The card is not citizenship

Being granted the Pole's Card does not mean acquiring Polish citizenship (Art. 7 para. 1 of the Pole's Card Act). However, the card makes the path to citizenship easier through permanent residence.

The path through recognition as a citizen

  1. Permanent residence based on the Pole's Card - application in MOS, without stamp duty. See: permanent residence based on the Pole's Card.
  2. A year of continuous residence in Poland on this permit. A foreigner is recognised as a Polish citizen if they have stayed in Poland continuously for at least a year on the basis of a permanent residence permit obtained in connection with Polish origin or the Pole's Card (Art. 30 para. 1 point 7 of the Act on Polish Citizenship). Breaks in residence are counted as for permanent residence: none longer than 6 months, up to 10 months in total (Art. 30 para. 3).
  3. Polish language - an official certificate at least at level B1 or a school certificate (Art. 30 para. 2). See: Polish at B1 for citizenship.
  4. Application to the voivode competent for your place of residence (Art. 34 and 36). The stamp duty for the decision is 1 000 PLN.

With this ground the Act does not require proof of income or a legal title to housing - these conditions apply to other grounds for recognition (Art. 30 para. 1 points 1 and 6). Details: recognition as a Polish citizen.

Granting by the President

A Pole's Card holder can also apply for Polish citizenship to be granted by the President of Poland. With an application submitted through a consul, they do not pay consular fees for accepting it and preparing the documentation (Art. 5a of the Pole's Card Act). See: granting of citizenship by the President.

After acquiring citizenship, the Pole's Card loses validity by law (Art. 20 para. 1a).