I was not born in Poland, but my mother was. Can I obtain a Polish passport?

kathThreads: 1 Posts: 1 Joined: Apr 22, 10 ♀	Apr 22, 10, 05:29 #1
My mother was born in Poland and has a very old passport (when she was a child). I was told that I can obtain a Polish passport on the basis of this ancestry even though I was not born in Poland. How would I go about that? Thank you.

MyPoloniaThreads: - Posts: 18 Joined: May 7, 08 ♂	Apr 22, 10, 07:54 #2
Contact Polish embassy in your area for more information.

1jolaThreads: 33 Posts: 2,737 Joined: Sep 23, 08 ♂	Edited by: 1jola Apr 22, 10, 08:15 #3
How old are you? It makes a difference.

kathThreads: 1 Posts: 1 Joined: Apr 22, 10 ♀	Apr 22, 10, 09:24 #4
I am 21

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Apr 22, 10, 09:50 #5

Don't take my word for it as such matters are best heard from official sources(Polish Consulate in your country), but I think it is too late in your case with one Polish parent. I am basing my hunch on this:

In accordance with the Statute on Polish Citizenship, of 15 February 1962 with later amendments (final text of statute, Dziennik Ustaw - Journal of Laws of the Republic of Poland, No. 28, item 353, 2000)

"Article 4. A child acquires Polish citizenship by birth when:
1) both parents are Polish citizens or
2) one of the parents is a Polish citizen, whereas the other is of unknown or undefined citizenship or does not possess any citizenship ..."

Article 6. 1. A child of parents of which one is a Polish citizen, while the other is a citizen of another state, acquires Polish citizenship by birth. However the parents may, in a declaration made in conformity before the proper authority within the course of three months from the day of the birth of the child, choose for the child the citizenship of the foreign state of which one of the parents is a citizen, if according to the law of that state the child acquires its citizenship.
2. In the case when the parents are not in agreement on this matter, each of them may apply to a court for a resolution within the course of three months from the day of the birth of the child.
3. A child who acquired foreign citizenship in accordance with para. 1 or 2 acquires Polish citizenship if, after completing sixteen years and before six months prior to attaining full legal age, he or she makes the appropriate declaration before the proper authority and this authority issues a decision accepting the declaration.."

http://www.ottawa.polemb.net/index.php?document=300

delphiandomineThreads: 42 Posts: 9,954 Joined: Nov 25, 08 ♂ [Suspended]	Apr 22, 10, 10:45 #6
If you're 21 and your mother is no older than 60, you should be able to get it without much fuss :)

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Apr 22, 10, 11:17 #7

Would this be a question your mother would ask?

Q: I am a Polish citizen. My spouse is a US citizen. Our children are born in the US and are US citizens. Are they also Polish citizens?
A:
YES. Children born from couples of mixed nationality lose their Polish citizenship only by parents’ declaration made within three months from the child’s birth.

http://www.polishconsulateny.org/m.22.Polish_Citizenship.html

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Sep 24, 10, 14:52 #8

Probably you have Polish citizenship because of your mother. It means that you have good reasons to apply for the certificate of Polish Citizenship (you have to get the document if you want to apply for a Polish passport). This procedure is called the confirmation of Polish Citizenship. It’s formal process that requires submitting an application and other documents supporting your claim about Polish Citizenship. You can apply directly to the relevant Provincial Office in Poland (urzad wojewodzki). If you want to get much more information check this site: polish-citizenship.pl/. You can get there legal opinion about your eligibility - usually free of charge.

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Edited by: monika87 Sep 25, 10, 00:10 #9

citizen123:

Probably you have Polish citizenship because of your mother. It means that you have good reasons to apply for the certificate of Polish Citizenship

Yes if one parent of you is full Polish and born there it should work easy and without a problem. But I read now within the course of three months from the day of the birth of the child?
Good look on your way to the Polish-citizenship kath

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Oct 19, 10, 14:10 #10

Kath

Check the website known as 'EasyExpat'. Then click on forums and scroll down to find 'Poland'. In that forum you will then find a 3 parter in regards to Polish citizenship. There, you will find others who are in the same boat as you. There you will find some who are older than you that have been able to prove citizenship based on one or the other parent. Or in some cases both.
As one known as 'Curious George' to refer you to his posting in part 1 about the documents you will (or may) need to document your connection to Poland and then obtain citizenship. In a similar related issue, I was able to prove German citizenship less than 5 yrs ago, long after the 21st birthday issue. Since obtaining the German citizenship is almost similar, but less complicated than the Polish.
Good luck.

OlafThreads: 8 Posts: 1,369 Joined: Oct 29, 09 ♂	Oct 19, 10, 14:39 #11
General rule: if at least one of your parents has had from the time where you were born Polish citizenship and did not resign from it officially - then you can verify your citizenship by a procedure in a consulate or any Urzad Wojewodzki. Takes about a month.

Tpolish01

Oct 20, 10, 01:10 #12

Merged thread:
Parents/grandparents born in Poland, but I was born in the US. Polish citizenship?

I have wanted to get Polish citizenship since i was little but never got around to it. Both my parents/grandparents were born in Poland but i was born in the U.S. My dream is to move to poland for a year or so and try and get a job there. It's something i will regret not doing before i get too old.

I've been trying to figure out how to get a Polish citizenship and passport and it seems way too confusing. Is there a simple procedure to do it? Doesn't matter if it takes a long time, but i just want to know the exact steps to get it.

Here is my situation. Born in U.S and parents are both from Poland. My mom has her proof of birth in Poland, but my dad does not. how do i get my Pesel number without having my dad's information? I also have my birth certificate translated into polish and my family has a home in Krakow that i can register too.

Can someone help me get started and let me know what i have to do next?

Thanks!!!

-Tomek

tpolish@excite.com

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Oct 21, 10, 13:28 #13

Listen, you are Polish since your mother is

Check the website of the polish Embassy and you will find the documents for "confirming your nationality", since you are polish and you will only need to make a new id and passport,is that simple.

The most important paper you will have to present is the original birth certificate of your mom and her parents, the rest are yours...

Give the papers to Migration in Warsaw and you may have an answer in 7 weeks, in 2 more you can add your new polish birth certificate and in 2 more your new passport.

If you do it trough the Embassy they will charge you and won't help you since they are not Migration,just a delivery company... that moreover wait each 4 months to send documents so the best reaction time is 8 months...

Do it yourself, is easy, all of us we have done it and is a piece of cake

I have contacts in Warsaw that give consultancy about it, if you want you can write

kastanedowski gmail com

AussiepoleThreads: 1 Posts: 5 Joined: Dec 15, 08 ♂	Oct 22, 10, 16:12 #14
Yes you can! I got my Polish Passport based on my mother being born in Poland and i was born in Australia. You just need all the required documents they ask you for. It will take time and word of warning - all the documentation and application forms have to be translated into Polish and written in Polish. Get yourself a good translator!!!! Good luck

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Nov 2, 10, 22:05 #15

It may come as a shock but you already have Polish nationality. Any child of a Polish citizen automatically has Polish nationality whether he/she applies for it or not. That is the way Polish law works. However, in order to obtain a Polish passport you will need to supply proof that at least one of your parents was Polish e.g. birth certificate, passport etc. Provided you can do this then obtaining a passport is just a formality. A word of caution though before you leap into action. The Polish authorities apply their nationality law in a strange way. According to the law when a Polish national is present in the territory of the Polish Republic no other nationality held by that person has any legal bearing. In other words according to Polish law once you step foot in Poland (and have Polish nationality), whatever other nationality/ies you have ceases to have any legal meaning or weight. You are treated exclusively as a Pole regardless of where you were born, whether you can speak Polish, or whether you have ever either considered yourself to be Polish.
I can vouch for the above information as I obtained a Polish passport 20 years ago on the basis of the fact that my father was Polish. The process did not take long and it was useful to me then as at that time I needed to obtain a visa to visit Poland. 10 years later I renounced my Polish nationality due to the selective application of the above interpretation regarding my nationality of birth. In my experience in the longer term the obtaining of a Polish passport caused me far more problems than it was worth.

teresa55Threads: - Posts: 50 Joined: Oct 20, 09 ♀	Mar 14, 11, 13:44 #16
Yes. You can. It can take some time. I'll gladly halp you.

delphiandomineThreads: 42 Posts: 9,954 Joined: Nov 25, 08 ♂ [Suspended]	Mar 14, 11, 13:53 #17
teresa55: Yes. You can. How can you judge this if you aren't aware of the mother's circumstances?

teresa55Threads: - Posts: 50 Joined: Oct 20, 09 ♀	Mar 14, 11, 14:02 #18
I'm based in Poland and I've been assisting people in certifying Polish citizenship in cases for many years.

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