Legal System of Poland

Poland is located in Europe. It is geographically situated in central europe, east of germany. The country achieved independence on 11 november 1918 (republic proclaimed); notable earlier dates: 14 april 966 (adoption of christianity, traditional founding date), 1 july 1569 (polish-lithuanian commonwealth created). The capital is Warsaw.

Government Overview

Government Type: parliamentary republic Chief of State: President Karol NAWROCKI (since 6 August 2025) Head of Government: Prime Minister Donald TUSK (since 11 December 2023) Cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president, and approved by the Sejm Administrative Divisions: 16 provinces or voivodships (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo); Dolnoslaskie (Lower Silesia), Kujawsko-Pomorskie (Kuyavia-Pomerania), Lodzkie (Lodz), Lubelskie (Lublin), Lubuskie (Lubusz), Malopolskie (Lesser Poland), Mazowieckie (Masovia), Opolskie (Opole), Podkarpackie (Subcarpathia), Podlaskie, Pomorskie (Pomerania), Slaskie (Silesia), Swietokrzyskie (Holy Cross), Warminsko-Mazurskie (Warmia-Masuria), Wielkopolskie (Greater Poland), Zachodniopomorskie (West Pomerania) National Holiday: Constitution Day, 3 May (1791) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of Poland is described as civil law system; judicial review of legislative, administrative, and other governmental acts; constitutional law rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are final International Law: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: several previous; latest adopted 2 April 1997, approved by referendum 25 May 1997, effective 17 October 1997 Amendment Process: proposed by at least one fifth of Sejm deputies, by the Senate, or by the president of the republic; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote in the Sejm and absolute majority vote in the Senate; amendments to articles relating to sovereignty, personal freedoms, and constitutional amendment procedures also require passage by majority vote in a referendum

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court or Sad Najwyzszy (consists of the first president of the Supreme Court and 120 justices organized in criminal, civil, labor and social insurance, and extraordinary appeals and public affairs and disciplinary chambers); Constitutional Tribunal (consists of 15 judges, including the court president and vice president) Judge Selection: president of the Supreme Court nominated by the General Assembly of the Supreme Court and selected by the president of Poland; other judges nominated by the 25-member National Judicial Council and appointed by the president of Poland; judges serve until retirement, usually at age 65, but tenure can be extended; Constitutional Tribunal judges chosen by the Sejm for single 9-year terms Subordinate Courts: administrative courts; military courts; local, regional and appellate courts subdivided into military, civil, criminal, labor, and family courts

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of bicameral Note: note: the designation “National Assembly” (or Zgromadzenie Narodowe) is only used on those rare occasions when the two houses meet jointly Lower Chamber: Sejm (460 (all directly elected) seats) Electoral System (Lower Chamber): proportional representation Upper Chamber: Senate (Senat)

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: both parents must be citizens of Poland Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

Poland’s history as a state began near the middle of the 10th century. By the mid-16th century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ruled a vast tract of land in Central and Eastern Europe. During the 18th century, internal disorder weakened the nation, and in a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland among themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Poland based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.