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Polish Citizenship by Descent - Nationality

→ EU Citizenship → POLISH CITIZENSHIP BY DESCENT

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In 2024, call or email VisaConnect's Visa Consultants, and our partner Polish Lawyers, who specialise in Polish Immigration and CItizenship or fill in the website online Form, or schedule an office meeting in Parramatta, Sydney, Australia and Singapore, Hong Kong and London, UK. We provide expert advice and assistance with your Polish Citizenship by Descent submission, as evidence of Nationality of Poland!

Benefits of Polish Nationality

The benefits of getting Polish Citizenship and a Polish Passport are:

  • Live, work and study in Poland and travel in and out of Poland, Visa-free
  • EU/EFTA area - Freedom of movement. (Visa-Free travel in the EU)
  • Poland has been a member of the European Union since 1 May 2004
  • Visa-free access to 189 countries worldwide, as per the Henley Passport Index, in 2024. The Polish Passport is presently ranked as the 6th strongest Passport, in the world.
  • Poland allows Dual Citizenship
  • Publicly funded health care system called the Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia, which is free for all the citizens of Poland. Also, Private health care is affordable
  • Poland is among the most affordable places to live in the European Union. The average cost of living in Poland is reasonable at around 3,500 to 6,000 EUR per year. This cost varies from city to city.
  • Public Education is free at all levels in Poland, and the public system is supplemented by private and community schools and Universities
  • Transfer Polish EU Citizenship to your children
  • Social security in Poland consists of: Old-age pension; Invalidity pension; Sickness and maternity insurance; Insurance against accidents at work and occupational diseases; Health insurance, Family benefits, Social assistance benefits and Unemployment benefits, which covers practically all people in active employment
  • As at 11 November 2019, Poland became eligible for the US Visitor Visa Waiver status, making the United States more accessible for Polish citizens
  • Poland has one of the lowest violent crime rates in Europe, with particularly low levels of vandalism and arson
  • Vote in local Polish Municipal council elections and European Parliament elections

Polish Citizenship by Descent for Children

Outlined below are the requirements for Children of Polish Citizens to obtain Polish Citizenship - right of blood (Jus
Sanguinis):

  1. 1. If both parents obtain Polish citizenship, on the same date, then their children under 18 will also acquire Polish citizenship.
  2. 2. The child becomes a Polish citizen regardless of whether the child was born in Poland or overseas (Article 14 point 1 of the Polish Citizenship Act).
  3. 3. An adopted child that has completed a full adoption, who is adopted by a holder or holders of Polish citizenship acquires the citizenship, if the full adoption had been completed before the child turned 16 years.
  4. 4. Note that children over 16 years must first consent to the acquisition of Polish citizenship. The children can provide consent in person in the presence of an employee of a Voivodeship office or a Consul or by correspondence with an officially certified signature.
  5. 5. If one of the parents acquires Polish citizenship, their children under 18 will only be granted Polish citizenship, proivided that the other parent has no parental responsibility and the other parent has consented to their child being granted Polish citizenship.

Application for Polish Citizenship by Descent

Applying for Polish Citizenship, as a Child of a Polish citizen, you can make an application to the Voivodeship governor responsible for the area where you have your place of residence, if you legally reside in Poland. If you live outside Poland, apply to the appropriate Consulate, and meet the following criteria:

  • Complete Application for Polish citizenship,
  • Translation of foreign-language documents into Polish, usually done by a Translator from the Polish Consul,
  • Statement of Consent by the other parent to their children under 18 being granted Polish citizenship – if only one parent applies for citizenship.

Confirmation of Polish Citizenship or its Loss

To receive Polish citizenship and a Passport, one must first confirm the Polish citizenship of the applicant. Note that the Polish Citizenship Act 2012 states that a child acquires Polish citizenship on the date of their birth if at least one of their parents was a Polish citizen on the date of the child's birth. In the event that the applicant wishes to confirm their Polish citizenship, the Polish citizenship of one of their parents on the date of the applicant's birth has to be confirmed first.  

The procedure for grandchildren of people whose grandparents left Poland to live abroad is the procedure of Confirmation of Polish Citizenship.

We will refer you to specialist and experienced Polish Lawyers, who can assist and advise you in the prepration of documents, as Confirmation of Polish Citizenship:

  • Completion of the Application form, in Polish langauge - 'application for confirmation of possession or loss of Polish citizenship'
  • Power of Attorney for your Polish Lawyer to handle your case on your behalf
  • Birth, marriage, or death certificates of people who were born, got married or deceased in Poland
  • Change of name - copies of documents confirming this fact (marriage certificate, certificate of change in name etc)
  • Certificates of Ancestors or records from Polish Registry Offices
  • Valid identification document, original, including pages with official annotations, such as Polish passport or military documents
  • Files from the Civil Registry Office Warszawa-Śródmieście
  • Documents from the Jewish Historical Insitute based in Warsaw, and the Museum of Polish Jews – Polin

Note the following points regarding the Application process:

  1. 1. Application form - must be filled in Polish only.
  2. 2. Certified True copies - copies of documents must be certified by a consul to be true copies of the originals.
  3. 3. Translation to Polish - all documents in a foreign language must be translated into Polish, by a sworn translator or consul.
  4. 4. Multilingual Standard Form - documents from an EU country can be submitted with a multilingual standard form issued by a foreign authority under the regulation 2016/1191, instead of a translation to Polish.
  5. 5. Apostille of Documents - documents made in EU countries and not covered by the regulation 2016/1191 should be apostilled.

Recognition as a Polish Citizen

To be recognised as a Polish citizen, foreigners can apply for Naturalisation as a Polish citizen, as per the provisions of the Polish Citizenship Act of 2 April 2009, and due to residence in Poland. The following persons are recognised as Polish citizens:

  1. 1. A foreigner residing continuously on the territory of the Republic of Poland for at least 3 years, holding a residence permit, and having a stable and regular income within Poland, and having a legal title to the occupied living premises;
  2. 2. A foreigner residing continuously on the territory of the Republic of Poland for at least 2 years, holdingb a residence permit, and married to a Polish citizen for at least 3 years;
  3. 3. A foreigner residing continuously on the territory of the Republic of Poland for at least 2 years,with a refugee status permit, granted in Poland;
  4. 4. A minor foreigner, whose one parent is a Polish citizen, residing on Polish territory, and holding a residence permit, whereas the other parent, being a non- Polish citizen, has given consent to the citizenship recognition of the minor;
  5. 5. A minor foreigner, who has at least one parent that has renounced their Polish citizenship, on thecondition that the minor has been residing on the territory of the Republic of Poland, with a residence permit, whereas the second parent, being a non-Polish citizen, has given consent to the citizenship recognition of the minor;
  6. 6. A foreigner residing continuously and legally on the territory of the Republic of Poland for atleast 10 years, who holds a residence permit, and has a stable and regular income within Poland, and legal title to theiroccupied living premises;
  7. 7. A foreigner residing continuously on the territory of the Republic of Poland for at least 2 years,pursuant to a permit, which he was granted in relation with his/her Polish origin.

 

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Do Polish Lawyers handle my case and submit my application?

Yes, your application and all legal assistance is done by our experienced team of Polish qualified Lawyers, with the support of an Admin team and Case Managers.

Do you assist with Reserach into our Polish Ancestry?

Yes, we assist with research and finding or seraching for documents of origin from Polish Government authorities and  archives.

Do my documents need to be translated into Polish?

Yes, all documents must be translated into the Polish language. The translation of documents is an additional fee, and done by a local Polish authorised translator.

What exactly are the services provided by the Polish Lawyers?

The services provided by the Polish Law Firm include:

  1. 1. Preliminary case analysis
  2. 2. Archival searches
  3. 3. Document translations
  4. 4. Transcription of foreign civil status acts
  5. 5. Legal assistance and handling all formalities when applying for Polish citizenship

What is the Processing Time of the Citizenship application?

As at 2024, the current processing time for the Polish Government to review a Citizenship by Descent application is approximately 4 to 6 months, until a decision is made.

How do I book an Appointment?

Your Polish Citizenship Lawyer can assist with booking an Appointment to obtain the confirmation of possession or loss of Polish citizenship.

An Appointment can be scheduled on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland.

What is the Polish Government application fee?

As at 2024, the Government fees are EUR 360 for submitting a Citizenship application to the Polish Consulate. An application for Citizenship submitted to the Voivode is not subject to a fee.

How long will it take the Polish Citizenship Lawyer to prepare my appplication?

Preparation of your Submission will take approximately 1 month.

Office Address and Telephone - VisaConnect UK

Call or Email our Consultants at our London, UK office:

VisaConnect Immigration Consultants UK
124 City Road
London
EC1V 2NX
UK

Telephone: (+44) 207 193 2327