How do you get your Polish passport if you live in Poland?

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Aug 16, 11, 09:26 #1

If you live in Poland - say Krakow - how do you get your Polish passport? What is the process and how long does it take? I have my Polish birth certificate and can be 'zameldowany' at my parents place. My Polish passport is 25 years old from before PESEL times and I do not have 'dowod osobisty'.

It is a major hassle here in US and I am considering an extended vacations in Poland and getting bunch of other stuff done in one shot.
thanks
-Piotr

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Aug 16, 11, 09:58 #2

Hi,
First check if you have PESEL or not. It happens that it is being issued but you wouldn't be informed about it. Then you can go to city hall office and register your address (zameldowanie). After you do that, you can apply for passport. It would cost you most probably 140 PLN and waiting period is about 3 - 4 weeks. Also, before you will need special photos (biometric). Passports are issued by Voivode office. In Krakow it is quite easy.

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Aug 16, 11, 10:01 #3

I'm keen to know about this too, for our baby (about to be born).

We will be going to Poland in 3 or 6 months, and will be staying for 4 weeks. He will be travelling on a passport issued here in New Zealand. As I understand, the required documentation to get it issued via the embassy in NZ was unbelievable, and pretty expensive too: everything in triplicate, scores of apostilled original documents, certified translations. I'm wondering if it would be easier if we did it while in Poland?

Moreover, is it legally required that we register our baby's birth or get him a birth certificate or passport? I read something about polonia getting in trouble trying to leave for Australia, Canada and US on their home passports? Or was that something to do with a military service requirement that no-longer exists?

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Aug 16, 11, 10:46 #4

Moreover, is it legally required that we register our baby's birth or get him a birth certificate or passport? I read something about polonia getting in trouble trying to leave for Australia, Canada and US on their home passports? Or was that something to do with a military service requirement that no-longer exists?

I believe that they have become less strict about this for Polonia. My husband has never had a problem. However, do as much as you can in New Zealand. It will make your life so much easier.
In Canada after our daughter was born we went to the consulate and filled out paper work -we had no hassles what so ever. We just had to wait for the passport to be made in Poland and sent to Canada.
Filling out paper work in New Zealand is no big deal. Doing it here is too much hassle and agro

delphiandomineThreads: 42 Posts: 9,954 Joined: Nov 25, 08 ♂ [Suspended]	Aug 16, 11, 11:43 #5
I believe that they have become less strict about this for Polonia. No - the rules are still in place - if the person is Polish by law, then you must use a Polish document to enter/leave Poland. However - as I understand it - the 'red flag' is if the person has a Polish name. A name like John Kowalski wouldn't matter, but a name like Jan Kowalski would set off alarm bells.

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Edited by: dr_rabbit Aug 16, 11, 12:02 #6

Filling out paper work in New Zealand is no big deal. Doing it here is too much hassle and agro

Hi Pip,

Thanks for the response: it seems pretty difficult to do this from New Zealand. http://www.wellington.polemb.net/index.php?document=76

The process would seem to be:

1.Acquiring Polish birth and marriage (if applicable) certificates by registering NZ vital records into Polish Records Office.

This would presumably involve first registering our marriage, and then registering his birth. According to the polemb website, this would take 6 months for one document, longer if multiple documents. They have no control of it, simply send it off to the Wojewodztwo Mazowiecki office in Ostroleka or something

http://www.wellington.polemb.net/index.php?document=113

2.Applying for the Confirmation of Possession of Polish Citizenship and PESEL (National Identification Number)

Heres the process http://www.wellington.polemb.net/index.php?document=116

3.Applying for Polish passport

Probably more expensive here than in Poland, going by what it cost my wife to get hers in Poland

http://www.wellington.polemb.net/index.php?document=118

http://www.wellington.polemb.net/index.php?document=112

I'm convinced it would somehow be easier in person, but you're probably right, personal confrontation with such magnificent bureaucracy could be bad for my health.

Edit

No - the rules are still in place - if the person is Polish by law, then you must use a Polish document to enter/leave Poland.

I'll make sure that we fly into Poland from inside the Schengen zone then. I'm sure the Swiss or the Germans are not particularly interested in enforcing this requirement! Also, his name is probably not going to be that Polish, but he will be in the arms of his very Polish-sounding, looking, and named mother who will no doubt be doing the talking if we go through immigration processing there. Maybe I will need to carry him instead if we arrive from London

pzi123Threads: 1 Posts: 2 Joined: Aug 16, 11 ♂	Aug 16, 11, 17:19 #7
Olaf, Many thanks for very informative and to the point response! Most of the time the on-line forums are hogged by people that have something meaningless to say on any subject. I think when my current consulting gig in Denver runs out I will grab something in EU and add Polish passport to my collection. thanks again -Piotr

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Aug 16, 11, 17:46 #8

I'll make sure that we fly into Poland from inside the Schengen zone then. I'm sure the Swiss or the Germans are not particularly interested in enforcing this requirement! Also, his name is probably not going to be that Polish, but he will be in the arms of his very Polish-sounding, looking, and named mother who will no doubt be doing the talking if we go through immigration processing there.

Be warned that flying into the Schengen zone (but not Poland) is no guarantee that you won't be checked - the last four border crossings I've made have all been monitored by police who were pulling in cars at random. Again - if you attempt to use a non-Polish document to identify a child that can be claimed as Polish, you might very well have unnecessary trouble on your hands.

Save yourself the hassle and travel into Poland on a Polish document.

♀

Aug 16, 11, 18:08 #9

Filling out paper work in New Zealand is no big deal. Doing it here is too much hassle and agro
Hi Pip,

Thanks for the response: it seems pretty difficult to do this from New Zealand. http://www.wellington.polemb.net/index.php?document=76

The process would seem to be:

1.Acquiring Polish birth and marriage (if applicable) certificates by registering NZ vital records into Polish Records Office.

This would presumably involve first registering our marriage, and then registering his birth. According to the polemb website, this would take 6 months for one document, longer if multiple documents. They have no control of it, simply send it off to the Wojewodztwo Mazowiecki office in Ostroleka or something

http://www.wellington.polemb.net/index.php?document=113

2.Applying for the Confirmation of Possession of Polish Citizenship and PESEL (National Identification Number)

Heres the process http://www.wellington.polemb.net/index.php?document=116

3.Applying for Polish passport

Probably more expensive here than in Poland, going by what it cost my wife to get hers in Poland

http://www.wellington.polemb.net/index.php?document=118

http://www.wellington.polemb.net/index.php?document=112

I'm convinced it would somehow be easier in person, but you're probably right, personal confrontation with such magnificent bureaucracy could be bad for my health.

That process that you have just listed is pretty much standard- you won't find it easier in Poland or New Zealand. The entire process is a hassle. But- from my own experience- I have two daughters, one born in Canada and one born in Poland- dealing with everything in Canada was far easier. What happens if you get to Poland and they say you need a document like a marriage certificate or something like that- you are screwed. Not to mention the line ups in Poland. I imagine the office in New Zealand is not busting at the seams with people trying to get Polish passports.
The longest part of the whole situation was the wait to have the passport processed in Poland then sent back to Canada....but not having to deal with Polish
bureaucracy is far worth it.

♂

Aug 16, 11, 23:05 #10

Again - if you attempt to use a non-Polish document to identify a child that can be claimed as Polish, you might very well have unnecessary trouble on your hands.

Save yourself the hassle and travel into Poland on a Polish document.

I appreciate your concern, but considering the process that is going to be involved in getting the Polish passport (looks like over a year), its not possible for us to wait that long to visit Poland. I think it would be a much larger violation of the long-standing arrangements for free travel of citizens between NZ and Germany for them to concern themselves with enforcing nonsensical Polish laws that have no international relevance by harassing a NZ citizen and NZ resident travelling with their NZ citizen baby on a NZ passport. I do appreciate that the Polish officials must be treated with caution however.

Pip - it seems that you're right. However we might do some of the steps while in Poland - registering vital documents, perhaps. We're certainly not going to get around to doing all that before we go there next time.

♂

Edited by: BBman Aug 17, 11, 00:09 #11

Be warned that flying into the Schengen zone (but not Poland) is no guarantee that you won't be checked - the last four border crossings I've made have all been monitored by police who were pulling in cars at random. Again - if you attempt to use a non-Polish document to identify a child that can be claimed as Polish, you might very well have unnecessary trouble on your hands.

Save yourself the hassle and travel into Poland on a Polish document.

Delph, you're right about this law, however it is not enforced.

I sometimes show my PL passport in Poland, other times (ie when returning to canada) I show my canadian passport. If i've been in Poland for longer than 3 months, they always ask to see both of my passports. I've even asked several customs officials about this...

They've got more important things to do.

My Polish passport is 25 years old from before PESEL times and I do not have 'dowod osobisty'.

If you were born in Poland, just go to an urzad miasta (if in Poland) and they'll get one for you.

dr_rabbitThreads: 3 Posts: 77 Joined: Aug 8, 09 ♂	Aug 17, 11, 07:58 #12
the last four border crossings I've made have all been monitored by police who were pulling in cars at random. Just re-read your post: true, we still could get stopped at a random check. However seeing as the process takes so long, its practically possible to get it before we go next. However we will definitely get it pretty much ASAP because an EU passport is a good thing to have!

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