B1 certificate for Polish citizenship and EU long-term residence

Updated 2 November 2026

Short answer: which certificate for which goal

Checked against the statutes on 2 November 2026:

Goal	Level	What is accepted	Legal basis
Citizenship by uznanie za obywatela polskiego	B1 or higher	The Commission’s state certificate, or a leaving certificate from a school in Poland or a Polish-medium school abroad. TELC, ECL, courses and szkoła policealna do not count	art. 30 ust. 2 ustawy o obywatelstwie polskim
Karta rezydenta długoterminowego UE	B1 or higher	State certificate; certificates on the MSWiA list (ECL, TELC and others); a Polish school or university diploma	art. 211 ustawy o cudzoziemcach
Karta stałego pobytu (pobyt stały)	not required	No Polish certificate is needed	art. 195 ustawy o cudzoziemcach
Studying at a university in Polish	often B2	Set by the university — check with your faculty	university admission rules

Requirements are checked by the voivodeship office (urząd wojewódzki) handling your case. This article is not legal advice: confirm the requirements with your office before you apply.

Do I need B1 for Polish citizenship?

Yes, if you are applying for uznanie za obywatela polskiego. Polish at B1 or higher is proven by one of three documents (art. 30 ust. 2 ustawy o obywatelstwie polskim):

the state certificate (urzędowe poświadczenie) issued by the Commission after passing the exam at B1 or higher — B2 and C1 also count;
a leaving certificate from a school in Poland (świadectwo ukończenia szkoły w Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej);
a leaving certificate from a school abroad that teaches in Polish, together with a document confirming the language of instruction.

What does not count for citizenship:

TELC, ECL and other non-state certificates, even at the same level;
language courses or proof of attending them;
a szkoła policealna certificate. A transitional rule allowed one obtained by 30 June 2025 only in cases started between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026 — it no longer works for new applications.

Minors recognised under art. 30 ust. 1 pkt 4 and 5 are exempt. The document list is on the voivodeship office page on gov.pl; state exam centres are on certyfikatpolski.pl.

Will citizenship require B2?

The government is preparing a draft (UD491) that would require B2 for citizenship. It is only a draft, not law: as of 2 November 2026, the B1 requirement applies.

Applying much later? Consider the B2 exam: it meets both today’s rule and the draft. Applying within months? B1 is enough today.

Which certificate do I need for the karta rezydenta długoterminowego UE?

The EU long-term resident permit requires Polish at B1 or higher (art. 211 ustawy o cudzoziemcach). You have more options here than for citizenship:

the Commission’s state certificate;
a certificate on the MSWiA list — for example, ECL or TELC;
a Polish school leaving certificate or university diploma.

Do I need Polish for the karta stałego pobytu?

No. For a permanent residence permit (pobyt stały, art. 195 ustawy o cudzoziemcach) a Polish certificate is not required. People often confuse it with the karta rezydenta długoterminowego UE — a different permit, which does require B1.

State exam or TELC: which should I choose?

Planning citizenship — unless you have a leaving certificate from a school in Poland or a Polish-medium school abroad, take the state exam straight away. TELC is not accepted for uznanie, and you would have to sit an exam a second time.
Only need the karta rezydenta długoterminowego UE — both TELC and the state certificate work. Choose by convenient date and centre.
Resident card first, citizenship later — the state certificate covers both, so one exam is enough.

Can I get a certificate without an exam?

Yes, in some cases, based on education in Polish. The level is set by art. 11a ust. 7 ustawy o języku polskim as amended by Dz.U. 2026 poz. 676; this provision has applied since 9 June 2026. Check in advance whether the voivodeship office will accept such a certificate for citizenship: its page refers to a certificate obtained after passing the exam.

a doctoral degree — C2;
a master’s degree or jednolite studia magisterskie — C1;
a bachelor’s degree (studia pierwszego stopnia) — B2;
certain Polish-medium schools, including schools abroad with a certificate equivalent to the świadectwo dojrzałości — B2;
certain other schools and forms of Polish tuition, including abroad — B1.

From 1 January 2027 the application goes to the Commission via NAWA and is decided within 60 days (art. 11aa ust. 1 and 8). The fee for issuing the certificate is 100 zł from 2027 (art. 11a ust. 4c); until the end of 2026 it is €20. Check the exact conditions for your document on certyfikatpolski.pl. What else is changing: Changes from 2027.

How long is the certificate valid?

Indefinitely: the state certificate has no expiry date. If your certificate is older or was issued without an exam, ask the voivodeship office in advance whether it will be accepted: the office’s page refers to a certificate obtained after an exam passed on or after 12 February 2018.

What to do before you apply

Decide on your goal: citizenship, karta rezydenta długoterminowego UE or pobyt stały.
Confirm the requirements with your voivodeship office — it checks your documents.
If you need a certificate, check your level: the free diagnostic test takes about 10 minutes and suggests a plan up to the session.
Choose a session and a centre — dates and registration steps are on the B1 exam page.

Checked on 2 November 2026: art. 30 ust. 2 ustawy o obywatelstwie polskim, art. 195 and 211 ustawy o cudzoziemcach, art. 11a ustawy o języku polskim (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 676). The voivodeship office decides — confirm there.

Take the free diagnostic test All about the B1 exam

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Zdałem is an independent trainer, not affiliated with Państwowa Komisja. Rules change: before registering or filing documents, check certyfikatpolski.pl