A Polish citizen marrying abroad needs a certificate confirming they may marry under Polish law (zaświadczenie, often called a certificate of no impediment or of capacity to marry). Any USC (civil registry office) issues it for 38 zł, and it's valid for 6 months. For a non-EU country, that certificate and your birth extract get an MSZ apostille, 60 zł per document, and only then a translation. Inside the EU no apostille is needed.
Order matters more than people expect. Translate before the apostille, or collect the certificate eight months before the wedding, and you pay the fees twice. The full path is below.
Who can get the certificate from a Polish USC
The legal basis is art. 83 of the Civil Status Records Act (Prawo o aktach stanu cywilnego). The certificate goes to Polish citizens and to foreigners whose capacity to marry is assessed under Polish law according to Poland's private international law. Under art. 48 of that law (Prawo prywatne międzynarodowe), each future spouse's capacity is governed by the law of their nationality. Which gives a simple rule:
| Who you are | Where your capacity document comes from |
|---|---|
| Polish citizen, including dual nationals | a Polish USC or a Polish consul |
| Stateless foreigner living in Poland | a Polish USC |
| Foreigner with refugee status in Poland | a Polish USC |
| Ukrainian, Belarusian or Kazakh citizen with a residence card | the authorities of your own country, usually the consulate |
A second passport changes nothing. For Polish law a Polish citizen stays Polish even if another country also claims them (art. 2(1) of the private international law act). For stateless people and those protected because their ties with their home country were broken by human rights violations, the law of their domicile applies (art. 3). If you live in Poland, that's Polish law. The Warsaw city page mentions only stateless applicants, so if you have refugee status, bring the decision granting it.
A residence card on its own doesn't make a Polish USC competent. A Belarusian citizen on a temporary residence card asks their own country's authorities for the document; the Polish USC won't issue it. The reverse situation, a foreigner marrying in a Polish USC, is in our guide to marrying a Polish citizen.
What the USC asks for
Based on art. 83(2) and the warszawa19115.pl service page:
- An ID document, dowód osobisty or passport, shown in person.
- A zapewnienie: a written statement that you know of no impediment to the marriage, signed before the USC registrar or a consul under criminal liability for false statements.
- A document confirming your future spouse's marital status. If it's in a foreign language, it needs a translation by a Polish sworn translator (tłumacz przysięgły) or a Polish consul.
- If you have no Polish civil status records (say you were born abroad and naturalised later): a foreign birth record and, if you were married before, the marriage record and proof it ended (art. 83(4)).
- Proof of payment: 38 zł stamp duty, plus 17 zł for the multilingual form if the wedding is in an EU country.
Item three is where people trip up. The certificate states the details of both future spouses (art. 83(5)), so without your partner's document the USC can't issue it. Request your partner's document first, at the same time as you book the date.
You can apply at any USC you choose. In Warsaw that excludes the foreign registration department at ul. Chałubińskiego 8, the archive at ul. Flisa 6 and the USC at ul. Falęcka 10. The law sets no deadline; Warsaw says it issues without undue delay, and it's often done the same day. A refusal comes in writing, and you then have 14 days to ask the court to review its grounds.
The certificate is valid for 6 months from issue (art. 83(6)). If the foreign registry takes documents weeks before the ceremony, ask which date it measures validity against.
Consul or USC
A Polish consul abroad can also issue the certificate. For a wedding in a third country it's the awkward option: the Polish consulate in Norway states that consular certificates can't be apostilled or legalised and recommends a USC certificate with an MSZ apostille. If you live in Poland, the USC is the obvious route anyway.
Birth extract and previous marriage documents
Besides the certificate, foreign registries usually want a birth certificate. A short extract (odpis skrócony aktu urodzenia) costs 22 zł and a full one (odpis zupełny) 33 zł. Any USC issues them; in Warsaw it takes up to 7 working days if the record was drawn up there, up to 10 if elsewhere. The receiving side decides which one it needs; without specific instructions the short one usually does.
You can order the extract online through gov.pl, but an apostille needs a paper original with a stamp and signature. MSZ won't apostille a printout of an electronic document, so choose the paper version. If you've already left Poland, we can obtain it under a power of attorney: civil status records.
If you were married before and divorced in Poland, the foreign registry may ask for proof: a full marriage extract with the divorce annotation, or the court judgment. A court document is apostilled in two steps: the president of the competent regional court (sąd okręgowy) certifies it first, then MSZ. Build in the extra time.
The MSZ apostille
Apostilles on Polish USC documents are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MSZ), not the voivode. From the MSZ page:
- the fee is 60 zł per document, paid in advance to Centrum Obsługi Podatnika (PL21 1030 1508 0000 0005 5000 0070, title "opłata skarbowa za wydanie apostille"); you can't pay on site;
- in person: Referat ds. Legalizacji, ul. Krucza 38/42, Warsaw, by appointment only through e-Konsulat (legalizacja.msz.gov.pl); the apostille is usually issued during the visit, up to 10 documents per person per day;
- by post: al. Szucha 23, up to 30 days, with documents returned by registered mail only to addresses in Poland, the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland;
- originals only, never a copy.
If the wedding country isn't party to the Hague Convention, you need legalisation instead: MSZ, then that country's consulate. Our piece on apostille or consular legalisation explains how to tell which, and getting an apostille in Warsaw covers the practicalities.
Step by step
- Ask the registry where you'll marry: which documents, whether they need an apostille, whether they accept a Polish sworn translation or want a local one, how old documents may be.
- Get your partner's marital status document and a sworn Polish translation of it.
- Order a paper birth extract.
- Get the certificate at a USC no more than 6 months before the wedding, or it will expire first.
- Have MSZ apostille the certificate and the extract if the country is outside the EU.
- Translate both into the destination language, including the text of the apostille.
- After the wedding, register the foreign marriage certificate in the Polish registry (transcription).
| Step | Where | Fee | Typical wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth extract | any USC | 22 zł / 33 zł | up to 7-10 working days in Warsaw |
| Certificate of no impediment | any USC | 38 zł | no fixed deadline, often on the spot |
| Apostille | MSZ, ul. Krucza 38/42 | 60 zł per document | during the visit, up to 30 days by post |
| Translation | sworn translator | translator's rates | depends on the language |
Why translation comes last: the apostille is a sticker with its own text and number. Translate earlier and the apostille stays untranslated, so you pay the translator twice.
Transcription is mandatory for a Polish citizen who has Polish civil records and then asks the USC for any civil registration step, applies for a Polish ID document, or needs a PESEL number (art. 104(5)). In plain terms, you won't get a new dowód or passport after the wedding without it. Details in transcription of a foreign record.
If the wedding is in an EU country
Then neither the certificate nor the birth extract needs an apostille: Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 exempts documents on birth and on capacity to marry. You can replace the translation with a multilingual form in the destination language, 17 zł for the certificate and 17 zł for the short birth extract. In Warsaw the form can't be ordered online, only at the USC in person or by post. All details and exceptions are in multilingual standard form instead of apostille.
Example: two extra visits
A typical mistake. A Polish citizen living in Warsaw is marrying a Kazakh citizen in Almaty. On his first USC visit he brings only his passport: there's no marital status document for his fiancée with a Polish translation, so the certificate can't be issued. On the second visit, with her translated document, he gets it the same day. Bring both partners' documents the first time.
The second mistake cost money. The Russian translation was done straight after the USC, and the apostille came afterwards. The apostille text was left untranslated and the translation had to be redone. Kazakhstan is party to the Hague Convention, so no legalisation was needed, just MSZ apostilles on the two documents.
FAQ
Where do I get a certificate of no impediment to marry abroad in Poland?
At any USC in Poland, in person, with your partner's marital status document. Abroad a Polish consul issues it, but consular certificates can't be apostilled.
How long is the Polish certificate valid?
Six months from the date of issue. Get it close to the wedding rather than at the start of planning.
Do I need an apostille if the wedding is in an EU country?
No. Birth and capacity-to-marry documents are exempt under Regulation 2016/1191, and a 17 zł multilingual form can replace the translation.
Can a foreigner with a Polish residence card get this certificate?
Usually not: capacity to marry is judged under the law of their nationality, so their own country issues the document. The exceptions are stateless people and refugees living in Poland.
This is an overview; the registry in your destination country may ask for more. If there's a foreign divorce or a name change in your history, show us the documents before you file.