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Renewing Polish Passport in US


Justyna_ca  
8 Jul 2008 /  #1
Can someone please tell me how can I get my passport renewed here in US???
I got married and need one with my married name...
I tried calling polish embassy in LA (I live by Sacramento, so I guess that's the closest one) and there's no answer (??!!) I can't even leave a massage cause the box is full!!! Where can I find any information about this? Their website sucks!!! You can't find out anything...
krysia 23 | 3,058  
8 Jul 2008 /  #2
You should contact the Polish Embassy in Chicago. There are three Polish Embassies in the states, one in Chicago, one in New York and one in Washington DC. But you belong to to the Chicago jurisdiction. Here is their information:

Polish Embassy in Chicago, United States
General Consulate of Poland in Chicago, United States of America
1530 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60610
Phone: (312) 337-8166
Fax: (312) 337-7841

The consulate general in LA should be able to help you though
Address:
12400 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 555, Los Angeles, California 90025

E-mail: consulplla@consulplla.org

Website: losangeles.msz.gov.pl/en/
OP Justyna_ca  
8 Jul 2008 /  #3
Chicago? Really?
These are the numbers I tried for LA and no luck... but I'll try Chicago then..
THANKS!!!!!
barnaba  
8 Jul 2008 /  #4
You will have to make trip to Los Angeles. They will give you all papers for renewal over there. Do not make any pictures before. They will give you the address in Los Angeles so the pictures will be according to their standard. You will also need the marriage certificate. After you will pay the fees ( you should be able to see how much this cost right now on their webside), leave the applications with them and the new pictures, it will take about four months to receive the new one. If you need sooner, you have to apply for the temporary passport at this same time.

The passport can be mailed to you by register letter. The temporary passport will arrive in about one month. All this information are from my experience about six month ago. Good Luck.
plk123 8 | 4,142  
8 Jul 2008 /  #5
actually there is only one polish embassy in the USA and that's in DC. all the others are consulates. here is the one in Chicago: chicago.msz.gov.pl/en/

good luck with contacting them. i never ever got any kind of an answer until i actually went there.

now, almost all the forms are on their site but eventually you will have to make a trip in person one the one closest to you. they are anal about the picture so have a pro who is very familiar with polish/eu rules because they rejected my first set.
Justyna_ca 2 | 9  
9 Jul 2008 /  #6
Wow! Looks like a lot of work... Good think I don't need it right away... I hope I will be able to do it via mail.. It will be really difficult for me to go there in person.

I can't find any forms on their (LA) website thou... Can someone give me a link??
Thank you all for all the posts!!!!!
happyPole - | 6  
22 Jul 2008 /  #7
It's a big pain in the ass to renew your Polish passport in the US. My wife was looking to renew her passport a few months back and the Polish consulate in LA actually required her to show up in person - ridiculous! As a result of the hassle, she decided to visit her parents in Poland and renew her passport there.
Justyna_ca 2 | 9  
23 Jul 2008 /  #8
Ridiculous is understatement. I come to find out that not only I have to go to LA and apply for my passport in person but before I do that I have to place my marriage certificate in USC (Urząd Stany Cywilnego - registry office) in Poland. I can't just mail it there either. I will have to ask my mom to submit that for me there (so I have to authorize her to do that). Of course I have to obtain certified copy and translate my marriage certificate first along with birth certificates... then.. after 3 months or so I should receive a document stating I've placed it there and then I can make a trip to LA and apply for new passport! I'm so pissed!!! It's such a hassle!!! It's so expensive too. On top of it I have to submit a petition to remove condition on residence... and now they charge $545!!!!!!!
plk123 8 | 4,142  
23 Jul 2008 /  #9
ouch. you will have to go in person to LA to pick it up too. they don't like to mail anything.

btw. all the forms are on the Chicago consul's site, if you haven't found them anywhere else.
Kowalski 7 | 621  
23 Jul 2008 /  #10
I've done all this like 4-5 years ago. All forms were send to me, I sent them back and received passport in mail. The only hassle was to use notary to certify my signature.

I had to send my expired passport though. I guess my notary certified signature and matching new and old photographs helped.
I also had no dual citizenship issue.
Justyna_ca 2 | 9  
23 Jul 2008 /  #11
Yeah.. everything changed in 2006 looks like... Not only it's more difficult but also more expensive. Most fees doubled since then.. it's crazy!!!!
plk123 8 | 4,142  
23 Jul 2008 /  #12
i got mine this year (applied last year) at half the price you quote here.
happyPole - | 6  
23 Jul 2008 /  #13
One thing to keep in mind is that you can always return to Poland on an expired passport and apply there - that's exactly what my wife did this summer. I don't know your current situation, so this might be of no assistance to you, but I'm just throwing it out there for consideration.
Justyna_ca 2 | 9  
23 Jul 2008 /  #14
i got mine this year (applied last year) at half the price you quote here.

you got yours... what? passport or conditions removed??
nellityle 2009  
29 Sep 2008 /  #15
Hi

My wife and I are recently married. I am a UK citizen and my wife is a Polish Citizen, We are currently living and working in Oregon. My wife’s Polish passport still has her maiden last name and we would like to get it reissued with her new last name. Can you let us know how we can do this from OREGON? Can we use consulate to get this done or must we visit DC? Or alternatively, can it be done via post?

Thanks
plk123 8 | 4,142  
29 Sep 2008 /  #16
no post.. read all of this thread and then get a hold of nearest consulate.. which is down in CA or possible in BC. good luck

passport

yup.
Guest  
9 Mar 2009 /  #17
hi, I got married in US so I have a US marriage certifficate. how do I get a polish one? Second question: I have a grean card, so they have all my info in the system: finger prints, pics, etc. do I still have to go in person to apply for my new passport? I live in FL, is the embassy in Washington the one I should apply in? what happens if I just let my passport expire, I'm allowed to travel with the gran card anyway?
plk123 8 | 4,142  
9 Mar 2009 /  #18
depends where you travel and you will have issues when trying to return to the US. you either need US passport or a green card AND the passport from wherever you are.
ivonad  
14 Oct 2009 /  #19
OK, seems like there are a lot of changes in last few years and they sounds ridiculous. My daughter is going to Poland for Christmas, but her passport expired in June. How long it takes to get passport in Poland and what is a procedure ( she will be in Poland 3 weeks)?
Dice 15 | 452  
25 Nov 2009 /  #21
I live in Miami, Florida, and I was told I need to show up IN PERSON to the Washington, DC consulate/embassy

Totally NOT worth it.

Mind you, I can renew my American Passport and my State ID (drivers licence) by mail or on the Internet, without stepping out of my house.
DC Embassy  
1 Dec 2009 /  #22
Good luck with the Embassy in DC my wife and i had called them multiple times they were very rude and kept hanging the phone up on us.. we finally went there (thank god we live right next to DC) and the guy that kept hanging up on us was the one who answered the door all he did was smile and tell us to go around back... what a dick..
f stop 25 | 2,507  
16 Dec 2009 /  #23
I renewed my passport this year. I contacted them by e-mail. I was told I'll have to travel to Washington, but then I got lucky: Embassy scheduled couple of trips for their consul to set up meetings in a Polish Center around Tampa. I made an appointment, traveled couple of hours, no lines, no wait, met a chatted with the young Polish council and voila! passport arrived in the mail 4 months later. European Union right on the cover! Worth it.
TheOther 6 | 3,674  
16 Dec 2009 /  #24
f stop

No fingerprints taken electronically? I'm astonished, as passports with biometric chips are soon compulsory if you want to enter the USA, AFAIK.
f stop 25 | 2,507  
16 Dec 2009 /  #25
To be honest, I really can't remember if they were taken or not. I just checked my passport to see if they were displayed anywhere on it, and they, or it, is not
TheOther 6 | 3,674  
16 Dec 2009 /  #26
I just checked my passport to see if they were displayed anywhere on

Take a look at your passport: is there a little icon on the cover page which resembles a camera? If so, that's a biometric passport. If not, I would ask your embassy just to make sure. Otherwise you might be send back at the border.
f stop 25 | 2,507  
16 Dec 2009 /  #27
TheOther
There is a rectangular icon vaguely resembling camera on the front cover. Also some holograph next to the picture inside. But now I wonder where this biometric info resides. I expected some thin EEPROM, like on the credit cards.
TheOther 6 | 3,674  
16 Dec 2009 /  #28
There is a rectangular icon vaguely resembling camera on the front cover

Good - then you have a biometric passport.

But now I wonder where this biometric info resides

AFAIK, it resides in a thin chip embedded in the cover of the passport. Usually, your personal data, a copy of your photo and your finger prints are saved in the EEPROM.
f stop 25 | 2,507  
16 Dec 2009 /  #29
Cool! Thanks! I'll abstain from ripping the cover to see it. :)

What is AFAIK?

I got it! As Far As I Know?
TheOther 6 | 3,674  
16 Dec 2009 /  #30
AFAIK = As Far As I Know

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