Amendments to Poland’s Act on Administrative Fees quietly entered force on 21 November, doubling fees for naturalisation. Applicants now pay PLN 1,669 when seeking the President’s discretionary grant of citizenship and PLN 1,000 when applying for voivode recognition, up from PLN 800 and PLN 600 respectively. Simultaneously, the Interior Ministry unveiled a four-pillar naturalisation model that extends the permanent-residence requirement from three to five years, raises the language exam to level B2 and introduces a mandatory "loyalty declaration."
Officials argue that the reform secures deeper integration as applications—especially from Ukrainians—reach record highs. Migrant-rights NGOs counter that higher fees and subjective loyalty tests could slow paths to full inclusion just as the labour market relies on foreign talent.
![Citizenship Fees Double as Poland Raises Language and Residency Requirements]()
For employers citizenship costs are more than symbolic. Many mobility policies reimburse the fee as a retention incentive; HR departments must update policy caps immediately and warn employees who planned to file in Q4 that their budgets have effectively doubled. Legal advisers recommend meticulous document preparation because the new, higher fee is non-refundable if the application is rejected on technical grounds.
The changes align Poland with Germany and the Netherlands, both of which have recently toughened naturalisation rules, signalling a shift from rapid absorption toward measured long-term integration.
Officials argue that the reform secures deeper integration as applications—especially from Ukrainians—reach record highs. Migrant-rights NGOs counter that higher fees and subjective loyalty tests could slow paths to full inclusion just as the labour market relies on foreign talent.
For employers citizenship costs are more than symbolic. Many mobility policies reimburse the fee as a retention incentive; HR departments must update policy caps immediately and warn employees who planned to file in Q4 that their budgets have effectively doubled. Legal advisers recommend meticulous document preparation because the new, higher fee is non-refundable if the application is rejected on technical grounds.
The changes align Poland with Germany and the Netherlands, both of which have recently toughened naturalisation rules, signalling a shift from rapid absorption toward measured long-term integration.
