Poland is planning on toughening up requirements to obtain citizenship, with moves such as changing the minimum residency term from three years to eight years and demonstrating a sufficient degree of integration on the table.
The Interior Ministry announced its intention to transform the pathway to Polish citizenship in the days after President Karol Nawrocki presented his own bill on the matter to parliament, which among other things would have increased the minimum residency period from three years to ten years.
Figures released by the Interior Ministry this month revealed that 2024 saw a record number of foreign nationals obtain Polish citizenship – over 16,000 people, representing an increase of 4,000 on 2023’s figure of approximately 12,000.
Writing on social media, Minister of the Interior Marcin Kierwiński said that “Citizenship of the Republic is an honor”.
“We are planning changes in the scope of its granting. Yes, so that it is received exclusively by persons who guarantee security and work for Poland through their attitude,” he said.
President Nawrocki, who was invited by the Interior Ministry to discuss the citizenship issue, successfully took a hard line on immigration during his presidential campaign earlier this year, as concerns about the speed of the increase in immigration have grown in Polish society.
Minister of State Magdalena Roguska, commenting on the proposed changes to the acquisition of Polish citizenship, said: “We want the person who receives it to be genuinely connected to everything important for our identity—with history, language, culture, and tradition, to have the center of their life activities in Poland, and to guarantee loyalty to the state through their attitude”.
“These are necessary conditions for our common security,” she said, adding that their proposals are based on “four pillars” of length of stay, loyalty to the state, a citizenship test and tax residence.
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