Another ruling by an administrative court on the recognition of a foreign same-sex marriage. The Voivodeship Administrative Court in Lublin has ordered the transcription of such a union – this time between two women – into Polish registers. Left-wing circles are already rubbing their hands, as evidenced by a post from “Akcja Demokracja”.
As a reminder: at the end of November last year, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that member states are obliged to recognize same-sex marriages concluded in other EU countries, even if national law – as in the case of Poland – defines marriage exclusively as a union between a woman and a man.
The starting point was the case of two men who married in Berlin and sought transcription of their marriage certificate in a Polish registry office. In March 2026, the Supreme Administrative Court obliged the civil registry office to enter into the Polish register a same-sex marriage concluded abroad. Thus, the court overturned the negative decisions issued in this case by the Civil Registry Office in Słubice and the Lubusz Voivode.
Another court – another same-sex marriage
Now, another court has done the same. The Voivodeship Administrative Court in Lublin heard on Tuesday a complaint by two women who had been refused transcription of their marriage certificate, i.e. the transfer of the content of a foreign civil status document into the Polish register.
The court ordered the head of the Civil Registry Office in Lublin to carry out the transcription into the Polish register of a marriage legally concluded by two women in July 2023 in Portugal. A deadline of 30 days from the return of the administrative files has been set for fulfilling this obligation, which will take place after the ruling becomes final.
Earlier, in October 2023, the head of the Lublin Civil Registry Office refused to enter this certificate into the national civil status records. The women appealed this decision to the Lublin Voivode, who upheld it on 6 December 2023. The case then went to the administrative court.
Left-wing circles are rubbing their hands
On the profile of “Akcja Demokracja” – a foundation whose staff and volunteers took part in running an illegal campaign in support of Rafał Trzaskowski – a post appeared that shows the enthusiasm of such circles.
“Nothing will stop this change anymore! The Voivodeship Administrative Court in Lublin has ordered the recognition of the marriage of Jolanta and Alicja concluded in Madeira. This is already the fourth ruling by Polish courts ordering the transcription of marriage certificates recognized within the European Union. The first one concerns a couple permanently residing in Poland who, due to the inability to marry in Poland, went abroad in order to return as wife and wife!” – we read.
And further: “To all opponents of equality citing the Polish Constitution, we advise you to read its provisions carefully. Nowhere does it prohibit the recognition of same-sex couples. We remind you of Article 7 of the Constitution: ‘Public authorities shall act on the basis of, and within the limits of, the law.’”
“This is the principle of legality. It means that no state authority (government, minister, voivode, civil registry office) may act at its own discretion or invoke higher moral or political reasons if the law – including final court judgments – requires it to act in a specific way. In the context of the case of Jolanta and Alicja and other couples, this is of fundamental importance: if the Administrative Court has issued a ruling ordering transcription, then the government and the Civil Registry Office are constitutionally obliged to execute it!” writes “Akcja Demokracja”.
