From 1 December 2026, Poland’s ID card system will undergo a broad set of changes that touch almost every citizen. Under the revised rules, a new document can be collected in any municipality selected by the applicant, and people whose cards were invalidated through an official error will have a chance to have them restored.
The announcement was published on 3 August 2026 by WNP.PL, citing Prawo.pl. The Ministry of Interior and Administration has changed its draft amendment to the regulations on ID cards following consultations. The June version of the project, compared with the one from February 2026, includes more precise wording and adds solutions that matter for ordinary citizens.
The biggest practical shift is in the way ID cards are picked up. Anyone submitting an application will be able to name any gmina in the country as the place of collection. This is meant to serve people who work or live outside their place of registration. The official issuing body will not change – it remains the gmina where the application was lodged, which means the administrative centre of gravity stays intact while the delivery point becomes more flexible.
More flexibility, more precise procedures
The new rules are intended to remove obstacles for citizens whose daily life takes them away from their registered address. Instead of being forced to return to their home municipality, they will be able to collect the document somewhere more convenient. This is aimed at people whose jobs or daily obligations take them away from the place where they are officially registered.
Apart from collection rules, the draft addresses how documents are handled between offices. It defines the rules for passing ID cards from one municipality to another and clarifies which authority is responsible in cases where a document is refused or invalidated. The catalogue of sources that can be used to verify identity is being widened: in specific situations, officials will be allowed to use data from the PESEL register.
A second chance after an official mistake
One of the most novel elements is the possibility to restore the validity of an ID card that was invalidated through an error by the administration. This can be done within 30 days of the invalidation. The procedure is intended to be purely technical, so citizens will not have to go through a full administrative case to fix a mistake they did not cause.
Changes will also affect the way people are told about invalidated documents. The draft reshapes the rules on notifications and specifies situations in which the standard procedure for reporting a lost ID does not need to be applied. Examples include cases where the loss is reported at the border or in connection with a criminal offence.
Source: WNP.PL, Photo: Milosz Kubiak / Shutterstock
