How many Ukrainians have obtained Polish citizenship over the past 10 years?

Over the past decade, only a small number of Ukrainians have obtained Polish citizenship, despite millions moving to the country. Find out more about why the naturalization rate is so low, what obstacles stand in the way of obtaining a passport, and what this means for the Ukrainian community

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Over the past decade, Poland has played a key role in accepting migrants from Ukraine. However, despite the large presence of Ukrainians in the Polish labor market and public life, the level of naturalization among them remains quite low. This is reported by the portal Nasz Wybir.

Between 2015 and 2024, less than 40,000 Ukrainians obtained Polish citizenship — a figure that clearly demonstrates the structural difficulties faced by foreigners seeking full citizenship in Poland.

General trends

Between 2015 and 2023, 31,900 Ukrainians obtained Polish citizenship.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 16,300 positive decisions on citizenship were issued in 2024, and although the breakdown by nationality has not yet been officially released, experts estimate that about half of the applicants are Ukrainians.

Thus, the total number of Ukrainians who have become Polish citizens over the past 10 years is approximately 38–39 thousand people.

This figure is particularly striking when compared to data from other EU countries. For example, in 2021, Spain granted citizenship to 144,000 migrants, Germany and France to 130,000 each, Italy to over 120,000, and Sweden to almost 90,000. At the same time, Poland granted citizenship to just under 10,000.

This indicates a very low level of naturalization: only 1.7% of foreigners with long-term residence permits obtained Polish citizenship in 2021, which is below the EU average (2.2%).

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Why so few?

Although the procedure for obtaining Polish citizenship is not particularly complicated on paper, it remains an obstacle for many migrants.

The main requirements include:

- Continuous and legal residence in Poland for 1 to 10 years, depending on the grounds.

- Knowledge of Polish at a level not lower than B1.

- Stable income and housing.

- Passing a state language exam, which is held only four times a year.

Most Ukrainians who move to Poland initially arrive as temporary workers without long-term plans, which delays the start of the naturalization process.

At the same time, without proper adaptation and time to learn the language, many fail the exam or do not submit documents due to bureaucratic barriers.

Despite the significant presence of the Ukrainian diaspora in Poland, obtaining Polish citizenship remains relatively rare.

The main reasons are the bureaucratic complexity of the process, the language barrier, and the lack of adequate integration support.

Over the past decade, fewer than 40,000 Ukrainians have become Polish citizens, which contrasts sharply with the scale of migration and the contribution of Ukrainians to the Polish economy.

This creates a situation in which a significant portion of Ukrainians living permanently in Poland have no political voice, which in turn deprives them of the opportunity to influence decisions that affect their lives.

If you are looking for professional assistance in matters of migration and legalization of your stay in Poland, we recommend that you contact Visit Ukraine's migration lawyers. They will provide qualified advice and support at every stage of the process, help you choose the best legalization option, taking into account your individual circumstances.

Do not risk your status abroad - order a qualified consultation from Visit Ukraine lawyers!

We remind you! Due to the migration crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border, the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Poland has decided to introduce a number of amendments to the current legislation. Read about the reasons for the draft law and the changes it will bring to Ukrainians in our previous article.

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