Poland publishes consolidated rules on police rank appointments

The Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration has published the consolidated text of the regulation on appointing police officers to police ranks, bringing together four amendments adopted between 2023 and 2026. The announcement, dated 3 September 2026, was published in Dziennik Ustaw on 10 September 2026 under item 1197.

The consolidated text reproduces the regulation of 22 December 2022 on appointing police officers to police ranks (Dz. U. item 2807), issued on the basis of Article 57 of the Act of 6 April 1990 on the Police. The announcement was signed on behalf of the Minister by C. Mroczek and is grounded in Article 16(3) of the Act of 20 July 2000 on the promulgation of normative acts.

Scope of the consolidated text

The consolidated regulation sets out the deadlines for appointing police officers to police ranks, the templates for the application and the act of appointment, and the procedure for drawing them up together with the superiors competent in these matters. It incorporates four amending regulations:

• the regulation of 25 May 2023 (Dz. U. item 1071);
• the regulation of 19 July 2023 (Dz. U. item 1420);
• the regulation of 5 December 2024 (Dz. U. item 1821);
• the regulation of 2 March 2026 (Dz. U. item 274).

The announcement explicitly excludes the transitional and entry-into-force provisions of those amending regulations, which are not part of the consolidated text.

Appointment rules and deadlines

Under the consolidated rules, police officers are appointed to higher ranks on the day of the Police Holiday. A first rank in the non-commissioned officer or aspirant corps is conferred within one month of the officer obtaining the relevant professional qualifications, provided the other conditions of Article 49(1) or (2) of the Police Act are met. A first rank in the junior officers corps and ranks in the general corps are conferred on the date of the decision of the President of the Republic of Poland.

The regulation also covers appointments on transfer, on appointment to a service post, on the award of a distinction, and for officers in contract service. The act of appointment is drawn up by the minister competent for internal affairs for the Chief Commander of the Police, by the Chief Commander for junior officers and generals, and by the head of the personnel unit for other officers.

Who prepares the applications

The regulation designates the commanders and units competent to prepare applications for appointment, depending on the rank and the officer’s place of service. These include the Chief Commander of the Police, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Affairs Bureau, the Central Cybercrime Bureau, the Central Forensic Laboratory, the Police Academy in Szczytno, and the provincial (capital) police commanders.

• For the non-commissioned officer corps and the rank of senior constable, applications are prepared by unit heads, section chiefs, and commanders of specialist police stations, prefecture units and training centres.
• For the aspirant corps and the ranks of commissioner and senior commissioner, applications are drawn up by provincial commanders and, through them, by district and municipal commanders.
• For the first rank in the junior officers corps and senior officers corps, applications are submitted to the Chief Commander by the commanders of the central bureaux, the commander of the BOA counter-terrorist unit, and the Police Academy in Szczytno.

Impact

The consolidated text gives serving officers and police personnel units a single, up-to-date reference for promotion procedures, replacing the fragmented provisions that had accumulated through successive amendments. It is directly relevant to the functioning of the Police and to the career-advancement procedures of its officers.

Source: Dziennik Ustaw, 10 September 2026, item 1197 (official reference: announcement of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration of 3 September 2026, Dz. U. 2026, poz. 1197).