Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski said on Thursday that the city's registry office had completed the registration, following rulings by Polish courts and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
“Today morning we carried out the first transcription of a same-sex marriage certificate, in line with court rulings,” Trzaskowski told a news conference at Warsaw City Hall. “As I promised, without delay, immediately.”
In Polish civil law, transcription means entering a foreign civil status document, such as a birth, death, or marriage certificate, into the Polish civil registry.
Poland does not allow same-sex marriages to be concluded in the country, but recent rulings concern marriages legally entered into abroad.
Trzaskowski said similar applications in Warsaw would be processed quickly. He added that suspended applications would now be reopened. Couples whose earlier requests were refused would be able to apply again.
“We waited for the rulings of Polish courts, which confirmed this line and clarified many doubts and questions,” he said. “We have a ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union and Polish courts, and I will carry out these rulings.”
The mayor said Warsaw had chosen a registration format in which both spouses’ details are entered into the existing fields on the marriage form.
He said the city consulted other civil registry offices, officials, and organizations campaigning for LGBT rights before deciding on the format.
He also welcomed Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s announcement that the government would adopt a regulation standardizing the procedure nationwide.
“I hope this happens as soon as possible,” Trzaskowski said.
Government Equality Minister Katarzyna Kotula said work on the regulation began in November, after the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Poland must recognize same-sex marriages legally concluded in other European Union member states.
The regulation has already been signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski. Interior and Administration Minister Marcin Kierwiński said on Thursday that he would countersign it in the coming days.
Kotula said changing the marriage certificate form itself was simple. The final system is expected to include three versions of the form, covering marriages between a woman and a man, two women, or two men. She added that time was needed to test the system and protect citizens’ data.
The Supreme Administrative Court (NSA), Poland’s highest administrative court, ruled in March in favor of entering into the Polish register the marriage certificate of two Polish men who married legally in Berlin in 2018.
Since March, the court has ordered the registration of foreign same-sex marriage certificates in seven cases.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Thursday that the regulation followed court decisions but did not resolve all legal issues facing unmarried couples.
He said broader protections would be provided by a bill on the status of a closest person, now being considered by a special parliamentary committee.
Kosiniak-Kamysz said the measure would cover issues such as inheritance, joint tax settlement, and access to medical information.
He added that he hoped committee work would finish in May so the bill could move to a vote.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP