Visa rules, ZUS updates, healthcare changes, and other policy news worth knowing — in plain English.
Fifteen NATO countries including Poland will participate in BALTOPS 2026 naval exercises running June 4-19 across the Baltic Sea, practicing anti-submarine warfare and amphibious operations.
Poland's Defence Minister has confirmed that NATO is discussing potential expansion of its Nuclear Sharing programme, with the issue set to be addressed at a Brussels meeting on June 18.
Consumer prices rose 3.1% year-on-year in May, down from 3.2% in April, as food inflation slowed dramatically despite continued fuel price pressures from the Middle East conflict.
President Karol Nawrocki has called for a state council to discuss withdrawing Ukraine's Zelenskyy's Order of the White Eagle after he renamed a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, whose fighters killed Poles during World War II.
Poland has signed its first contracts using EU SAFE funds, with deals worth up to 100 billion zloty planned by May 30. The programme provides €43.7 billion in defense loans for border security and military modernization.
Poland's parliament has approved legislation creating a new legal status for same-sex couples called "status of the closest person." President Nawrocki indicated he would sign the bill into law.
Following the successful recall of Kraków's mayor Aleksander Miszalski, opposition groups in Wrocław, Częstochowa, Radom, and Rzeszów are exploring similar campaigns to oust their city leaders.
Polish authorities have detained a fourth suspect in connection with a coordinated series of false emergency alerts that targeted government buildings, media outlets, and public institutions across the country in recent weeks.
The first three of 32 F-35A stealth combat aircraft arrived at Poland's Łask air base on May 22, making Poland the first NATO eastern flank nation to operate fifth-generation fighters.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a bilateral defense and security treaty on May 27, marking the first time Russia has been explicitly named a strategic threat in such an agreement.
US President Donald Trump announced on May 22 that 5,000 additional American troops will be deployed to Poland, citing his relationship with President Karol Nawrocki after earlier threatening troop reductions.
Poland's National Health Fund (NFZ) has rolled out a new e-prescription platform allowing foreigners with PESEL and NFZ coverage to access prescriptions digitally via the mojeIKP app, starting May 20, 2026.
Poland will increase passport validity from 10 to 15 years beginning June 1, 2026, following parliamentary approval. The change aims to reduce administrative burden and align with EU standards.
Warsaw's ZTM will increase ticket prices by approximately 8% starting June 1, 2026. A new unlimited monthly pass for all zones will cost 260 PLN, replacing the previous two-zone system.
Poland's annual inflation rate climbed to 3.2% in April 2026, the highest reading since June 2025, driven primarily by energy price pressures linked to the Middle East conflict.
Poland's central bank kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.75% for the second consecutive month on May 6, citing uncertainty from the Iran conflict and rising energy costs that pushed April inflation to 3.2%.
From February 2026, the minimum health contribution for entrepreneurs rose from PLN 315 to PLN 433 per month—the biggest single cost increase in years for freelancers and sole proprietors.
Since April 27, all residence permit applications must be filed electronically via the MOS portal. Paper submissions are no longer accepted, and the transition has already caught some applicants off guard.
Government discussions in May 2026 raised the possibility of lengthening the residency period required for citizenship applications, potentially adding 1–2 years to the current five-year rule.
