Instead of three - ten years: Polish president proposed to raise requirements for obtaining citizenship

The draft law envisages increasing the minimum period of continuous stay in Poland from three to ten years (on the basis of a permanent residence permit, a long-term EU resident permit, or the right of permanent residence), which is necessary for recognizing a foreigner as a Polish citizen. This was reported by PAP, writes UNN.

The purpose of the proposed law is to create conditions that will contribute to the fuller integration of foreigners before granting them Polish citizenship.

According to the authors of the project, the existence of a "stable, factual connection between a foreigner and the state community justifies their acceptance into this community, but the formation of such connections and integration with it takes time, and the current 3-year period is insufficient." As stated in the explanation to the presidential project, "there can be no integration that justifies participation in the civil community without staying in the country and functioning in its society."

The document also draws attention to the fact that the current 3-year period of stay required to obtain citizenship "is one of the shortest in the European Union," which, according to the initiators, "may not provide enough time to master the Polish language at B1 level, understand the culture, and fully adapt to the socio-legal reality."

The explanation provides examples: Hungary requires 8 years of residence, Italy, Austria, and Spain — 10 years, France — 5 years (with the possibility of reduction to 2 years for graduates), Germany — 5 years (with the possibility of reduction to 3 years after completing an integration course), Czech Republic — 5 years.

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It is noted that the entry into force of the law will lead to a decrease in state budget revenues from fees for decisions on recognition as a Polish citizen — from 1 to 3 million zlotys, provided that approximately 10,000 such applications are considered annually. From August 1, 2025, such a fee will be 1000 zlotys. At the same time, the President's Chancellery noted that the reduction in revenues "is partially offset by savings on social benefits."

The project stipulates that the law will come into force 30 days after its publication.

Addition

The presidential bill is the fulfillment of a promise made on Friday. The head of the presidential chancellery, Zbigniew Bogucki, announcing the signing of the law on assistance to citizens of Ukraine, stated that on Monday, two bills would be submitted to the Sejm: on extending the term for obtaining Polish citizenship and on prosecuting for the propaganda of Banderism. The second of the mentioned projects has also been submitted to the Sejm — it provides for amendments to the Criminal Code and the law on the Institute of National Remembrance.

Recall

The Ministry of Education of Lithuania proposes to require foreigners in the service sector to have a basic knowledge of the Lithuanian language from 2026. After two years of residence in the country, a higher level of language proficiency will be required.