Poland Issues First Same-Sex Marriage Certificate Following EU Court Ruling

In a historic legal development, Warsaw City Hall has issued its first marriage certificate for a same-sex couple, marking a significant shift in Poland's approach to LGBTQ+ rights. The certificate was granted to Jakub Cupriak-Trojan and Mateusz Trojan, who married in Berlin in 2018. Although their initial application was rejected based on the Polish Constitution's definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman, the recognition follows a March 2026 decision by Poland's Supreme Administrative Court. This court ruling enforced a November 2025 judgment by the Court of Justice of the European Union, mandating the recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other EU member states. Prime Minister Donald Tusk supported the move, framing it as a matter of human dignity, despite opposition from conservative factions within his coalition and strong traditional Catholic influences in the country. LGBTQ+ organizations have hailed the event as a turning point for the estimated 30,000 to 40,000 Polish same-sex couples married abroad. While only 31 percent of Poles support full marriage equality, a majority favor some form of legal recognition for same-sex partnerships.