Poland wants to make it harder to obtain the Karta Polaka. What will change?

The Karta Polaka is a document that certifies belonging to the Polish nation. It facilitates legalization in Poland and also allows one to claim financial assistance and tax benefits upon repatriation to the country.

The main planned innovation is that the Karta Polaka will only be obtainable based on Polish ancestry. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to close the possibility of submitting as proof requests from Polish or diaspora organizations, certifying the applicant's involvement in their activities for at least three years. Originally, activism in promoting Polish language and culture was envisioned as an alternative to proving Polish origin.

The initiators of the bill note that previously, during the review of applications, there were cases where the accuracy of the submitted certificates raised doubts. Additionally, the developers point out that the law in its current form has been in effect for 17 years, which was enough time for those interested in obtaining the Karta Polaka, who cannot confirm Polish ancestry, to apply for the document.

The law will also include a provision that if a Polish citizen previously renounced Polish citizenship, they lose the right to the Karta Polaka as well.

Another innovation is a change in the list of rights for Karta Polaka holders. However, the previously published information does not provide specifics on this norm.

If a Karta Polaka holder repatriates to Poland and obtains a permanent residence permit, the assistance due to them is proposed to be paid as a one-time sum after the issuance of the permanent residence permit, rather than over nine months.

It is planned to introduce a fee for processing an application for the Karta Polaka, extending its validity, or issuing a new card due to a change in data. The developers of this norm justify it by the labor-intensive nature of the process: it requires analyzing the applicant's documents and assessing their knowledge of the Polish language, traditions, and customs.

It is also planned to expand the scope of data submitted by applicants to facilitate their analysis from a security perspective.

"Eliminating inherited pathologies"

The complication of Karta Polaka issuance conditions was foreseen by the migration strategy adopted by the Polish government in October 2024, as well as the strategy of cooperation with Poles abroad, adopted in April 2025.

In August 2025, in response to a question about abuses in the issuance of Karta Polaka, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski wrote:

"The problem is real, and that is why we are already working on amending the law. We are eliminating inherited pathologies in migration policy."

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