Poland makes history with first same-sex marriage registration following EU court ruling

Published on 14/05/2026 - 17:24 GMT+2

Poland’s capital, Warsaw, registered its archetypal same-sex matrimony connected Thursday, implementing tribunal rulings that necessitate the state to recognise same-sex marriages registered abroad.

In November, the European Union’s highest tribunal ordered Poland to registry same-sex marriages that were entered into successful different EU countries adjacent if Polish instrumentality does not presently licence them.

In March, Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court cited that ruling successful ordering authorities to recognise the matrimony successful Germany of 2 Polish men.

“This greeting we issued the archetypal transcription of a matrimony certificate for a same-sex couple, successful accordance with the tribunal rulings,” Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski said.

The politician besides promised his metropolis would proactively recognise different Polish same-sex marriages registered elsewhere successful the EU adjacent without a circumstantial tribunal ruling.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said connected Tuesday that his authorities would find ways to instrumentality the rulings arsenic soon arsenic possible, and, addressing same-sex couples, apologised "to each those who, for galore years, felt rejected and humiliated.”

Tusk appealed to Polish officials, careless of their idiosyncratic opinions, “to respect the dignity of each idiosyncratic and to retrieve that these radical unrecorded astir us, among us, adjacent us, and that they merit the aforesaid feelings of respect, dignity and emotion arsenic immoderate different person.”

LGBTQ+ individuals for decades person been warring for adjacent rights successful Poland, wherever same-sex matrimony and civilian partnerships are illegal.

None of the rulings mean that Poland is obliged to legalise same-sex marriage.

Tusk's authorities came to powerfulness with a committedness to legalise civilian unions for same-sex couples. However, absorption from conservatives wrong his ain governing conjugation arsenic good arsenic absorption from President Karol Nawrocki, a staunch Catholic, person stalled the efforts.

According to an Ipsos+ canvass past year, 67% of Poles enactment same-sex matrimony oregon ineligible designation of unions for LGBTQ+ couples.

Although determination person been 2 motions successful spot for the authorities to present bills connected civilian partnerships into parliament, some failed owed to a deficiency of enactment by much blimpish members.