Citizenship needs the state certificate in Polish, at B1
The law asks for an official attestation of Polish, and only the State Commission issues one. Here you sit real papers from past sittings of that exam and see your score part by part — against the bar that actually applies.
- A full paper from a real sitting: 190 minutes, the recording plays once.
- A 50% bar in each of the five parts, oral included. Here you practise the four written ones.
- After every attempt, which part is below the bar.
You can start with a single part — the shortest is twenty minutes. Sign in and you get three full sets free, no card asked for: telc, state B1 and state B2.
Does a telc certificate count for citizenship?B1
There is no choice here: only the state certificate exam counts.
No. The citizenship act asks for an official attestation of Polish within the meaning of art. 11a of the Polish language act — which is the state certificate.
A Polish school certificate, or a degree from a Polish university taught in Polish, counts too. A telc certificate, which is enough for a residence card, is not accepted for a citizenship application.
Confirm the requirement with the voivodeship office handling your case before paying for the exam.
How the two exams differWhat you have to pass
At least 50% in each of the five parts separately: listening, reading, grammar, writing and speaking. One part below the bar sinks the whole sitting, however well the rest went. The total does not matter here — which is why the score is shown part by part.
The whole exam: structure, thresholds, feesWe don't mark speaking here
The fifth part of this exam is a conversation with the commission, and nobody here will mark it — you get the task sheet, the clocks and a recording of your own answer to listen back to. What you practise here is the four written parts: listening, reading, grammar and the written text.
What may change
As of 29 September 2026, citizenship needs the state certificate at B1. There are bills that would raise the requirement to B2 and lengthen the required residence, but none is law yet. We will update this page when something changes.
This is what your result looks like
After a whole paper you see each of the four written parts on its own, against the 50% bar. Below, an example where one part sinks it.
Worth passing first time
- The exam costs up to 150 €, plus 20 € to issue the certificate.
- Sittings are a few times a year — a failed attempt costs months.
- A citizenship application goes nowhere without the language attestation.
Here an attempt costs 190 minutes, and the whole library 129 zł for 90 days. Repeat it as often as you need before paying for that one.
Start with one part
A whole paper is 190 minutes without a break. Start with one part and see how far you are from the bar.
One click with Google, or one link from an email. No password to invent and no card.
Facts checked: 29 September 2026 · Source: certyfikatpolski.pl, telc.net