Poland Implements New Nationwide Regulations for Recognizing Foreign Marriages of Same-Sex Couples

Recent decision of discredited Constitutional Tribunal will not stop the Polish government from meeting August 24th deadline to implement new nationwide procedures transcribing foreign marriages of same-sex couples.

Warsaw, Poland — Beginning August 24, new nationwide regulations took effect requiring civil registry offices across Poland to implement the Supreme Administrative Court’s landmark ruling on the recognition of same-sex couples who have legally married abroad. The regulations introduce updated procedures and marriage certificate forms, ensuring that every civil registry office has the tools and legal obligation to transcribe marriages between two women or two men that were lawfully concluded abroad.

Since mid-May, same-sex couples have begun successfully transcribing their foreign marriages in Warsaw, Wroclaw, and several other registry offices across Poland, marking the first time many have had their marriages legally recognized in their own country after years, and sometimes decades, of being treated as legal strangers under Polish law. Despite having to navigate forms that had not yet been updated to reflect same-sex couples, many chose to move forward rather than wait any longer for their marriage to be legally transcribed in Poland.

The Supreme Administrative Court established that Polish authorities must transcribe foreign marriages of same-sex couples in accordance with European Union law. The new regulations provide the practical framework for implementing that decision nationwide and updated forms will allow couples to seek transcription at their local civil registry office using standardized procedures. This historic change is an outcome of years of campaigning and strategic litigation conducted by Love Does Not Exclude Association as well as partner NGOs, lawyers, and couples fighting for legal security for their families.

„This is a significant step towards equal treatment under the law,” said Hubert Sobecki, Executive Director at Love Does Not Exclude Association. „The Supreme Administrative Court has spoken, and beginning August 24, every civil registry office in Poland has both the obligation and the practical tools to implement that decision consistently. The marriages of same-sex couples who tied the knot abroad must be respected in Poland. Now it is up to the current government to secure specific legal marital protections so that marriage certificates provide actual rights.”

A recent ruling by the largely discredited Constitutional Tribunal does not prevent implementation of these new regulations. The government, which considers the Tribunal to be improperly constituted, has stated that it will proceed with the regulations. Polish legal scholars and international bodies, including the European Parliament, Court of Justice of the European Union and European Court of Human Rights have also concluded that the current Constitutional Tribunal lacks the legal validity due to the politically motivated and legally defective appointment of its judges by the previous populist right-wing government of Law and Justice (PiS) party. Hence it lacks the independence necessary to override the binding judgment of the Supreme Administrative Court.

By adopting these nationwide regulations, the government has made clear that civil registry officials are expected to implement the Supreme Administrative Court’s ruling and continue transcribing the foreign marriages of same-sex couples.

While these new rules represent historic progress, they do not provide access to civil marriage in Poland. Same-sex couples must still leave their own country to marry before returning home to have their marriages recognized.

„This is an important milestone, but it should not be the final destination,” said Maja Heban, Advocacy Manager at Love Does Not Exclude Association. „No couple should have to cross a border to marry. Our goal is allowing loving, committed couples to marry in Poland in the first place. The law now increasingly recognizes these marriages once couples return to Poland in areas such as healthcare and social security, but significant gaps remain, mainly lack of recognition of same-sex parents which directly impacts security of their children.”

Polling shows that the public favors recognizing foreign marriages, and an October 2025 study shows that a majority of Polish people support marriage for same-sex couples. Today, 32 European countries provide legal recognition for same-sex couples, with 22 European countries affirming same-sex couples’ freedom to marry.

Media Contact:

Maja Heban
Advocacy Manager
Love Does Not Exclude Association
tel. +48 797 420 897
email: [email protected]

Hubert Sobecki
Executive Director
Love Does Not Exclude Association
tel. +48 501 647 563
email: [email protected]