In Poland, the Constitutional Court ruled that same-sex marriages performed abroad cannot be recognized in the country because the constitution defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
Earlier, in November 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that member states must recognize same-sex marriages concluded in other EU countries, citing the need of EU citizens to be able to continue their family life across different member states.
In March 2026, Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court agreed with the ruling of EU’s top court, also ruling that same-sex marriages contracted abroad should be recognized by the Polish state, thereby applying the EU court’s judgment to Polish law.
This ruling was supposed to take effect at the end of August.
However, the conservative opposition Law and Justice party, known as PiS, challenged it before the Constitutional Court, which reversed the decision by stating that recognizing such marriages would conflict with Poland’s constitution.
