Ślub w Polsce

Getting Married in Poland

I. GENERAL PROVISION
•Marriage in Poland can be contracted only between a woman and a man.
•Marriage cannot be contracted until one month after the date that the persons intending marriage have filed all documents and have given written assurances ("Zapewnienie") that they do not know of any reasons why the marriage should not be contracted. Documents should be filed with the vital statistics office only.
•The marriage can be concluded as a civil ceremony, or before the authorized religious celebrant. Marriage contract parties wishing to have their religious marriage to be recognized by Polish law would have to file an appropriate affidavit before that ceremony.
•The spouses have equal rights and obligations in marriage.
•When marriage is contracted, the marital community of property comes into being - unless the spouses declare otherwise.
•When entering the marriage contract, both groom and bride may decide on taking the last name of the spouse or on adding the spouses last name to her (his) own. The last name created that way may have no more then two components. In lack of such statements both bride and groom keep their original last names.

II. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

1. Birth Certificates (of both parties entering the marriage),

2. "Zapewnienie" - (written assurance) presented and signed before the appropriate Vital Statistic Official or Polish Consul by the person intending to enter the marriage contract.

III. MARRIAGE WITH FOREIGN NATIONALS
•In addition to "Zapewnienie", aliens (foreign nationals) must file a certificate proving that they have full capacity to enter a marriage contract according to the laws of their country. If an alien is not able to obtain such a certificate, a Polish court may exempt an alien from this requirement.

IV. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
•Decree of annulment or dissolution of marriage by divorce issued by a foreign court and being the basis for contracting the marriage must be recognized by the appropriate Polish District Court.

Files to download:

APPLICATION FOR RETRIEVAL OF A MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE from POLAND
APPLICATION FOR RETRIEVAL OF A BIRTH CERTIFICATE from POLAND
APPLICATION FOR RETRIEVAL OF A DEATH CERTIFICATE from POLAND