The Polish government is considering tightening the conditions for granting Polish citizenship. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is already developing a draft and emphasizes that citizenship should be a "privilege that must be earned"
What will change?
- Mandatory citizenship exam — a test of about 40 questions, including knowledge of history, legislation, values of Poland, and the level of integration into society
- Signing a declaration of loyalty to the Polish state
- High level of Polish language — no lower than level B2
- Minimum residence period in Poland — at least 8 years
- Having the status of a tax resident of Poland.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs states that the goal of the reform is to elevate the status of Polish citizenship and establish clear criteria for those who are truly integrated into Polish society
Discussions about the changes
Discussions on citizenship continue. Earlier, the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, proposed increasing the minimum period of continuous residence required for obtaining citizenship from 3 to 10 years
At the end of April 2026, the «PiS» party submitted a bill proposing even stricter naturalization rules for foreigners, including:
- increasing the minimum period of residence — to 10 years instead of 3
- for spouses of Polish citizens — to 6 years instead of 3
- for individuals with Polish roots and the Pole's Card — to 5 years instead of 1 year
- mandatory Polish language level — C1 instead of B1
- egzamin państwowy z historii i kultury Polski
There is also a proposal for a "zero tolerance" policy for public order violations by foreigners: in the case of repeated offenses — automatic deportation
