💍 Urząd stanu cywilnego

Civil marriage registration

Formalities start with a visit to any registry office: both partners personally file an 'assurance' that there are no impediments to the marriage. The wedding can take place no earlier than one month and one day after that visit, and the assurance stays valid for 6 months. The stamp duty for drawing up the marriage act is 84 zł. A ceremony outside the office (outdoors, a wedding venue) costs an extra 1,000 zł, and shortening the one-month wait for important reasons — 39 zł.

Service passportUpdated: 30.07.2026.

Cost

84 zł (outside the USC — extra 1,000 zł)

Duration

The USC visit — about 30 minutes

Deadline

Wedding after 1 month + 1 day at the earliest

Where

Any registry office (USC) in Poland

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✓ Information verified: 2026-07-30 Report an error

Who this applies to

Couples planning a civil or 'concordat' wedding (a church wedding with civil effects — the USC then issues a certificate valid 6 months that you take to the parish). Polish citizens show only their ID cards. A foreigner additionally files a birth certificate copy and a document confirming capacity to marry under their home law (or a court decision waiving it); foreign documents need a sworn translation, and if either of you doesn't speak Polish, an interpreter must attend the ceremony.

Step by step

Book a visit and file the assurance

Both in person, with ID documents. You also pick the ceremony date and declare surnames — yours and your future children's. The 84 zł fee is paid here too.

Wait one month and one day

That's the statutory wait. In exceptional cases the registrar can shorten it (39 zł fee, justification required — e.g. pregnancy, departure, health).

The ceremony and the marriage act

Two adult witnesses with ID are required. After the ceremony the USC draws up the marriage act; one short-form copy is free. A name change means you must replace your ID card and driving licence (30 days).

Common mistakes

Booking the venue before the USC visit — ceremony slots in popular months go fast, and marrying before the month-and-a-day wait is impossible without the registrar's consent.

Foreigners: bringing documents without a sworn translation or with the apostille 'on its way' — the USC won't accept the set and the date slips.

Forgetting the assurance is valid only 6 months — with a longer engagement you'll have to file it again.

Frequently asked questions

What does a civil wedding really cost?

At the office — just the 84 zł stamp duty. An outdoor or off-site ceremony adds 1,000 zł, and shortening the one-month wait — 39 zł.

Can I marry in a different city from where I live?

Yes — the assurance and ceremony can be handled at any USC in Poland regardless of your registered address. The marriage act goes into the central civil register anyway.

Official sources

Verified against official sources · 30.07.2026.