
Following changes in the regulations regarding the transcription of foreign marriage certificates, same-sex couples gain access to benefits from ZUS.
AI-generated summary
The regulation of August 23 allows for the transcription of foreign same-sex marriage certificates into the Polish civil status register. The changes are the result of judgments of the CJEU and Polish administrative courts.
A regulation has been in force since August 23, which allows for the transfer of a same-sex marriage certificate concluded abroad to the Polish civil register (through the so-called transcription). Thanks to this, same-sex couples, recognized by Polish offices, gain the same rights as heterosexual couples - including the right to benefits paid by ZUS.
ZUS paid two benefits
According to ZUS spokeswoman Anna Kalita, so far the company has received two applications for care allowance from same-sex couples. Both were approved and resulted in the payment of benefits. ZUS emphasizes that any person who meets the conditions specified in the Act may apply for care allowance - regardless of the spouse's gender.
The right to care allowance is granted to a person who has to take care of a sick spouse if he or she meets the other conditions specified in the regulations. In the case of large employers (over 20 insured persons), benefits are paid by contribution payers, in other cases - directly by ZUS. So far, ZUS has no information about benefits paid by other contribution payers to same-sex spouses.
More and more transcriptions of same-sex marriages
According to data from the Ministry of Digitization, by the end of last week, Polish registry offices had transcribed 516 same-sex marriage certificates concluded abroad - 198 concerned women and 318 men. The new regulation of the Minister of Digitization also introduced different document templates, depending on the gender of the spouses.
The new regulations are a response to the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union, which obliged Poland to recognize same-sex marriages concluded in other EU countries. The update of marriage certificate templates is also the result of judgments of Polish administrative courts, which ordered the transcription of foreign same-sex marriage certificates.

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