Marriage Registration in Poland

Updated on Tuesday 21st September 2021

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If you want to get married in Poland you must be aware that like in any other country, you need proper documentation and registration. Marriage in Poland may be contracted in two methods: as a civil ceremony performed in the registry office or in a church.

In order for the marriage to be validated by the law, it needs to be registered in the registry office that issued a marriage certificate confirming the validity of the marriage.

Our law firm in Poland provides complete services for expats and foreigners and can also help you with civil law counseling. We can provide tailored legal advice to couples who wish to get married in Poland or foreign spouses marrying a Polish citizen.

Marriage in Poland

In Poland, the legal age for getting married is 18 years old, but there are cases in which a person of 16 years old can get married, but only with judicial approval.

Poland recognizes the marriage ceremony performed according to tradition and religion. Such marriages can be recognized by the registered office in Poland without the need of having a separate civil marriage. This type of marriage in Poland is also known as concordat marriage.

According to law, only some types of churches in Poland are allowed to register the union with the civil registry office. These include the Catholic Church (Roman, Greek Orthodox, Armenian, etc.), the Lutheran Church, the Baptist Church, the Pentecostal Church as well as several others. Churches and religious organizations that are not allowed to register the marriage include the Muslim Religious Unit, the Old-Rote Eastern Church and the Karaim Religious Union.

Documents needed for marriage, explained by our lawyers in Poland

For a couple to get married in Poland, specific documents are needed in order to validate the procedures, such as:

identity card or any other type of document that confirms the identity of the persons getting married. It is mandatory to include a picture
a copy of the birth certificate (a translation in the Polish language is necessary if one of the persons does not have a Polish birth certificate)
a certificate that proves that the respective person has the legal right to get married; for widowed individuals, a copy of the spouse’s death certificate is needed; in the case of foreigners, the certificate must be issued from the country of residence and translated into Polish.
proof of divorce, when needed: in case of divorce, the individual must also provide a final court decision on the divorce.

The document that proves the right to marry is obtained from the competent authorities of the country of origin. If a foreigner cannot obtain such document, for example, if the country of residence does not issue such type of documents, then the respective person has the right to submit a court permit that relieves him of this obligation. It can be obtained by a district court in non-litigious proceedings.

If you want to get married in Poland and you need more information regarding the marriage registration procedure, reach out to our Polish law firm and you will have access to accurate information.

How to register a foreign marriage certificate in Poland

If a Polish citizen gets married in a foreign registry office, in order to register the marriage in Poland, the respective person must submit a statement regarding his or her surname, and an application requesting the marriage certificate to be registered in Poland, in the register of marriages. The statement is to be made in the presence of the Head of a register’s office in Poland, or in the presence of the Consul abroad.

The marriage can take place with the civil registry office no sooner than one month after the submission of the documents. In selected cases, the couple can submit a request to the Director of the civil registry office in order to obtain a shorter waiting period.

The documents needed to obtain a transcript of the marriage certificate are the following:

An application requesting the transcript
An original copy of the marriage certificate
A translation of the document in the Polish language
A statement regarding the surname used after the marriage
Birth certificates of the couple
A translation of the birth certificate
A valid identification card (ID or passport)

Many couples, after the marriage, want to have children and some of them need certain treatments in order to have heirs. For legal matters concerning heirship and the legal status of children, adopted children or the child of a non-Polish resident who marries a resident, you can ask one of our lawyers in Poland.

You can also talk to our lawyers if you with to draw up a will in Poland that will allow your spouse to receive all of your Polish assets.

Polish citizenship after marriage

Foreigners who marry Polish citizens are not automatically granted citizenship. However, the spouse will benefit from a simplified procedure for acquiring citizenship. This can be the case if:

- the non-national remains married to the Polish spouse for at least three years; after this time has passed, he or she may apply for being recognized as a Polish citizen.

- the foreign spouse has been a Polish resident for a period of two uninterrupted years (either by holding a permanent residence permit or by having a long-term EU resident permit).

Our team of lawyers can help clarify this situation for any couples who wish to know more about how one of the spouses can gain citizenship after marriage to a Polish citizen.

The marriage certificate is a document that not only attests the union between two individuals, but it also has an important legal value and will be required afterward for a variety of legal procedures, especially in the case of foreign nationals.

For complete legal services in Poland, including assistance for marriage, we invite you to contact our Polish law firm.