Marriage to a Polish Citizen

Every country has its own laws that apply to its citizens marrying a person from a different country. Getting married to a Polish citizen with the goal of eventually bringing them to Canada to live is a process with many steps.

If you want to bring your Polish spouse or partner to live in Canada, you must then file a sponsorship application for them to become a permanent resident. If they would like to visit you in Canada while their application is in process, they must also apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). For more information, please see our family sponsorship page and our eTA article.

 

Polish Marriage Basic Requirements

In order to obtain a transcript of the marriage certificate in Poland, the following documents:

• • Birth certificate – if spouses were born outside Poland
  • Passport of the spouse with the surname used after the marriage ceremony (the original has to appear)
  • Original copy of a marriage certificate (for the Canadian citizen)

Original translation of the document made by a local translator

• • A questionnaire with personal data of the persons named in the marriage certificate
  • Statement about the surname to be used after the marriage ceremony, mandatory in the case of a woman
  • Copies and originals of birth certificates of the couple
  • A translation of a foreign birth certificate (if spouses born outside Poland)

 

 

Family Members

If your Polish spouse has dependent children, this does not affect the Polish Marriage document application.

If you have dependent children, they have no effect on the application to marry a Polish citizen.

 

List of Polish Consulates in Canada

Click here

Calling Poland from Canada

• The exit code for Canada is 011
• The country code for Poland is 48
• Dial 011 – 48 – area code – local number

Area Codes of Poland

by Naive Cynic / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.5

Cellular  Codes:

• 50
• 51
• 53
• 57
• 60
• 66
• 69
• 72
• 73
• 78
• 79
• 88

 

Calling Canada from Poland

• The international code is 00
• The country code for Canada is 1
• Dial 00 – 1 – area code – local number

Area Codes of Canada

Province	Code	Province	Code
Alberta	403 / 587 (southern Alberta) 587 / 780 (central and northern Alberta)	Nunavut	867
BC	236 / 250 / 778 (majority of BC) 236 / 604 / 778 (Metro Vancouver)	Ontario	226 / 519 (southwestern Ontario) 249 / 705 (northeastern Ontario) 289 / 365 / 905 (Greater Toronto Area) 343 / 613 (eastern Ontario) 416 / 647 (Toronto) 807 (northwestern Ontario)
Manitoba	204 / 431	PEI	782 / 902
New  Brunswick	506	Quebec	418 / 581 (eastern Quebec) 438 / 514 (Montreal) 450 / 579 (Greater Montreal) 819 / 873 (remainder of Quebec)
Newfoundland and Labrador	709	Saskatchewan	306 / 639
Northwest Territories	867	Yukon	867
Nova Scotia	782 / 902

 

Time Difference

Poland is on Central European Time (GMT+1). Poland observes Daylight Saving Time, like the rest of Europe, during a slightly different period than Canada. In late March again in late October, the below differences do not apply. Saskatchewan does not observe DST so add one hour during the summer.

Canadian Time Zone	# of Hours Thailand is Ahead
Pacific (BC, Yukon)	9 hours
Mountain (Alberta, western Nunvaut, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan)	8 hours
Central (Manitoba, Northwest Territories, central Nunavut, northwestern Ontario, Saskatchewan*)	7 hours
Eastern (most of Ontario, most of Quebec)	6 hours
Atlantic (Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, eastern Quebec)	5 hours
Newfoundland	4.5 hours

 

Emergency Information for Canadians in Poland

Embassy of Canada in Warsaw ul. Jana Matejki 1/5 00-481, Warsaw Poland Telephone: 48 (22) 584-3100; “recording after office hours” Fax: 48 (22) 584-3101 or 48 (22) 584-3192 Email: [email protected] Website: poland.gc.ca

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The Government of Canada’s Travel Alerts for Poland

For travel alerts, click here

Polish Wedding Traditions

The engagement ceremony comes before the wedding. The engagement is usually a small ceremony that takes place in the house of the parents or parents in law (of either the bride or the groom) this is, in most cases the time when the in-laws meet each other the first time.

Invitations are issued to relatives or friends to represent the couple as groomsmen or bridesmaids. The bride and groom then invite their godparents.

The bachelor and bachelorette parties sometimes takes place the night before the wedding but more often  they are held on a Saturday or Friday, a week or two before the wedding.

During the bachelor party, the groom and his friends go out to a couple of bars where they have drinks, play pool or throw darts.

At the bachelorette party, the bride either goes out with her girlfriends or invites the girl friends to her house for a light meal and drinks. During the party, the girls gossip, play games, and listen to music.

A wedding ceremony can be either religious, civil or both.

 

Blessing

Before the church ceremony, everyone gathers at the home of the bride not only to accompany the bridal couple to church, but also to witness the blessing and symbolic farewells of the bride with her parents, relatives, and friends.

A crucifix, a lighted candle, a bowl of holy water and a sprinkler are prepared. Traditionally the bride’s mother gives the blessing.

The mother then sprinkles the bride and groom with holy Water, and they make the sign of the Cross. She then gives them the crucifix to kiss.

The father of the bride may utter a blessing or simply also sprinkle the couple with the holy Water. Others in attendance, for instance grandparents, or godparents may also bless the couple.

After the blessing, the bride and groom thank, hug and kiss their parents as the wedding party prepares to leave for church.

The bread and salt Blessing is an old and important Polish tradition that is done at the wedding reception, the parents of the bride and groom greet the newly married couple with bread, which is lightly sprinkled with salt and a cup of wine.

The bread symbolizes that the couple’s children will never go hungry, and the salt is a reminder that life will at times be difficult and they should learn to persevere.

The wine symbolizes the couple will go thirsty and that their lives will be filled with happiness and good health.

 

Church Ceremony

Everyone gathers at the home of the bride to accompany her to church.

The trip to the church takes place in various ways, either with the bride and groom riding together, or separate.

If they arrive separately, the bride waits in the church and the groom should not see her until the ceremony starts.

The bride’s father walks her and the end of the church ceremony, the bride sometimes throws handfuls of straw on the young boys and girls who follow the wedding party.

Whoever it lands on is prophesied to marry before the others. Another belief is that whichever one of the bridesmaids touches the bride or her wreath first after the wedding ceremony, will marry that year.

 

Music

Most couples hire a band to play at the wedding in the hall as guests arrive.

 

The Unveiling

This tradition is a rite of passage for the bride symbolizing the transition from a young woman to a married woman.

All single ladies circle the bride as the maid of honour stands behind the bride and removes the veil/cap (welon, czepek) from the bride’s head as the music plays.

A married woman is chosen to pin the cap on the bride as all married women circle around the bride. At this point, the bride is officially considered a married woman.

Sometimes, after the unveiling the bride tosses the veil, rather than the bouquet, to one of the single women or gives the veil to the maid of honour.

 

Religion

89.9% of the population in Poland belongs to the Roman Catholic Church. The holocaust that occurred in the country discouraged many religions from cropping up.

Freedom of religion is ensured to everyone in Poland. It also allows for national and ethnic minorities to have the right to create educational and cultural institutions, these institutions are designed to protect religious identity, as well as to take an active role in the resolution of matters concern cultural identity.

Religious organizations in the Republic of Poland can register their institution with the Ministry of Interior and Administration.

 

Orthodox

The Orthodox Church was established in 1924, to accommodate Orthodox Christians of Polish, Ukrainian and Belarusian descent in the Eastern part of the country, this was when Poland regained its independence after World War 1.

 

Islam

By 18th century, the lower classes of the Muslim community had gradually started to adopt the Ruthenian language, the Sunni and Tatar traditions were preserved.

This led to emergence of a distinctive Muslim culture of Central Europe, in which elements of Muslim orthodoxy became combined with religious tolerance and a relatively liberal society.

Apart from the traditional Tatar communities, since the 1970s Poland has been home to a small but growing Muslim community mainly consisting of immigrants from Chechnya, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

 

Buddhism

After World War II, various Buddhist groups and organizations were formed mainly by immigrants from Japan, China, Vietnam and Korea.

Since the breakdown of the Eastern Bloc, which promoted an anti-religious campaign, Buddhism has developed and spread out more.

 

Hinduism

The Hindu community in Poland is about 2,000 people. Hinduism has managed to spread to Poland through ISKCON missionaries since 1976. The main temples are in Czarnów, Warszawa, and Wrocław.

 

Judaism

For centuries, Poland was regarded as the home to the largest and most significant Jewish community in the world.

This came to a close with the Partitions of Poland, in particular, the discrimination and persecution of Jews in the former Soviet Union or Russian empire.

During World War II the Polish Jewish community as almost wiped out by Nazi Germany, during the 1939–1945 German occupation of Poland and the ensuing Holocaust.

When the newly independent Second Polish Republic was formed, it had a large and vibrant Jewish minority, by the time World War II began, Poland had the largest concentration of Jews in Europe.

Although many Polish Jews had a separate culture and ethnic identity from Catholics, some authors have stated that only about 10% of Polish Jews during the war period could be considered “assimilated” while more than 80% can be recognized as Jews.

 

Food for Weddings

ROSOL Z KURY I KLUSKI

A great start for a wedding feast is chicken noodle soup, also known as Rosol Kury I Kulski

 

CZARNINA

Duck or goose blood soup known as czarnina, is a Polish favourite dish. It is typically a mixture of duck or goose blood, dried fruits and vinegar which prevents the blood from clotting and gives it a sweet-sour flavor.

 

SALATKA WIOSENNA

This is a simple and easy salad to make for any occasion, the ingredients are available all year round.

Salatka Wiosenna

 

POLISH KIELBASA SAUSAGE

Fresh pan-roasted sausage served with grated horseradish and vinegar

 

KURCZAKI NA POLONIJNE WESELE

This chicken recipe is referred to as Polish wedding chicken because it is often prepared this way for wedding banquets, festivals and church dinners.

Wedding chicken

 

SAUERKRAUT AND APPLES

Sauerkraut is a tasty side dish for pork, sausage or any other meat or poultry.

 

KALAFIOR PO POLSKU

This is Polish style cauliflower which is garnished with hard cooked eggs, breadcrumbs, parsley and butter. It makes a lovely starter menu for a wedding.

 

LIGHT RYE BREAD

The polish version of this bread contains caraway seeds.  This is usually served as a starter with soup or vegetables.

 

CHRUSCIKI

Chrusciki are fried bow knot pastries that are labour intensive to make, therefore only served as dessert on special occasions like weddings, holidays, christenings, graduations, St. Joseph’s Day and other festive days.

 

KOLACZKI

Kolaczki is another favourite Polish dessert that also takes a little time to make, also served as dessert on special occasions, especially at Christmas time or weddings.

 

PACZKI

These are Polish doughnuts also known as bismarcks, they are always served as luxury food before the fast days of Lent. But they can also be served at special occasions throughout the year.

 

PLACEK ZE JABLKA

This is a Polish apple cake or tart also served as dessert.

 

SZARLOTKA

Szarlotka is the Polish version of American apple pie, the difference is that the crust is sweeter and made with butter. Szarlotka is different from the apple cake, which is leavened with baking powder or baking soda. This is also a dessert served on special occasions or daily.

 

SERNIK

Sernik is made with a pastry crust, but in modern Poland, anything goes ingredients can include cookie crumbs, Graham cracker crumbs, or no crust at all.

 

Romantic, Historic and Scenic Places in Poland

Historic Sights

Barbakan Krakowski – Krakow

The Barbakan of Krakow is a major tourist attraction site in Poland with an Arabic architectural design. This served as a fortress during the end of the 15th century.

 

Wawel Castle – Krakow

The Wawel Castle in Poland offers visitors and honeymooners the chance to visit the Wawel castle, the Cathedral, the bell tower, and the dragon’s Lair.

 

Malbork Castle – Malbork

The Malbork Castle is the largest brick castle in the world and the most stunning in Europe. During World War II, more than half of this magnificent structure was destroyed, although still under construction, the tower of the castle in Malbork is still in ruins.

The Malbork Castle has many permanent exhibitions such as the History of the Church of St. Mary, the Infirmary at the Middle Class, and The Mill in the High Castle in Malbork which all provide excellent sites to see on a holiday.

 

Kazimierz Dolny – Pulawy

Kazimierz is located on the Lublin Plateau on the banks of the Vistula River, the largest river Poland.

The river creates a wonderful ecosystem of preserved habitats, variety of plants and waterfowl, this is a very popular tourist destinations and the ideal place for honeymooners to relax and enjoy life.

 

Palace of Culture and Science – Warsaw

The Palace of Culture and Science is the tallest building in Poland and the eighth tallest building in Europe.

The 30th floor of the building is the observation deck which is a spectacular vantage point to catch a glimpse of the beautiful city of Warsaw.

 

Stare Miasto – Warsaw

A major attraction in Poland is the Warsaw old town. In the streets of this ancient town is The Royal Castle, it has undergone major reconstructions and is today home to a museum that attracts tourists from all over the world each year.

The museum is home to throne rooms, ballrooms, and the Royal Apartments. The castle hosts many major concerts each year.

 

Biskupin – Wielkopolska

Biskupin is a fortified settlement in which was inhabited between the late Bronze Age and the Iron Ages in Poland.

The unique feature of this settlement is construction of the exterior wall of the Biskupin settlement with wooden boxes filled with dirt and rocks. It is a tourist attraction that contains some of Poland’s rich cultural history.

 

Scenic Places

Bieszczady Mountains

Bieszczady is home to the Bieszczady Mountains in the Carpathian mountain range in Poland.The highest point of the mountains is located at Tarnica on the Polish side and Mt. Pikuy on the Ukraine side.

 

Slowinski National Park – Pomerania

Polish National Park can be seen in the coastal lakes, dunes of various heights, and beaches. The highest dune being the Czolpinko Dune, it is covered in pine trees.

The northern part of the Slowinski Park has over 20 miles of coastline.

 

Lazienki Park – Warsaw

Lazienki Royal Park also known as Park Lazienkowski is the largest park home in the centre of Warsaw. Lazienkowski was established by Tylman van Gameren in the 17th century.

Its name was derived from a bathing pavilion that was located in the park.

 

Tatra Mountains

The Tatra Mountains are a mountain range that sits between Poland and Slovak. The highest peak on the Polish side is Rysy, standing at 2,499 meters.

The most popular destination in Poland in the Tatra Mountains is Zakopane, a popular destination for skiers.

 

Sponsoring Your Polish Spouse to Canada

The sponsorship process is difficult and time-consuming. To learn more about it, click the button below:

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Sponsorship Review

Immigroup will review your completed spousal sponsorship application.. Immigroup will make sure you have not made any mistakes on your application or in gathering the documentation of your relationship. We will assess your sponsorship letter and give you peace of mind that you are submitting an application with a very good chance of success. Don’t lose sleep at night worrying about whether you’ve done enough. Call us at 1-866-760-2623 for a review.