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Citizenship by descent · Poland

Polish citizenship by descent.

See who qualifies, the ways to claim, the cost and the documents. Last checked 11 Oct 2026.

Polish citizenship by descent at a glance

In short

Today, a child is Polish at birth if at least one parent is a Polish citizen. Older laws had other rules, and people who held citizenship under them stayed citizens. A line can pass down several generations, as long as no one in it lost citizenship before the next person was born. A voivode (regional governor) confirms it with a written decision.

Who qualifies
Parent, grandparent or further back. The Act sets no limit on how far back, if each person in the line still held Polish citizenship when the next one was born
Ways to claim
Confirmation of Polish citizenship (potwierdzenie posiadania obywatelstwa polskiego)
Official body
Voivode (wojewoda). The Ministry of the Interior and Administration gives guidance and hears appeals.
Check if you qualify

Routes

Ways to claim.

Each route has its own steps, cost and documents. The official page has the full rules.

Route

Confirmation of Polish citizenship (potwierdzenie posiadania obywatelstwa polskiego)

Anyone who has or had Polish citizenship, and a body with a legal interest in the decision. A valid Polish passport or ID card already proves citizenship. This route is for people who have no such papers, or whose status cannot be settled.

Official page

Steps

  • Collect records that show Polish citizenship and link each person in the line. The application gives details of you, your parents and your grandparents.
  • Get Polish translations of any foreign document from a sworn translator or a Polish consul. Depending on the country, documents may also need an apostille or a consul's legalisation.
  • Fill in the application form in Polish. The Ministry page has a model form to download.
  • Send it to the voivode for the place where you live, or last lived, in Poland. If there is none, it goes to the Masovian voivode.
  • From abroad, apply through the Polish consul for the place where you live, in person by appointment or by post. The consul passes it to the voivode. A UK consulate page says emails are not accepted.
  • Pay the fee. At a consulate, this is the consular fee.
  • Wait for the decision. If you disagree, you can appeal to the Minister of the Interior and Administration, through the voivode, within 14 days of getting the decision.
  • For a passport, the foreign birth certificate is entered into the Polish civil register (transcription). A US consulate page says two things for a person born abroad with no address in Poland. The Polish birth certificate is needed before a PESEL number is assigned. A positive voivode decision is also needed before a passport application is accepted.
Cost
PLN 277 for the decision, plus PLN 17 if a representative acts for you (not for a spouse, parent, child or sibling). At a consulate you pay the consular fee: USD 118 at Polish consulates in the US, GBP 88 in the UK. Transcription has its own fee (USD 71 at a US consulate).
Time
6 months from when the voivode gets the application. It can be extended in justified cases. Time spent waiting for papers from other offices, or for missing documents from the applicant, does not count. A UK consulate page says there is no fixed timeframe.

Documents

  • Application for confirmation of Polish citizenship, filled in Polish
  • Documents that help show Polish citizenship, such as registry records and records of Polish origin of your parents or grandparents (birth, marriage or baptism certificates, copies of their Polish documents)
  • Proof of any change of name, such as a marriage certificate
  • Your original valid ID, for checking only
  • A full birth certificate with your parents' names, if you were born outside Poland
  • A record of your marital status (marriage certificate, divorce decree or spouse's death certificate)
  • Copies certified as true copies by a consul (a US consulate page also lists a notary with an apostille)
  • Polish translations of documents in other languages, by a sworn translator or a consul

"Do wojewody według Twojego obecnego miejsca zamieszkania lub ostatniego miejsca zamieszkania w Polsce." (Ministry of the Interior and Administration (gov.pl), in Polish)

Answer a few questions to see which route may fit you.

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FAQ

Common questions.

Can I get Polish citizenship through my great-grandparent?

It is possible. The Act sets no limit on how far back, and a line can pass down as long as no one in it lost citizenship before the next person was born. The application gives details of you, your parents and your grandparents, with documents that back up the facts.

Did my ancestor lose Polish citizenship by becoming American?

Under the 1920 law, yes. Taking another country's citizenship ended Polish citizenship, and the loss also reached a wife and children up to age 18. One exception: people bound to active military service needed Polish permission first (from December 1932, a release from military duty), and without it they stayed Polish. From 19 January 1951, a Polish citizen could take another citizenship only with Polish permission, and the loss followed when it was done that way.

Can Polish citizenship pass through my mother?

Today, yes. The 2009 Act, in force since 15 August 2012, says a child is Polish at birth if at least one parent is Polish. The 1951 law treated mother and father the same, but a child of one Polish and one foreign parent had extra conditions. Before 19 January 1951, a child of married parents took the father's citizenship, and a child of unmarried parents took the mother's.

How much does it cost to confirm Polish citizenship?

The voivode's decision costs PLN 277, as the Ministry's Polish page lists it now. At a consulate you pay the consular fee, for example USD 118 in the US and GBP 88 in the UK. A power of attorney costs PLN 17, but not for a spouse, parent, child or sibling.

How long does confirmation of Polish citizenship take?

The voivode has 6 months from getting the application, and the time can be extended in justified cases. Waiting for papers from other offices, or for missing documents from the applicant, does not count. A UK consulate page says there is no fixed timeframe.

Do I get a Polish passport straight after confirmation?

Not straight away. A person born abroad needs the foreign birth certificate entered into the Polish civil register (transcription). A US consulate page says that gives a Polish birth certificate, which is needed before a PESEL number is assigned, and a positive voivode decision is also needed before a passport application is accepted.

My ancestor lost Polish citizenship. Can it be restored?

Restoration is for the person who lost it. It covers people who lost Polish citizenship before 1 January 1999 under set rules of the 1920, 1951 and 1962 laws. The Ministry says children cannot be included in that application.

Could an ancestor who lived abroad in 1951 have stopped being a Polish citizen in another way?

Yes, the 1951 law names some cases. A person who was Polish on 31 August 1939 but lived abroad was not a Polish citizen in three cases. One: they had taken another citizenship under a treaty after border changes. Two: they were of Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Latvian or Estonian nationality. Three: they were of German nationality, unless the spouse was Polish and lived in Poland. The same law let the state strip citizenship from citizens abroad on listed grounds, for example leaving Poland illegally after 9 May 1945.

Other countries

Descent by country.

Sources

General information, not legal advice. Last checked 11 Oct 2026.

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