In a landmark but cautious move, Poland’s Council of Ministers adopted a draft bill on 30 December 2025 that would allow any two adults—including same-sex partners—to register a “cohabitation contract” before a notary. The instrument, championed by Equality Minister Katarzyna Kotula, grants signatories rights to shared housing, inheritance of household items, mutual access to health information, care-leave entitlements, selected joint-tax benefits and the possibility to claim alimony after a split.
For globally mobile employees the change matters because Poland still denies marriage or civil-partnership recognition to same-sex couples. HR teams that relocate talent to Warsaw or Kraków have until now faced practical obstacles—from obtaining family residence permits to securing hospital visitation rights for accompanying partners. Under the bill, foreign nationals who register a cohabitation contract in Poland will be able to show a legally valid document when applying for dependent residence cards or company-sponsored private-medical cover, reducing administrative risk.
![Poland Approves Cohabitation-Contract Bill, Offering Limited Recognition to Expat and Same-Sex Partners]()
Navigating Poland’s visa and residence requirements can be complex, especially when new relationship categories are introduced. VisaHQ’s Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) consolidates up-to-date rules, document checklists and processing times, and its specialists can arrange translations, apostilles and courier submissions for cohabiting partners who need dependent residence cards or work-permit extensions. By outsourcing the paperwork, HR teams and assignees can focus on settling into life in Poland instead of waiting in line at local offices.
The reform stops short of full marriage equality and does not automatically extend parental or adoption rights. Conservative coalition partner PSL has already signalled concern, and President Karol Nawrocki (PiS-aligned) could still veto the measure. Nonetheless, corporate counsel note that the bill fixes several day-to-day pain points—especially the lack of legal standing for unmarried partners when signing apartment leases or opening joint bank accounts.
If parliament passes the bill in the first quarter of 2026, employers should update assignment policies. Immigration advisers expect the Office for Foreigners to release guidance clarifying how cohabitation documentation must be translated and apostilled when submitted by mixed-nationality couples. Given Poland’s tight labour market—unemployment is just 2.5 %—the incremental improvement could make postings more attractive to LGBTQ+ and non-traditional families the country wants to recruit.
For globally mobile employees the change matters because Poland still denies marriage or civil-partnership recognition to same-sex couples. HR teams that relocate talent to Warsaw or Kraków have until now faced practical obstacles—from obtaining family residence permits to securing hospital visitation rights for accompanying partners. Under the bill, foreign nationals who register a cohabitation contract in Poland will be able to show a legally valid document when applying for dependent residence cards or company-sponsored private-medical cover, reducing administrative risk.
Navigating Poland’s visa and residence requirements can be complex, especially when new relationship categories are introduced. VisaHQ’s Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) consolidates up-to-date rules, document checklists and processing times, and its specialists can arrange translations, apostilles and courier submissions for cohabiting partners who need dependent residence cards or work-permit extensions. By outsourcing the paperwork, HR teams and assignees can focus on settling into life in Poland instead of waiting in line at local offices.
The reform stops short of full marriage equality and does not automatically extend parental or adoption rights. Conservative coalition partner PSL has already signalled concern, and President Karol Nawrocki (PiS-aligned) could still veto the measure. Nonetheless, corporate counsel note that the bill fixes several day-to-day pain points—especially the lack of legal standing for unmarried partners when signing apartment leases or opening joint bank accounts.
If parliament passes the bill in the first quarter of 2026, employers should update assignment policies. Immigration advisers expect the Office for Foreigners to release guidance clarifying how cohabitation documentation must be translated and apostilled when submitted by mixed-nationality couples. Given Poland’s tight labour market—unemployment is just 2.5 %—the incremental improvement could make postings more attractive to LGBTQ+ and non-traditional families the country wants to recruit.
