How to Get Your Polish Passport
Every Polish citizen has the right to obtain a Polish passport. But before you can apply for a Polish passport, you must first confirm your Polish citizenship and receive your citizenship confirmation certificate from the Polish government.
Only after obtaining this document (and your Polish vital records) can you get your Polish passport.
Your Polish passport is proof of your Polish citizenship, your EU citizenship, and your identity.
It will also allow you to live, work, study in any of the 28 EU countries without restrictions, without a visa, and an unlimited time – something which non-EU citizens (Americans, Canadians, Australians, etc) cannot do.
And your Polish passport also has visa-free access to 127 countries.
Learn more about the Benefits of Polish Citizenship here.
Process to Get Your Polish Passport
After your Polish citizenship is confirmed, your citizenship certificate has been issued, and your Polish vital records have been registered and obtained, you may apply for your Polish passport at any Polish Consulate in the world.
Below is a step-by-step overview of the process, required documents, applications, and forms you will need:
#1. Required Documents
- Polish citizenship confirmation certificate
- Polish birth certificate
- Polish marriage / divorce certificate (if applicable)
- Official Polish name change certificate (if applicable)
- PESEL application
- Polish passport application
- Passport photos
#2. Visit a Polish Consulate
To apply for a Polish passport, first book an appointment at the Polish Consulate via their official website. Without booking an appointment first, it is not possible to apply.
Everyone must apply for their Polish passport in person. It’s not possible to apply via mail or for someone else to apply on your behalf because Polish passports are biometric and require fingerprints to be taken in person at the Polish Consulate.
#3. Attach Your Polish Civil Acts
Attach your Polish birth and marriage certificates to your passport application.
If you were born and/or got married outside Poland, you’ll first need to submit translated foreign certificates from your home country to the Polish Civil Registry Office in Poland and then obtain Polish vital records.
This procedure is called “transcription” and it usually takes 3-4 weeks to get your Polish civil acts. This is a service provided in our Polish Citizenship Package.
#4. Your PESEL
Some Polish Consulates require you to apply for a PESEL number before submitting your passport application. The process is quick and painless. Don’t forget, both applications need to be submitted in Polish.
#5. Name Change
Those who officially changed their names in a foreign country, must go through the official name change procedure again in Poland.
You’ll need to have a PESEL number before applying for a name change in Poland. The process is simple and takes about 2 months to process.
#6. Passport Photos
Get your passport photos taken and bring them to your appointment. Passport photos, fingerprints, and signing the applications are the only things you need to do by yourself.
#7. Passport
If you need your Polish passport fast (within 1 day), apply for a temporary passport. Most Polish Consulates will issue a temporary passports on the same day and they are valid for one year. By contrast, a 10-year biometric passport will take 1-2 months to process.
#8. Fees
You will pay for your Polish passport directly at the Polish Consulate. You can learn more about the official consular fees here.
How To Obtain Polish Citizenship
The laws and procedures for obtaining Polish citizenship can be complex and there are many details that often get overlooked, even by Polish consulates and law firms, resulting in unnecessary denials when citizenship should have been awarded.
The best way to get started is with our Ultimate Guide To Obtaining Polish Citizenship, which is available for download right now.
- Save money and time by collecting your documents first!
- Full list of all personal documents you will need to collect
- Full list of all ancestral documents you will need to provide
- Full list of all documents you will need to have authenticated
- Plus receive our Polish Family History Worksheet for Free
Do You Have The Necessary Documents to Get Started?
The procedures for obtaining Polish citizenship can be complex and there are many details that often get overlooked. One of the most common failures is not having the right documents from the beginning, this can be a costly and time consuming mistake to fix.
That’s exactly why we created the Polish Citizenship Applicant Checklist, to breakdown all of the documents you need so you can save money from the outset.
Click the link below to take a closer look at the Polish Citizenship Applicant Checklist and to get started on your journey of claiming Polish citizenship!
- Save money and time by collecting your documents first!
- Full list of all personal documents you will need to collect
- Full list of all ancestral documents you will need to provide
- Full list of all documents you will need to have authenticated
- Plus receive our Polish Family History Worksheet for Free
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