Help Center for Foreigners receives many questions about marriage with foreigners and citizens. In this article we describe how foreigners can marry in Poland.
You need the following documents to register your marriage:
- passport or other identity/residency document
- birth certificate
- for widows and widowers: death certificate of the partner
- for those who have divorced: divorce certificate
- document stating what your last name will be after marriage (this document is filled in at the Registry Office (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego).
Polish translation should be attached to all the documents that are in a foreign language.
Additionally, you will need to bring in a document, issued by the country of citizenship, that confirms your right to register marriage.
In order to receive this document, you need to contact the Polish consulate of your country of citizenship. In the process of issuing the document, the consulate might conduct an interview with you about your motivation for marriage.
If your country of citizenship doesn’t issue such documents, then you need to file a request for an exemption to the Family Court (Sąd Rodzinny)*. The request should be signed by both partners and it can be handed in by either of them. Both partners take part in the court hearings. The procedure of getting an exemption can last for up to several months. When the decision is made, the court sends it by traditional post to the Polish address claimed in the request.
*You need to go to the Regional Court (Sąd Rejonowy) according to your living address. If you don’t have an address in Poland, you need to go to the Central Court in Warsaw (Sąd Okręgowy w Warszawie).
Registration in the Registry Office
The documents listed above should be brought to the Registry Office (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego) at least 31 days before the planned date of the ceremony. The Registry Office worker then issues a paper confirming there are no counter indicators to the marriage registration in Poland. The document is valid for 6 months.
If either of the partners doesn’t speak polish, then a translator should be present during the marriage ceremony.
Get it done with us!
Do you need help gathering the documents? Need help figuring out which Registry Office you should go to? Contact CPC!
In the time of coronavirus, our Help Center for Foreigners will help you remotely! Send an e-mail to: [email protected] and briefly describe your problem. If you want us to contact you quickly, you can also send us your phone number – it will make communication easier and shorten the waiting time for our response.
The assistance we provide is free of charge. However, please note that we do not provide technical support for websites and services nor do we mediate contact with administrative organs.
Click HERE for more guidance on living in Poland and forms of help available in the Help Center for Foreigners.
