If you're filing for recognition as a Polish citizen (Art. 30 of the Citizenship Act), since 1 July 2025 you must include a B1-level (or higher) Polish language certificate issued by the State Commission for Certification of Polish Language Proficiency.
Cost and timeline
The certificate exam costs 700 zł, and the realistic time to sit it and receive the certificate is usually around 90 days — counting from registering for the exam, through waiting for a slot, to the document being issued. This is one of the longest single pieces of the whole application to prepare, so it's worth starting here first rather than last.
Why this matters for your timeline
Many people gather every other document (criminal record certificate, civil status records) within a few weeks, then wait months just for the B1 certificate. If you start with the language exam, everything else can be prepared in parallel.
Who might be exempt
The B1 requirement doesn't apply to every applicant — it depends on which legal basis you're applying under (for example, presidential grant of citizenship, Art. 18, is a different path that doesn't require the certificate). If you're not sure which path applies to your situation, talk to the assistant — it will ask about your situation and point you to the right procedure.
Practical tip
Register for the certificate exam as soon as you decide to apply — it's the one part of the whole process whose pace you don't control, so it's better not to leave it for last.