The Law Firm helps foreigners as well as citizens in matters related to obtaining (confirming) Polish citizenship. Citizenship gives a person who possesses the widest possible range of rights in a given State. Polish citizenship entitles, for example, to vote in elections, to apply for certain offices, to conduct business activities in all permitted forms, to perform work without any additional formalities. Since Poland is a member of the European Union, the fact of having the citizenship of the Republic of Poland means also having the citizenship of the European Union and gives the right, e.g. to vote in European elections, to work in the territory of other European Union countries or to move freely in other countries of the European community.
Depending on the person’s situation, the law provides for three basic modes of obtaining (confirmation of Polish citizenship), confirmation of Polish citizenship (for persons who have had Polish citizenship in the past), recognition as Polish citizen and granting Polish citizenship by the President of the Republic of Poland.
Confirmation of Polish citizenship
Persons who have had Polish citizenship in the past may apply for confirmation of Polish citizenship. This mode applies in particular to situations when, for example, a person acquired Polish citizenship by birth (one of the parents or both had Polish citizenship on the day of her birth) and never produced documents confirming whether the person had Polish citizenship in the past, however then she left Poland and, living for many years in another country, did not obtain Polish identity documents. To confirm Polish citizenship, you must provide documents that confirm that the person has had Polish citizenship in the past (Polish passport, Polish ID card) or documents confirming that the person’s parents or parents had Polish citizenship on their date of birth (birth certificates, acts marriages, identity cards, passports, military documents, parish books). To obtain confirmation of Polish citizenship, you must apply for confirmation of Polish citizenship to the appropriate voivode. The Law Firm represents clients in this proceeding, which means that the person concerned does not even need to visit the office in person, which is particularly important if he permanently lives abroad.
Recognition as a Polish citizen
The standard procedure for obtaining Polish citizenship by foreigners is to recognize them as Polish citizens. To be recognized as a Polish citizen you must meet the conditions specified in the Act. The proceedings are initiated by submitting an application for recognition as a Polish citizen to the competent Voivode.
An application for recognition as a Polish citizen may be submitted by a foreigner who:
a) has been coming to Poland for at least 3 years on the basis of a permanent residence permit, a long-term resident’s European Union residence permit or the right of permanent residence;
b) has been in Poland for at least 2 years on the basis of a permanent residence permit, a long-term resident’s European Union residence permit or the right of permanent residence, and has been a spouse of a Polish citizen for at least 3 years;
c) has been in Poland for at least 2 years on the basis of a permanent residence permit, which he obtained in connection with having the refugee status granted in the Republic of Poland;
d) is a minor and stays in Poland on the basis of a permanent residence permit, a long-term resident’s European Union residence permit or the right of permanent residence, of which at least one of the parents is a Pole;
e) a minor foreigner staying on the territory of the Republic of Poland on the basis of a permanent residence permit, a long-term resident’s European Union residence permit or the right of permanent residence, which has been restored Polish citizenship to at least one of the parents, and the other parent not having Polish citizenship has agreed for this recognition;
f) has been in Poland for at least 10 years and has a permanent residence permit, a long-term resident’s European Union residence permit or the right of permanent residence;
g) has been in Poland for at least one year on the basis of a permanent residence permit, which he obtained in connection with his Polish origin or possessed Polish Card.
To be recognized as a Polish citizen, a foreigner must submit an appropriate document. Apart from cases when a foreigner has Polish origin, to be recognized as a Polish citizen he must present a document confirming that he knows the Polish language. Such a document may be a graduation diploma in Poland or confirmation of passing the relevant exam.
The indication which documents will be necessary depends on the situation of the particular foreigner. We help in preparing a set of documents, completing the application for recognition as a Polish citizen and we represent foreigners in this proceeding.
Granting Polish citizenship
In the case of foreigners who do not meet the conditions for recognition as a Polish citizen, the procedure of granting Polish citizenship by the President of the Republic of Poland may be used. To this end, an application for Polish citizenship should be submitted to the competent Voivode, who then transfers it to the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland. In this case, there are no specific requirements that the foreigner must meet. Granting Polish citizenship is the President’s right, but it is worth noting that this procedure pays special attention to the circumstances of the foreigner, his current life, origin, social activity, pro-Polish activity, and the time he spent in Poland. In this case, we also help in choosing the best way and indicate what documents will be needed to apply for Polish citizenship.
