Polish gay couple seeks marriage recognition after EU court ruling

Two Polish men named Rafał, who have been together for 14 years, married in Tønder, Denmark, in March. After returning to Poland they applied to have their foreign marriage transcribed at the Warsaw Civil Registry Office, but the office initially suspended the procedure. With legal assistance they appealed the suspension.

The case comes after the European Court of Justice ruled that denying recognition to same‑sex marriages performed in other EU states breaches EU law. The ruling followed a precedent in which a Polish couple married in Berlin in 2018 was eventually recognized by Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court. In response, Polish ministers signed a regulation on 22 May introducing new marriage‑certificate templates that include options beyond “man/woman.” Despite the regulatory change, the couple still faces bureaucratic delays in having their marriage officially recorded in Poland.

The couple’s struggle highlights ongoing challenges for LGBT rights in Poland, even as EU legal pressure pushes the government toward broader recognition of same‑sex unions.