A draft amendment to Poland’s Karta Polaka Act released on 18 February would substantially tighten eligibility for the coveted “Polish Card”, a document that grants people of Polish heritage facilitated access to visas, work permits, tax breaks and resettlement aid. The foreign ministry wants to limit future applications to those who can prove direct Polish ancestry, scrapping an alternative route that accepted certification from Polish cultural organisations after three years of community involvement.
The bill also introduces a yet-unspecified processing fee for new cards, renewals and data changes, arguing that thorough verification of documents and language skills is labour-intensive. Holders who once renounced Polish citizenship would automatically lose their Karta Polaka, and repatriation assistance would shift from nine monthly instalments to a single lump-sum payment upon receipt of a permanent-residence permit.
![Warsaw proposes fees and stricter ancestry test for Karta Polaka diaspora card]()
For individuals and employers trying to navigate these impending changes, VisaHQ can provide valuable assistance. Through its Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), the service offers up-to-date guidance on visa categories, documentation requirements and fees, and its experts can pre-screen ancestry evidence or suggest alternative residence routes—helping applicants avoid costly errors and delays.
Officials say the changes respond to “pathologies inherited from earlier migration policy”, including forged certificates and broker-driven abuse. In 2025 alone Poland issued nearly 28,000 Karta Polaka documents—40 percent to Belarusian citizens—fuelled by regional instability and attractive labour-market conditions. Employers that rely on the card to onboard IT and engineering talent from the eastern neighbourhood may face longer lead times and higher costs once the amendment enters force, likely in Q3 2026.
Diaspora associations have welcomed efforts to curb fraud but warn that eliminating the cultural-engagement path could penalise long-term activists who lack archival proof of ancestry lost during border changes. Companies should therefore review onboarding pipelines and consider alternative residence options such as the EU Blue Card or Poland’s new digital-nomad visa (launched January 2026) for affected candidates.
The bill also introduces a yet-unspecified processing fee for new cards, renewals and data changes, arguing that thorough verification of documents and language skills is labour-intensive. Holders who once renounced Polish citizenship would automatically lose their Karta Polaka, and repatriation assistance would shift from nine monthly instalments to a single lump-sum payment upon receipt of a permanent-residence permit.
For individuals and employers trying to navigate these impending changes, VisaHQ can provide valuable assistance. Through its Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), the service offers up-to-date guidance on visa categories, documentation requirements and fees, and its experts can pre-screen ancestry evidence or suggest alternative residence routes—helping applicants avoid costly errors and delays.
Officials say the changes respond to “pathologies inherited from earlier migration policy”, including forged certificates and broker-driven abuse. In 2025 alone Poland issued nearly 28,000 Karta Polaka documents—40 percent to Belarusian citizens—fuelled by regional instability and attractive labour-market conditions. Employers that rely on the card to onboard IT and engineering talent from the eastern neighbourhood may face longer lead times and higher costs once the amendment enters force, likely in Q3 2026.
Diaspora associations have welcomed efforts to curb fraud but warn that eliminating the cultural-engagement path could penalise long-term activists who lack archival proof of ancestry lost during border changes. Companies should therefore review onboarding pipelines and consider alternative residence options such as the EU Blue Card or Poland’s new digital-nomad visa (launched January 2026) for affected candidates.
