Polish registry offices begin registering foreign same-sex marriages, but Zakopane refuses a couple
On August 23, 2026, a government regulation came into force in Poland approving new document templates for the transcription (registration in the national registry) of marriage certificates issued abroad. This change allowed same-sex couples to officially register their unions in Polish civil registry offices. In the first week of the new rules, 85 same-sex marriages were registered in the country. However, the civil registry office in the resort town of Zakopane in southern Poland became the first to refuse two men.
According to Polityka , Zakopane Mayor Łukasz Filipowicz explained the refusal by contradictions in legislation. According to him, on the one hand, there are new government instructions, and on the other, a previous ruling of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal. City administration lawyers concluded that registering same-sex marriages contradicts national law, and the municipality decided not to risk possible legal consequences. At the same time, the mayor emphasized that the city is tolerant of everyone, and legal uncertainty only harms the LGBT community.
The affected couple has already appealed the local registry office’s decision. Lawyers note that the transcription procedure in Poland is not tied to a place of residence, so same-sex spouses can apply to any registry office in the country. Meanwhile, LGBT community representatives are waiting for the Ministry of Finance to clarify other important issues, such as the right to file joint tax returns and inheritance tax exemption for same-sex spouses.
