Data released to the daily *Rzeczpospolita* and reported by Money.pl show that President Karol Nawrocki has approved citizenship for just 25 individuals since 1 January, while refusing 18 other petitions. In the same period last year, presidential decrees benefited over 2,200 people.
Government officials confirmed that the Ministry of the Interior and the Presidential Chancellery are drafting a bill that would lengthen the residence period for naturalisation to eight years, introduce a civic-knowledge test and require tax residency in Poland. A failed opposition proposal in January sought a 10-year threshold and a clean-record certificate from the country of origin; the forthcoming government draft is expected to win presidential support.
Individuals and companies looking to navigate both the current process and the forthcoming changes can find step-by-step guidance through VisaHQ’s Poland portal, which offers real-time updates, document checklists and personalised assistance for visa and immigration matters: https://www.visahq.com/poland/
![Presidential Approach Tightens: Only 25 Foreigners Granted Polish Citizenship So Far in 2026]()
Poland operates a dual track: voivode-level administrative naturalisation for long-term residents (about 16,600 successful cases in 2024) and the discretionary presidential grant outside administrative law. The sharp fall in presidential approvals signals a policy shift towards more restrictive criteria and greater scrutiny of applicants’ integration and security background.
Corporations sponsoring executives for citizenship—often to ease Schengen mobility—should prepare for longer timelines and higher documentary burdens. Immigration counsel advise accelerating any in-process files before the new law is tabled later this year.
Advocacy groups have raised concerns that tightening the rules could discourage high-skill migrants at a time when Poland faces demographic pressures and skilled-labour shortages in IT, engineering and healthcare.
Government officials confirmed that the Ministry of the Interior and the Presidential Chancellery are drafting a bill that would lengthen the residence period for naturalisation to eight years, introduce a civic-knowledge test and require tax residency in Poland. A failed opposition proposal in January sought a 10-year threshold and a clean-record certificate from the country of origin; the forthcoming government draft is expected to win presidential support.
Individuals and companies looking to navigate both the current process and the forthcoming changes can find step-by-step guidance through VisaHQ’s Poland portal, which offers real-time updates, document checklists and personalised assistance for visa and immigration matters: https://www.visahq.com/poland/
Poland operates a dual track: voivode-level administrative naturalisation for long-term residents (about 16,600 successful cases in 2024) and the discretionary presidential grant outside administrative law. The sharp fall in presidential approvals signals a policy shift towards more restrictive criteria and greater scrutiny of applicants’ integration and security background.
Corporations sponsoring executives for citizenship—often to ease Schengen mobility—should prepare for longer timelines and higher documentary burdens. Immigration counsel advise accelerating any in-process files before the new law is tabled later this year.
Advocacy groups have raised concerns that tightening the rules could discourage high-skill migrants at a time when Poland faces demographic pressures and skilled-labour shortages in IT, engineering and healthcare.
