A while back Jennifer asked a question in the comments section. She wanted to know how to get an ID card in Poland. If I understood her situation correctly, Jennifer’s parents are Polish, she was born in the US and has already completed the process of getting her Polish citizenship confirmed and recognized. And she wanted to know what she should next. Jennifer is Polish, simply because her parents are Polish. She could have been born anywhere, the place doesn’t matter as long as one of your parents is a Polish citizen and has never attempted to give up his/her citizenship.
Now, before I answer, I must warn you. These types of rules and regulations change frequently, so before doing anything, ALWAYS consult with the appropriate government authorities. In other words – call the nearest Polish consulate and ask.
The whole process is very familiar to me, because I went through it just last year. And as in Jennifer’s case, it always begins with confirming that you are really Polish. If one or both of your parents are/were Polish, even if you were born abroad, you have the right to be a Polish citizen.
I am assuming that right now Jennifer has a lovely official document with the following header: “Potwierdzenie Obywatelstwa Polskiego” (or something similar, because they do vary depending on which office prepared them) issued by Mazowiecki UrzÄ…d WojewĂłdzki in Warsaw. If you were born in Poland, the document will be issued by the regional/provincial governor (wojewoda) of the province where your last registered domicile used to be located. If you were born abroad, you get your paper directly from Warsaw (via the consulate). You can’t proceed without completing this step, so let’s call it step zero, because everything else depends on it.
Now, two things may or may not have happened.
- 1. Numer PESEL (ID number). Normally, after receiving the document certifying your Polish citizenship, the consulate will make you fill out an application form for a PESEL number. Because they know that you can’t go any further without that number.
Edited to add: If the consulate did not tell you anything about a PESEL number, call them and ask to fill out a PESEL application ASAP. If you were born in Poland after 1975, you should have been assigned a PESEL number automatically, and it sits somewhere on file in Poland. In that case, the consulate should be able to help you find out what your PESEL number is.
- 2. Registration of your foreign birth certificate in the Polish Population Registry (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego) and issuing you polski akt urodzenia (Polish birth certificate). From what I found out, if you were born abroad and currently live abroad, this would also be handled by the office in Warsaw. But you will most likely end up asking the consulate to send the application for you to the office in Warsaw, especially if you don’t speak any Polish.
After that, it’s all easy-peasy.
With the PESEL number and the paper about your citizenship, the consulate can issue you paszport tymczasowy (temporary passport) while you wait for a normal Polish passport. That is important, because as a Polish citizen you are required to enter and leave Poland using a Polish passport.
If you want dowĂłd osobisty (Polish ID card), you will unfortunately need to come to Poland to apply for it here in person.
To get dowĂłd osobisty, you will need a copy of your Polish akt urodzenia (birth certificate), two photos and your paszport tymczasowy (temporary Polish passport). Registered domicile (meldunek, zameldowanie) in Poland is not required. They will simply write “brak” (none) in the field asking for your permanent Polish address. If you don’t have that permanent Polish address, you can apply for dowĂłd osobisty at any UrzÄ…d Miejski (City Hall), but it’s most convenient to do it in the same city that keeps your Polish akt urodzenia (Polish birth certificate) on file, because otherwise they will be sending stuff around to verify that you are really you.
Getting dowĂłd osobisty takes about 30 days. And voila, you have a Polish ID card!
There is no such thing as an “EU ID card”. Some EU countries, like the UK, don’t even have mandatory ID cards. This is something that each country decides on its own.
Right now, Polish dowĂłd osobisty allows you to travel passport-free within the Schengen zone in Europe. In theory, at least - I was denied boarding once when traveling from Sweden to Spain with my dowĂłd osobisty. The woman at the check-in desk thought that since Swedes need passports to travel within the Schengen zone (government issued ID cards are not mandatory in Sweden), the same must apply to other EU nationalities as well.
While outside the Schengen Zone, your passport is your normal form of ID. While in Poland, your dowód osobisty is your normal form of ID. Some businesses (especially those that are still stuck in the past) may even give you an evil eye if you hand them a passport when they ask for “dowód.” It happened to me at my old bank a couple of times. And that’s why I have a new bank now.
I don’t know, or don’t really remember, how much each step in this process costs. For steps from 0 to 2, different consulates charge different fees, especially if foreign document translations into Polish are involved. Some people who were born abroad, and who don’t speak Polish, choose to hire a lawyer to help them with the paperwork. I hired a Polish lawyer simply because it was more convenient that way. It was also faster. Some consulates end up sitting on completed paperwork for months on end (as it happened in my case).
Jennifer, if you want to know more, feel free to ask any and all questions you might have regarding this issue. I hope that this step-by-step outline can help not only you, but also others who are in the same situation.
Good luck!
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31 Comments
Wow, you are such a wealth of information! I’m still contemplating whether I will proceed with getting a Polish passport, but this info sure helps to get started.
Czesc Aniu:
In the event you ever “blank” on an idea for a subject, could you explore the world of diminutives (names in particular)?
I want to be able to communicate with an adult male (good friend) without it sounding like I am addressing a 3 year- old or a lover?
Many thanks,
Basia/Barb
Witaj Jennifer,
Lots of Luck with all agencies both with the NYC Polish consulate and those in Poland.
I am married to a Polish citizen for 17 years, lived in Poland in our Olsztyen apt, and our built house on the Baltic Sea. I received my two year resident card, returned to the USA and have a running two year ordeal with the NYC Polish consulate with registered mail, telephone calls, voice mails, emails and visits with all required documents.
What ever you do and it is costly get a lawyer…
Dziadek Majko
Hi am currently in the process (via the consulate / translator etc) of confirming my Polish citizenship .My mothers parents , sister and brother where all born in Poland my mother born in Australia . My question is should i have my mother confirm her Polish citizenship first to continue the family link to myself or can i confirm my Polish citizenship without my mother’s confirmation ?
Thanks in advance
Tom.K
Greetings!
What a fantastic explanation of an otherwise scary and complicated process. Nice going!
Having said that, would you like to try another sticky wicket? Consider us expats who have been living in Poland and working there for some time. Let’s say that we decide we want to buy a flat and stay there. That requires a Permanent Resident identification. Would you like to have a go at explaining the process of qualifying for Permeant Resident status?
John
Hi Tom,
Yes, you will need to include your mother in your application. Whilst she does not have to apply for a Polish passport, your ancestry has to be proven through her. You can lodge both applications via a consulate or directly in Poland at the same time. Nowadays, each applicant is allocated a separate case officer but it’s actually of benefit for you to wait in the queue whilst your mother’s application is being processed because the Voivodeship Office in Warsaw does have processing deadlines (they don’t adhere to them necessarily but if you have been waiting for a long time, you can apply a bit of pressure). Before you do anything, however, you need to make sure you are actually eligible as you can’t always apply if your mother was born before 1951. There are several acts of parliament that governed Polish citzizenship over the years so it is a bit of a maze. Check if you are eligible, otherwise you would be wasting your time and money. The most important thing to have is any documents issued by the Polish government to your ancestors (passports, military records, ID cards, travel documents etc). Good luck!
Hi Tom,
Eva above is right, if your mother never had a Polish passport, you will have to go through the motions and confirm her citizenship first.
John,
Have you been reading my mind or what? I’m slowly gathering information for the sort of post you suggested.
Michael L,
wow! two years??? And to think that I was up in arms when it took 7 months for the consulate to finally tell me that my paperwork was incomplete - because I didn’t sign one piece of paper, which incidentally, they had never told me to sign to begin with! (that was the declaration that my ĹĽyciorys was true and accurate). Then, there were other problems they kept coming up with. It was absolutely ridiculous.
I got totally fed up, found a lawyer in Poland and he got my case processed in 3 WEEKS!
Barb,
diminutives of names? Be careful what you ask for, hehehe
Hi Anna,
Just one clarification: a Polish ID card (dowĂłd osobisty) permits you to travel without your passport throughout the entire EU, not just the Schengen Zone (Ireland and the UK are in the EU but have opted out of the Schengen agreement, while Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania are EU members but have not yet joined Schengen).
The only difference is that travelling within the Schengen Zone (which also includes Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland, which are not in the EU) you will probably never have to show your ID at the border, whereas if you travel between Ireland, UK, Bulgaria, Cyprus, or Romania and anywhere in the Schengen zone you would need to show your ID (or passport if you don’t have an ID card).
Pozdrowienia,
Michal
I was just wondering if both your parents where born in poland but I was born in canada and I’m trying to confirm my polish citizenship if money was no problem what is the fastest and best way to go about this?
THANKS
Hi Eric go to this website. (Part 1 of 3).
I have hired a lawyer,(am also Canadian). Write to me on other forum (siuniab).
http://www.easyexpat.com/forums/ftopic_4563.htm
Sorry, Anna
Basia - Thanks!!!
I was hoping you’d answer Eric’s question.
Eric, if you leave one more comment on here, I will forward Basia your email address so you guys can talk about the fine details of this issue. OK?
Hello:
i would like to know if my aunt can confirm her citizenship while in poland
this is the case
few years ago i applied for my Polish passport and i had to also confirm my grandmother (her father was polish) citizenship and my mother citizenship
so everything went ok and after many months my grandma, my mother and me got the confirmation and few months later the passports
at that time my aunt was abroad so she couldnt sign the papers so the embassy didnt send her papers to poland
if my grandma now have the citizenship and the green birth certificate is it possible for my aunt to confirm her citizenship while we are in vacations in poland? in that case what kind of papers she needs?
or she needs to send again my greatgrandparent documents my grandma documents and her documents
Thanks
My cousin’s grandfather had a Polish passport for travel before World War II. We are trying to find out if Poland keeps copies of the passport’s with the photograph. We are trying to find a photo of him.
Hi there,
I am an Australian citizen living in the UK. I have had my Polish citizenship confirmed. I have sent off my forms for my PESEL number and also to register my birth certificate in Poland. I have been told it will take two months to get my birth certificate registered. However I have not had any success getting timeframes to receive my PESEL number (I do not need the card, only the number on an official document). This is something I am relying on as I need this to continue working in the UK (so I can transfer to a working visa as an EU citizen). I am assuming that it will take two months as I was given the paperwork to complete together, however I am not certain of this.
I have contacted the Polish consulate in London as well as a number they provided me in Poland but have been unsuccesful in confirming a timeframe.
Are you aware of timeframes yourself.
Thankyou very much for your time.
Jasmin
Jasmin:
Normally Polish citizens don’t need a visa to work in the UK or most of the other EU states (I think only Germany and Austria still maintain some restrictions, though they have to remove these by 2011).
I’m not sure if your situation would be different as a result of changing your citizenship status while in the UK, but as far as I know the only thing you’d be required to do is to register with the UK Border Agency’s Worker Registration Scheme.
This is a requirement for citizens from the 2004 new EU member states, which includes Poland. It seems to be just a formality (and and easy way for the Home Office to get ÂŁ90 from you).
However, you do need to include either a Polish passport of national ID card with the application.
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/eea/wrs/
Good luck,
Michal
Hi Michal,
Thankyou very much for your help. I don’t suppose you are aware of the time it takes to be allocated a PESEL number (not card) after the paperwork has been received in Poland.
Jasmin
Hi Jasmin,
Unfortunately I don’t remember how long it takes to get a PESEL. The last time I renewed my passport they gave me a separate form to fill out for a PESEL, and it just came back with my new passport.
I’m assuming you’ve already applied for a passport, because in Poland there is no PESEL card as such (no equivalent to the National Insurance card in the UK, at least none that I’ve ever heard of). The PESEL is printed on passports and Polish ID cards, but I don’t recall ever getting a separate document stating what my PESEL is (although it has been a while since I did this, maybe somebody else had a different experience), so it’s possible that your PESEL number would be created without you receiving a document telling you this. But if you applied for a passport then it would be printed on that.
Michal
Jasmin,
Just came across the Edinburgh consulate page, which it states that a PESEL should be issued in 4-6 weeks.
http://www.polishconsulate.org/index.php?document=91
Michal
Just to let you know: after 4 years of paperwork, I just got my citizenship confirmation, now I have to go to the consulate to apply for the passport, I hope it does not take other 5 years to get it!!!
I know for me I walked into the Gmnia office and got my pesel from the lady on duty. Just filled out some info on me.
Hi
I am a Canadian / Pole with a Polish and Canadian passport. I was born in Canada. My current Polish passport expires soon and I found out that I need a PESEL to renew it. The instructions from the consulate were long and convoluted (and in Polish which I am not great at) but were somewhere along the lines of getting my Canadian birth certificate, getting it guaranteed by the Canadian consulate, maybe having a lawyer notarize it and it went on and on and I got lost.
Does anyone know how one who has a Polish passport but was not born in Poland and not living in Poland gets their PESEL?
It would be a massive help! Please help!
Thanks
Martin
Martin, it all depends when your Polish passport was issued and by whom. If by the Canadian consulate, unfortunately, you will have to go through the process of confirming your citizenship, even though you have a Polish passport (unless you already have a certificate of your Polish citzenship).
As strange as this sounds, the Polish government will require you to go through the process of confirmation of your Polish citizenship and registration of your Canadian birth certificate in Poland and won’t renew your passport, whether you have a PESEL number or not. This rule is a source of enormous frustration for people who hold valid Polish passport but the consulates just won’t budge. I assume since you don’t have a PESEL aleady, your passport is consular. Please let me know if you need more information on how to go about this. The Polish consulate in Canada should also have some information on this, although they’re not known to be very helpful…
Regards
Eva Hussain (ehussain@polaron.com.au)
To those that have registered their birth certificates with Poland - What’s the ACTUAL time frame? They told me about a month?
Is there any quicker way to do it? And once it’s done, do I have to THEN request a copy of my Polish birth certificate or do they automatically send one back to you?
Thank you!
Sam
Hi Sam,
I just got my Polish birth certificate from Poland after registering my Australian birth certificate in Poland along with my PESEL form (form to receive a Polish identity number). It took one month for this to be processed in Poland and to receive my Polish birth certificate. Although the Polish consulate office in Sydney held these documents for almost a month before sending it. I received a Polish birth certificate back automatically. I don’t think you can speed up the process.
Hope this helps you
Jas
Hi Jas:
Sorry to be so dense, but I need further info.
I am planning a trip to Poland shortly and want to register my Canadian birth certificate blah, blah..
Since you registered your birth in Poland and it took a month (were you still in Poland to pick it up or did it get forwarded to the Polish consulate?).
Is there any advantage to doing it in person in Poland? (time? expense?) in your opinion.
Thanks for the info
Hi Basia,
I had my birth certificate sent to Poland by the Polish consulate in Sydney, and it was returned to Sydney for it to be forwarded to my home address is Australia. So I never actually went to Poland.
To be totally honest I would have no idea about whether it would be cheaper or quicker if you registered your birth certificate while in Poland. It would be best to contact your nearest Polish embassy to clarify this information
I hope this helps
Definitely cheaper and much quicker BUT you would have to go with someone that speaks Polish well and is enterprising. If time is of essence, this is the way to go but venturing on your own may be difficult. Best to go with a Polish-speaking friend or family member. You can also apply for your birth certificate in writing, directly to the Civil Registry Office (USC), provided you submit the right documents and the fee, payable to their bank account. So it is a bit more complicated than doing it through the consulate but if someone can help, especially if you are going yourself, it may be worth a try.
Regards
Eva Hussain
In my experience it took about 2 months to get my residency card. I took all the papers to the office in Wloclawek and filed them, birth cert., passport, letters from the IRS, FBI and bank account. I was in Poland and waited until it was completed. The paperwork had to be sent to Bydgoszcz for execution.
I found in this article such sentence
“”There is no such thing as an “EU ID card”. Some EU countries, like the UK, don’t even have mandatory ID cards. This is something that each country decides on its own.”"
I need to correct this error- mandatory ID card exists in Poland thanks for gentlemen like Hitler and Stalin - once invented - this way of terrorizing society will never die - there is system of punishing and terrorizing people if they do not comply and try live their lives as free people around the world.
I myself and my family - we are facing deportation from my own country - Poland because of this law invented by individuals like Franco , Mussolini , Stalin and Hitler . It is up-roaring - some 60 + years after WWII and a few years after Poland became member of EU - steel we have this way of violating CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS TO FREEDOM . And this is not only in Poland- Spain and Germany are still victims of Hitler and another guys like him . Probably some more countries too.
It never was like this in real democracies like USA , Canada and UK
Thank you readers - and shame for modern Gestapo and NSDAP - today they are bearing different names- but this is what they are.
I live in Australia and have applied for and received my Polish Citizenship confirmation letter.I have been told that I now need to have my birth and marriage certificates translated into Polish then sent to Warsaw and they will then stay permanently in Warsaw. That I will receive Polish birth and marriage certificates and I need then to fill an application form for a PESEL number before I can apply for a passport.
Can anyone tell me what happens when my birth and marriage certificates are changed over to Polish when I have used them in Australia for other government departments. Will I have problems in the future?
Has anyone been through the this whole procedure and can give me advice? Please!!
hi,
a polish person is working for me, she has lost her documents : polish identity card.
Now we have big problems,because she is working here in belgium,the consulate just tell her to requet for a passport(120€)
on the passport form it is requested the identity number card,that we don’t have it anymore.
How to have back an identity card for her ? without going in poland ?thanks for you info
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