How to get Polish citizenship?
For decades, Polish people emigrated to the West seeking a better life, and escaping political persecution and poverty. Now, Poland is an attractive place to live, an exciting country of opportunities. Being a member of the EU, Polish citizens have access to a 500-million-strong European market with free movement of people, goods, and services. That means that a Polish passport allows you to travel, live, and work visa-free all over Europe. Becoming a citizen of the Republic of Poland can be a fantastic way to change your life. If your ancestors were Polish, you may be eligible to obtain Polish citizenship by descent. Fancy an EU passport? Check the list to see whether you qualify.
Polish citizenship by descent
1. Ask your Nana about Poland heritage
If you don’t know much about your long-gone relatives, you’re not alone! Most people struggle to name their great-grandparents. If you’re in your 30s, they were most likely born at a time when Theodore Roosevelt was the president of the US, most of the world didn’t have electricity, and women didn’t have the right to vote.
These people you saw in an old photo album wearing long dresses and interesting facial hair may actually give you a Polish passport. If they were born in Poland or in the areas that became Polish after 1918, they may help you acquire Polish citizenship. So go and ask your old and hopefully not-so-grumpy relatives and find out more about where they came from.
2. What if Nana can’t help?
If you can’t get information that way, there are many genealogical resources online where you can find out more. The first source would be the US censuses, which give the country of origin. They are freely available on familysearch.org. You can also find other types of records such as births, marriages and deaths, passengers’ lists, etc. Gather as many as you can as they all will be useful in the application process.
Genealogy can be fun, but if it is too time-consuming or simply boring, you can hire someone to do it. There are many options available, but why not work with someone in Poland, who knows exactly what documents the Polish officials would like to see in the application?
3. Polish law
You’ve gathered some information about your Polish ancestry and you know your great-grandparents were born in Poland. Seems it’s a done deal. Well… not really. There are three different citizenship acts that have to be considered. Depending on when your ancestors were born, when they emigrated, whether they were naturalized, or even whether they served in the army can be a factor. There may be a situation that you qualify for Polish citizenship, but your cousins don’t, simply because their direct ancestor was born after the naturalization process, or because dual citizenship wasn’t an option at the time, or because it was the female line. There are many details that you need to consider – it’s like putting bits of information about your ancestors into an algorithm. The key is you must prove the uninterrupted line of Polish citizenship through descent.
Going through this process without an attorney who knows exactly how to successfully apply for Polish citizenship may end up in disappointment. Going solo would be like fixing a modern car with just a hammer – you may be lucky, but most likely the result won’t be great. Unless it was your parents who emigrated, the process can be complicated and just dropping an application at the Polish consulate won’t do the trick. Don’t lose hope, there are people happy to help!
4. Apply for Polish citizenship
Legally, in Poland there are two roads to Polish citizenship: administrative procedure and through the President of Poland. The President has the right to grant citizenship to anyone. It may feel it’s a quick and simple process, but don’t be fooled. Even celebrities have to wait – Jesse Eisenberg lingered for 18 months to get a Polish passport. If you would like to live in Poland with citizenship given by the President, in practice, you’d have to submit the same documents as with the administrative way.
In the administrative path, all applications end up with the relevant Regional Governor (Wojewoda) – most of them are filed in the Capital City. Even if you submit them to the consulate, they’ll just be sent there as the Warsaw Voivodeship Office processes applications for citizenship from abroad.
A legal representative who will help you to become a Polish citizen
You need a legal representative here, as all correspondence regarding your Polish citizenship can only be sent to an address in Poland. The best solution is to hire a lawyer who will help you go through the whole process.
Documents needed to acquire Polish citizenship
Originals and certified copies
Remember that a downloaded image or a scan isn’t a real document. We’re quite used to the digital format, but when it comes to serious official proceedings, not much has changed since the analog era. It’s not personal, it’s the law and the employees of a Voivodeship Office are there to adhere to it. Sadly, there are dishonest people who present fake documents and due diligence is important.
It’s difficult to part with the only copy of precious documents. When submitting them, it is almost certain, you won’t get them back as they stay in the official archive. There’s a simple solution – make certified copies. It can be done by a notary or an attorney with an officially certified signature and credentials (we’ve got it covered for you).
Certified translations
You need to attach foreign-language documents to the application. However, all documents must be translated into the Polish language by a sworn translator. It is possible that your application will have documents in English, Polish, Russian, German, or even Hebrew and Arabic! Before World War 1, there was no Polish state, and Polish civil records such as birth certificates or marriage certificates were issued in the official language of the area. We’ll be happy to assist with translating documents into Polish as well.
Submit an application to obtain Polish citizenship
The application and the attached documents have to be filed with a consul or by correspondence to the relevant authorities. The official fees are set by the Minister of Interior and Administration. The current ones can be found on a gov.pl website.
How long does it take to get Polish citizenship?
As with all things official – it’s hard to predict. Each case of obtaining citizenship is different, but it takes about 12 to 18 months.
5. Polish passport
Once your Polish citizenship by descent is confirmed, you can apply for a Polish passport. It is highly ranked as it gives you the permits and rights available to all citizens of the European Union. It takes up to a month to receive it. Your lawyer can sort out your passport application for you as well.
6. What about my spouse and kids?
If you are eligible for Polish citizenship by ancestry, your children are automatically entitled to apply for citizenship as well. It may be a different story for spouses – if they don’t have Polish heritage, they can apply when they reside in Poland. It is a different legal procedure though, but being married to a Polish citizen would make their case stronger.
We can help – contact us!
We are a team of experts in citizenship law and genealogy. We leave no stone unturned to make sure you can submit your application and be successful. We look after you throughout the process – from the first consultation, through gathering the documents, and all the way to receiving your Polish passport.
Lidia Gawałkiewicz is based in Bydgoszcz and specializes in the North of Poland and the Russian Partition genealogy. She has successfully worked with clients from Great Britain, the United States, and Israel, helping them to discover their Polish heritage and confirm Polish citizenship. Lidia is an expert in Jewish genealogy and you can reach her at lidiazawrot@gmail.com or find her on LinkedIn.
Dorota Walker lives in Ustron (a mountain resort in the South) and knows the archives of Silesia, the Austrian and Prussian Partition inside out. After a stellar career at the British Library in London, she is also a certified Polish-to-English and English-to-Polish translator and interpreter. Dorota does research into German and Polish ancestors. Email her at dorotawalker@gmail.com.
Ronald Wasilewski runs a legal practice in Cracow which attracts international clients. He has many satisfied customers who became citizens of Poland. Ronald is skilled in the citizenship procedures and ensures that the process of acquisition of Polish citizenship runs smoothly and is bullet-proof. You can set up an online legal consultation by writing to office@wasilewski.legal or connect with him on LinkedIn.
Article for information purposes only.
Are you interested in discovering your roots in Poland? Find out how to start!