Your guide to voting in the Kraków Presidential election

How to vote in the upcoming Kraków presidential election.
On Sunday 27th September, the first round of the elections to choose the next Mayor of Kraków will take place.

Citizens of the EU and the UK, who are over 18 years of age, permanently resident in Kraków, and who have registered to vote, can take part in this important election.

YOU HAVE A SAY! – Please use your vote to elect the next President of Kraków.

Kraków’s Snap “Presidential” Election: What Expats Need to Know
If you’ve noticed campaign posters going up around town or heard neighbours talking about “wybory prezydenta,” a quick clarification first: this isn’t Poland’s national presidential election. In Polish, the mayor of Kraków is called Prezydent Miasta Krakowa — literally “President of the City” — so what’s coming up on Sunday 27th September is an early mayoral election, not a national one.

Why is Kraków voting early?
The city’s former mayor, Aleksander Miszalski, was removed from office following a recall referendum held on 24th May 2026. Turnout cleared the required threshold, and nearly 98% of those who voted backed his dismissal.

A separate question on dissolving the City Council fell just short of the turnout threshold needed to be binding, so councillors kept their seats. In the interim, Prime Minister Donald Tusk appointed Stanisław Kracik to run the city until a new mayor is elected.

Who can vote?
You don’t need Polish citizenship to have a say in who runs Kraków. You’re eligible to vote if you:

• Are an EU citizen, or a UK citizen (a post-Brexit agreement allows UK citizens to vote);
• Will turn 18 or older by polling day;
• Permanently reside in Kraków; and
• Are entered in the permanent voting register (Stały Obwód Głosowania) within the Central Voters’ Register (Centralny Rejestr Wyborców, CRW) for a Kraków address.
• You are not a person who has been legally incapacitated or stripped of public or electoral rights by a court judgment.

Citizens of other non-EU countries (e.g. the US, Canada, Australia) unfortunately aren’t entitled to vote, regardless of how long they’ve lived here.

How to register — or check you’re already registered
If you want to vote at a particular polling station, your permanent address on the CRW needs to be correct and up to date.

Step 1:
Check your registration status. You may already be entered in the register from a previous vote.

You can check via your local Urząd Miasta Krakowa or through the Central Voters’ Register (CRW) – Sprawdź swoje dane w Centralnym Rejestrze Wyborców – digital service (mObywatel or the gov.pl e-services portal, where available to foreign residents).

Step 2:
If you’re not registered, or you’ve moved, submit an application:-

• To be entered in Kraków’s permanent voting register (wniosek o ujęcie w stałym obwodzie głosowania), or
• To register your permanent residence (zameldowanie na pobyt stały) if you haven’t already.

You can submit paper applications at the Wydział Spraw Administracyjnych (Administrative Affairs Department) of the city office for your district.

Districts I–VII:        Powstania Warszawskiego 10
Districts VIII–XIII:    Wielicka 28A
Districts XIV–XVIII:  os. Zgody 2

Voters Register Application Form
You can choose to apply entirely online (see below), or in person at one of the offices above.  The form will be available at the office, or you can download the application form here:-

  Application Form for Central Voters Register (CRW) – PDF download

English Translation Guide of CRW Application Form
To help you fill in the CRW application form, I’ve prepared an English translation.

Download (PDF, 105KB)

PLEASE USE THIS AS A GUIDE TO COMPLETING THE POLISH FORM – DO NOT SUBMIT THE ENGLISH VERSION

Step 3:
Bring proof of residence — a tenancy agreement, utility bill, or similar document — to speed up processing.

The city has up to five days to process your application, so don’t leave it until the last minute.