When it makes sense
A child acquires Polish citizenship by birth when at least one parent is a Polish citizen (Art. 14 point 1 of the Act on Polish Citizenship). Persons who have citizenship under earlier rules are also citizens (Art. 2). That is why a descendant of a Polish citizen may be a citizen even without ever having had a Polish document.
Whether citizenship passed to the next generations and was not lost depends on the rules in force at the time of the events - including the former citizenship acts of 1920, 1951 and 1962. The voivode assesses this in the confirmation proceedings.
Who issues the decision
- The decision confirming possession or loss of citizenship is issued by the voivode competent for the place of residence or last place of residence in Poland of the person concerned. If there is no such place - the Mazowieckie voivode (Art. 55 para. 1).
- A person living abroad can submit the application through a consul (Art. 57 para. 1).
- The application can be submitted by the person concerned or by an entity that has a legal interest in it (Art. 55 para. 1).
Application and documents
The application contains the data of the person concerned and of their ascendants up to the second degree (parents and grandparents) and information on circumstances important for the case (Art. 56 para. 1). You attach documents confirming these data, unless obtaining them meets obstacles that are difficult to overcome (Art. 56 para. 2). Documents in a foreign language are submitted with a sworn translation or one certified by a consul (Art. 12).
Fee and deadline
The stamp duty for the decision is 277 PLN. The case is handled within 6 months of the day the application is received (Art. 10 para. 3a).
If citizenship was lost before 1999 under earlier rules, it may be restored by the minister of the interior (Art. 38-39). If you have no Polish ancestors, see recognition as a Polish citizen.