Marriage does not change citizenship
A Polish citizen marrying a foreigner does not cause any change in the spouses' citizenship (Art. 5 of the Act on Polish Citizenship). You can get citizenship through recognition when you meet the conditions.
Conditions for recognition
A foreigner is recognised as a Polish citizen if they (Art. 30 para. 1 point 2 letter a):
- have stayed in Poland continuously for at least 2 years on the basis of a permanent residence permit, an EU long-term resident permit or a right of permanent residence,
- have been married to a Polish citizen for at least 3 years.
In addition, you must confirm your knowledge of Polish at least at level B1 (Art. 30 para. 2) - see Polish at B1. With this ground the Act does not require proof of income or a legal title to housing.
The usual order
- A temporary residence permit for the spouse of a Polish citizen - see residence card.
- After 3 years of marriage and 2 years of residence on this permit - permanent residence (Art. 195 para. 1 point 4 of the Act on Foreigners). See: permanent residence for the spouse of a Polish citizen.
- After 2 years of continuous permanent residence - an application to the voivode for recognition as a citizen. The stamp duty is 1 000 PLN.
Residence is continuous if no break lasted more than 6 months and all of them together - more than 10 months (Art. 30 para. 3 and Art. 195 para. 4 of the Act on Foreigners). List of documents: documents for recognition.