Conducting research within the Polish maritime areas is specified in the provisions of:

• the Act of March 21, 1991 on the maritime areas of the Republic of Poland and maritime administration (Articles 28 - 32a) – in Polish: ustawa z dnia 21 marca 1991 r. o obszarach morskich Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej i administracji morskiej

Foreign states and foreign legal entities, foreign organizational units without legal personality and foreign natural persons, relevant international organizations may conduct research within the Polish maritime areas after obtaining a permit issued by the minister responsible for maritime economy https://www.gov.pl/web/infrastruktura/departament-gospodarki-morskiej-i-zeglugi-srodladowej-dgmizs, and in the field of research of living marine resources - by the minister responsible for fisheries.

The application for a permit should be presented to the Polish side (Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Legal and Treaty Department: https://www.gov.pl/web/diplomacy/legal-and-treaty-department) no later than 3 months prior to the expected date of starting the research, through the diplomatic mission of the applicant's country, located on the territory of the Republic of Poland. In accordance with the amendment to the Act of 21 March 1991 on the maritime areas of the Republic of Poland and the maritime administration, from 12 April 2025, the application must be accompanied by a copy of the safety documents of the vessel from which the research will be conducted.

The permit is transferred to the applicant through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Legal and Treaty Department), and then the diplomatic mission of the country competent for the applicant, located on the territory of the Republic of Poland. The issued permit contains detailed information on the conducting research, including reporting.

Pursuant to Article 27 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland of 2 April 1997, the official language of the Republic of Poland is Polish. This constitutional principle therefore mandates the use of Polish when conducting official acts before all state authorities. Article 4 of the Act on the Polish Language reiterates this principle. This regulation is expanded upon in Article 5 of the Act, which states:

1. Entities performing public tasks in the territory of the Republic of Poland shall perform all official acts and submit declarations of intent in Polish, unless specific provisions provide otherwise.
2. The provision of paragraph 1 shall apply accordingly to declarations of intent, applications, and other documents submitted to the authorities referred to in Article 4.

The use of English is treated as a tool facilitating cooperation (unofficial/informal). A working translation of the application into English is included in the Materials.

Documents prepared in a foreign language must be submitted together with their translation into Polish. An exception to the requirement for a sworn translation is permitted.