How to get Polish citizenship by descent – the ultimate guide of what’s necessary and what’s not

How to get Polish citizenship by descent? Obtaining Polish citizenship confirmation may look like a complicated and confusing process, but in fact, it isn’t. In this article you will find out what must be done to have a successful case and what is not worth the bother.

Checking eligibility for the Polish citizenship

It is the first step and might be the most complicated, as it is necessary to know regulations regarding Polish citizenship and how to apply them to your specific case. Also, it is good to know the difference between regulations and the practice of the relevant offices, therefore it is worth delegating this task to Polish citizenship specialists. For example, you can tell us your story and we will check your eligibility (free of charge). 

Let’s assume that you are eligible for Polish citizenship by descent, what’s next?

Checking Polish documents

To have a successful case, it is necessary to have Polish documents regarding your ancestors. Although there is no official list of the documents that are required, an experienced person knows exactly what would be the best (spoiler alert! these documents are: e.g. Polish passport, Polish ID, military documents, drivers license and population register from Poland). 

• If you have sufficient documents – great, it is possible to start your Polish citizenship case.
• If you don’t have sufficient documents – great, it is possible to search for them in the Polish archives 🙂

Starting an official Polish citizenship case

Official case sounds like a milestone in the journey of getting Polish citizenship confirmation, doesn’t it? But what is it all about? Well, without beating about the bush, during the process it is necessary to prove three things: 

1. that your ancestor was a Polish citizen (by providing Polish documents),
2. that your ancestor didn’t lose Polish citizenship (by providing non-Polish documents, e.g. naturalization certificate),
3. that you are related to your Polish ancestor (by providing vital records, e.g. birth certificate).

If you can prove the above, bingo! It is just a matter of time when your Polish citizenship confirmation is issued.

What is not necessary to get Polish citizenship confirmation?

Since getting Polish citizenship by descent is based on Polish ancestry only, there are a few things that are not necessary (luckily!) to have a successful case. Here we go, the list of don’ts

• you don’t have to speak Polish,
• you don’t have to live in Poland,
• you don’t have to visit Poland (never, ever, however, you may enjoy to spend some time here) 🙂
• you don’t have to submit an application for the Polish citizenship personally (nor visit the office during the process),
• you don’t have to cook Polish meals (yummy, but time-consuming) 😉

Now that you know what is necessary and what is not, don’t you deem it necessary to check if you are eligible for Polish citizenship? 

Get started and tell us your story!