August 29, Pozirk. The Polish foreign ministry is working on changing the rules for issuing a Pole’s Card (Karta Polaka), Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said on X, replying to a question from MP Przemysław Wipler.
Over the past few years, the Pole’s Card has facilitated legal migration to Poland. The card confirms belonging to the Polish nation and gives its holders the right to study, work and do business in Poland. The program remains popular among Belarusians.
Current rules for issuing the document are a “real problem,” Sikorski said, noting that the government is trying to improve migration policies inherited from the conservative Law and Justice party.
Earlier this year, Warsaw announced amendments to legislation governing the issue of Pole’s Cards, citing the submission of forged documents proving applicants’ Polish origin.
The major changes reportedly include stricter criteria for applicants and a focus on a good command of the Polish language and familiarity with the Polish culture.
Sikorski mentioned plans to tighten regulations for the card’s issue last year, stressing security reasons for the amendments to ensure that the card does not become a loophole in migration procedures.
In early 2024, Belarusian migration official Alaksiej Biahun said Minsk was implementing a “set of measures” to “convince citizens that the Pole’s Card is harmful, including to the national security of Belarus,” and that obtaining and using the document in Belarus was “unacceptable.”
The Belarusian citizenship law amended two years ago requires Belarusians to inform authorities no later than three months after obtaining a Pole’s Card or any other documents granting additional rights in other countries.
Also read: Warsaw moves to tighten criteria for Pole’s Card to prevent abuse
