cost you your citizenship.
If you employ foreign nationals:
- Long-serving employees with permanent residence may ask for a certificate of employment and earnings. Issue it quickly — income matters in a recognition application.
- A stable contract and regular pay are already a statutory condition, and the draft wants to add a minimum income threshold.
- An employee who becomes a Polish citizen no longer needs a work permit or a residence card. You employ them like any Polish worker.
Thinking about Polish citizenship and want to check whether you already qualify? Write to us — we reply within one business day, in Polish, English and Spanish. We will review your period of residence, language and income documents and tell you whether applying now makes sense.
Based on: Act of 2 April 2009 on Polish citizenship (consolidated text, Dz.U. 2025 item 1611), Art. 18–26, 30–36; Act of 4 April 2025 amending certain acts to eliminate irregularities in the visa system of the Republic of Poland (Dz.U. 2025 item 622), Art. 15; Constitution of the Republic of Poland, Art. 34(2); legislative work list of the Council of Ministers, draft act amending the Act on Polish citizenship and certain other acts (UD491), entry of 27 October 2026. The statement of MP Artur Łącki and the remark on housing title after the article “Cudzoziemcom będzie trudniej uzyskać polski paszport”, Wojciech Kubik, Gazeta Prawna, 28 October 2026. Legal status as at 30 October 2026 — the draft has not yet been adopted by the government. This article is for information only and is not legal advice in an individual case.
