Polish citizenship can be acquired by birth to parents, at least one of whom is a Polish citizen, or by birth on the territory of Poland when the parents are unknown, have no citizenship or it is undefined.
In the first case, we are talking about the principle of the right of blood – Polish citizenship is obtained from parents. Confirmation of Polish citizenship.
In the second case, it is the principle of the right of the soil, when Polish citizenship is granted on the basis of place of birth.
Naturalization (granting Polish citizenship to a foreigner, of the state in which they have settled) in Polish law is based on the Act of 2 April 2009 on Polish citizenship. Based on it, we distinguish the following methods of acquiring Polish citizenship:
1. Grant of Polish Citizenship by the President of the Republic of Poland or by being recognized as a Polish citizen by an administrative decision issued by a Voivode.
2. Recognition as a polish citizen, if a foreigner applies for Polish citizenship, knows the Polish language, does not pose a threat to national security and meets one of the following criteria:
– has been living in Poland for at least 3 years pursuant to a permanent residence permit, right of permanent residence or as an EU resident, has a stable and regular source of income, owns or rents a flat or a house;
– has been living in Poland continuously and legally for at least 10 years and has received a permanent residence permit, the right of permanent residence or is an EU resident;
– has a stable and regular source of income, owns or rents a flat or a house;
– has been staying continuously on the territory of the Republic of Poland for at least a year pursuant to a permanent residence permit, which he/she obtained in connection with his/her Polish origin or the Pole’s Card;
– has been living in Poland for at least 2 years pursuant to a permanent residence permit, right of permanent residence or as an EU resident, has been married to a Polish citizen for 3 years;
– has been living in Poland for at least 2 years pursuant to a permanent residence permit, right of permanent residence or as an EU resident and is a stateless person;
– has been living in Poland for at least 2 years pursuant to a permanent residence permit, which he/she obtained in relation to a refugee status granted in the Republic of Poland;
3. Restoration of Polish citizenship, which applies to persons who lost their Polish citizenship before 1 January 1999. Such persons are also subjected to detailed control in terms of possible threats. Polish citizenship is restored by a decision of the Minister of Internal Affairs.
European Union citizenship and Polish citizenship
The accession of the Republic of Poland to the European Union on 1 May 2004 resulted in Polish citizens automatically being granted European Union citizenship. One citizenship does not exclude the other.
The Act of 9 November 2000 on repatriation Article 4 A person arriving in the Republic of Poland on the basis of a national visa for the purpose of repatriation shall acquire Polish citizenship by virtue of the law as of the day of crossing the border of the Republic of Poland.
European Union citizenship is complementary to, but does not replace, national citizenship. It confers rights and imposes no new obligations. By virtue of EU citizenship, there is the possibility of free movement of people, we have the right to vote for the European Parliament, diplomatic and consular protection and the right to address a complaint to the European Ombudsman.
Feel free to contact us!