A civil wedding is the most frequently chosen form of marriage in Poland. Knowing the procedures and what documents are necessary for a civil wedding allows you to avoid unnecessary delays and stress.
The regulations clearly define who can get married and what conditions must be met for the ceremony to be valid.
Are you planning a civil wedding? You need to take care of these things before the wedding
According to the law, marriage can be concluded by adults who are not otherwise married, who are not related in a direct line or who are not siblings. As the Gov.pl website explains, in exceptional cases, e.g. when the woman is 16 years old or the fiancées are related, court consent is required. Completely incapacitated persons cannot enter into marriage.
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Before the wedding, future spouses should also:
- if they want to get married in an office – go to the Civil Registry Office,
- if they want to get married outside the office – go to the Civil Registry Office competent for the place that was chosen as the wedding venue.
The most common way of getting married in Poland is a ceremony in front of an official in the Civil Registry Office building. Before it takes place, you must also pay the civil wedding fee during your visit. It amounts to PLN 84 and is a stamp duty for preparing a marriage certificate. The marriage certificate is prepared after the ceremony, and you will receive one shortened copy free of charge.
What documents are needed for a civil wedding?
The wedding itself does not have to take place at the office. In such a case, the civil wedding fee is PLN 1,000. In both cases, during the visit, the wedding date is set and an assurance is given that there are no obstacles to the marriage. If the head of the Civil Registry Office refuses to perform the wedding, you may appeal to the court within 14 days.
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What documents are needed for a civil wedding? Before visiting the Civil Registry Office to enter into a marriage, you should prepare ID cards or passports, proof of stamp duty and, if necessary, court consent or a power of attorney.
Foreigners must present a document confirming the possibility of marrying under the law of their country. All documents in a foreign language must be translated by a sworn translator.
