According to the draft submitted back in October 2025, candidates for citizenship will have to pass a test of about 40 questions. The test will cover Poland’s history, values and the rules in force in the country. Also, foreigners will be required to raise their Polish language level to at least B2, according to the Polish publication money.pl.
As the country’s Interior Ministry said on social networks, citizenship is “a privilege that must be earned”, and all those whom Poles take in must be worthy of it. The ministry wants to check not only formal compliance with the criteria, but also the degree of integration of the person into Polish society. The criteria for obtaining a passport will become stricter. In addition, the ministry wants to oblige applicants for citizenship to have a Polish tax residence and to sign a special act of loyalty to Poland.
What else might the “new Poles” need?
Another important change concerns the length of residence in the country. Various options for tightening this requirement – from eight to ten years of continuous residence in Poland before applying for citizenship – are currently being discussed in the political environment.
In September 2025, President Karol Nawrocki sent his own draft of changes to the Sejm. He favored increasing the minimum period of residence from three to ten years. The Interior Ministry countered him at the time that it was not the practice in Poland for someone to obtain citizenship in three years. “This is a period of at least eight years,” explained the head of the department, Marcin Kierwiński, suggesting that Nawrocki had been misled by his ministers.
A separate draft of the Law and Justice party envisioned even tougher requirements – including a C1-level Polish language exam. It was rejected by the Sejm earlier this year.
