Conditions
The Pole's Card can be granted to a person who declares belonging to the Polish Nation and meets four conditions together (Art. 2 para. 1 of the Pole's Card Act):
- shows a connection with Polishness: knows at least basic Polish, which the person considers their mother tongue, and knows and cultivates Polish traditions and customs,
- makes a written declaration of belonging to the Polish Nation in the presence of a consul or voivode,
- shows that they are of Polish nationality or that at least one parent or grandparent or two great-grandparents were of Polish nationality - or presents a certificate from a Polish or Polonia organisation on active involvement in work for the Polish language and culture for at least the last 3 years,
- declares that neither they nor their ancestors were repatriated from Poland under the repatriation agreements of 1944-1957 with the Belarusian, Ukrainian and Lithuanian SSR and the USSR.
The card can also be granted to a person whose Polish origin was established under the Repatriation Act, if they know Polish at least at a basic level (Art. 2 para. 3).
Who will not get the Pole's Card
The consul or voivode refuses the card, among other things, to a person who has Polish citizenship or a permanent residence permit in Poland, who gave false data or used false documents, and for security reasons (Art. 19).
Children
A minor gets the card on the parents' application when both parents have the Pole's Card or when one parent has it and the other has given consent before a consul, notary or voivode (Art. 16 para. 1). A child who has reached the age of 16 must give consent personally (Art. 16 para. 2).
Where to apply
You apply to the consul competent for your place of residence (Art. 12 para. 2). Citizens of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia and stateless persons from these countries can also apply to a voivode in Poland (Council of Ministers regulation, Dz.U. 2017 poz. 1900). We describe which documents to prepare in the guide documents for the Pole's Card.