State certification exam in the Polish language

To confirm knowledge of the Polish language, you need to pass a state exam and obtain a certificate.

This certificate will be required: when submitting documents for a long-term EU resident card or Polish citizenship, when entering a Polish university, or for employment.

Since last year, an alternative option has emerged – taking the TELC (The European Language Certificates) exam – to obtain an EU resident card.

Attention! The TELC certificate is not suitable for obtaining Polish citizenship.

If the list of required documents specifies the need for a document confirming knowledge of the Polish language, this means that a certificate is required.

The exam is held only 4 times a year at certified centers. In 2024, the exam dates are:

• February 4-5 – levels B1 and B2
• April 20-21 – levels B1 and C1
• June 22-23 – levels B1 and B2
• November 16-17 – levels B1, C1, and C2.

Depending on where you need to submit the certificate of Polish language proficiency, the exam must be taken at the corresponding level.

For example, to enter a Polish university, a proficiency level of B1-B2 is required. However, a state certificate confirming proficiency in Polish at the B2 or C1 level exempts from taking a language exam when enrolling in a university. And a certificate of proficiency in the Polish language at the C2 level entitles to free education at Polish universities.

When seeking employment, the employer specifies the required level, but the levels may vary, and the need for certification depends on the qualification of the employee.

When applying for a long-term EU resident card, a B1 level is sufficient, and for Polish citizenship – B2.

Exempted from taking the exam to obtain a certificate:

• persons who were born in Poland or have a high school diploma from Poland;
• graduates of universities with Polish-language instruction;
• children under 16 years old;
• other privileged categories according to the law.

Exemption from taking the exam does not entitle to receive the certificate for free, but its issuance is simplified.

The exam itself consists of several stages:

1. listening – perception and understanding of texts by ear
2. reading comprehension
3. checking Polish grammar.
4. writing skills check – a short essay, mainly on everyday topics.
5. oral knowledge check – answering a question from the exam ticket.

The exam is paid. The result after passing will be known within two months. The notification comes in case of both positive and negative evaluations. The exam fee is non-refundable in both cases. If the result is positive, within a month after payment of the fee for the certificate production, it will be issued and can be collected.

Note. Taking the TELC exam is slightly easier in terms of requirements and can be completed within 1 day.

Taking the state exam for a certificate requires serious preparation, as testing is conducted by a commission, only 4 times a year, by appointment, and only at certified centers.

The certificate is valid indefinitely.