Confirmation of Polish citizenship, recognition as a Polish citizenship or granting Polish citizenship?
Each of those procedures addresses different situations and requires different conditions.
Polish citizenship can be obtained through several legal pathways depending on your background and situation. The most common route is confirmation of citizenship by descent, which applies if you have Polish ancestry and can prove an uninterrupted citizenship line. Other options include recognition based on residence and legal criteria, a discretionary grant by the President of Poland. The process is document-heavy and often requires verifying historical records and legal continuity.
Find out how those proceedings look like and check if you qualify!
This procedure is aimed at confirming the citizenship you already have, which you could have acquired from your ancestors (as a result of inheritance), but currently you do not have a document directly indicating that you are a Polish citizen (Polish ID or passport).
In the course of the proceedings, you will have to prove (by presenting relevant documents) that your ancestors had Polish citizenship (e.g. grandfather) and you acquired it as a result of inheritance (e.g. that your mother acquired it, and then you).
You might not be able to confirm your Polish citizenship e.g. because of the loss of Polish citizenship by one of your ascendants (before you were born). There are a number of regulations that define cases of loss of citizenship – it may have occurred in the past, for example, as a result of joining a foreign army or by acquiring foreign citizenship.
In order to determine whether there is a chance to confirm your Polish citizenship, you should carefully examine the life history of your ancestors and analyze the legal regulations regarding citizenship in force during their lifetime. It is also necessary to refer to international agreements, which often regulate the issues of avoiding dual citizenship.
You might also need to use this procedure if you forgot to renew your Polish ID and passport (both of them expired few months ago+).
This procedure applies to persons who stay in Poland on the basis of long-term residence (permanent residence/residence of a long-term EU resident) continuously for a specified period of time and meet additional requirements, such as e.g. knowledge of the Polish language.
The proceedings mainly concern persons who have had a long-term stay in Poland due to:
As a rule, foreigners with a legalized long-term stay in Poland on the basis of other circumstances may also apply for recognition as a Polish citizen, but they must prove that they have been staying in Poland for a period of 10 years in total, or at least 3 years on UE long-term residence permit.
Find out more about this process here.
This procedure is designed for those who do not qualify for the previous procedures.
Citizenship is granted by the President of the Republic of Poland. His decision is discretionary, which means that there are no rigid conditions that must be met.
However, you should certainly demonstrate your relationship with Poland and Polishness, present your professional achievements, describe your social or political activities, and specify the level of knowledge of the Polish language.
This decision is not reasoned (there is no justification) and you cannot appeal against it.
You submit an application for recognition as a Polish citizen as well as an application for confirmation of Polish citizenship to the Voivode competent for your place of residence. The same applies to granting citizenship – although the application is recognized by the President of the Republic of Poland, it is submitted through the voivode.
The application for recognition as a Polish citizen should be submitted personally by the foreigner! (personal presence is required). It might be sent by post, but then it is necessary to notarize the signature and all documents.
The application for confirmation of citizenship can be sent by correspondence or submitted in person.
Download application forms here:
Confirmation of Polish citizenship – application
The administrative fee for the application:
You will wait for a decision at least 6 months (with recognition and confirmation) – that’s a statutory limit. In practice, however, processing can take longer. Fortunately, these proceedings are generally less delayed than residence permit cases.
In the case of granting citizenship by the President, the procedure takes about a year, sometimes a year and a half, and in the best cases about 8 months.
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