Confirming Polish citizenship

Wojewoda (voivode) — the central government's representative in a Polish region, roughly comparable to a state-level authority. The voivode issues the citizenship decision — not a court, and not the consulate.

Is citizenship granted, or confirmed?

This distinction decides the whole case. Under Article 14(1) of the Polish Citizenship Act, a child acquires Polish citizenship by birth where at least one parent is a Polish citizen. Citizenship therefore passes from one generation to the next automatically, at the moment of birth, regardless of the country in which the child was born.

The proceeding before the voivode does not create a new legal status. The authority examines the documents and establishes whether you already hold citizenship. That is why the procedure is called confirmation rather than a grant.

Will I lose my American citizenship?

Polish law does not require you to give up another citizenship. Article 3(1) of the Act provides that a Polish citizen who simultaneously holds the citizenship of another state has the same rights and obligations towards the Republic of Poland as a person holding Polish citizenship only.

Losing Polish citizenship is in fact difficult rather than easy. Under Article 46, a citizen loses it only by renouncing it — and only after obtaining the consent of the President of the Republic of Poland. It does not lapse on its own or through the passage of time.

The consequences on the American side are governed by United States law, not Polish law, and are worth checking separately.

Where is the application filed from the United States?

The application is decided by the voivode for your place of residence, or your last place of residence in Poland. Where no such place can be established — which is the position in most cases involving people born abroad — the matter is handled by the Mazovian voivode.

If you live abroad, you may file through the Polish consul for your place of residence. Documents may be submitted in person or sent by mail — appearing in person is not required.

Which documents are needed?

The application must be accompanied by documents relevant to establishing citizenship, in particular civil-status records, together with the original of a current identity document.

birth and marriage records — yours and those of the ancestor through whom you trace citizenship,
documents evidencing that ancestor's Polish citizenship,
the applicant's current identity document.

Every document in a foreign language must be translated into Polish by a sworn translator or by a consul. This applies to American civil-status records as well.

Key points

Citizenship is acquired by birth to a Polish-citizen parent — the authority confirms it rather than granting it.
Dual citizenship is permitted; towards Poland you are treated exactly as someone holding Polish citizenship alone.
The application is decided by a voivode; where there is no place of residence in Poland, by the Mazovian voivode.
From the United States you may file through a consul, in person or by mail.
Stamp duty for the decision: PLN 277. Consular fee for filing in the United States: USD 118.
The voivode has six months to issue a decision.
An appeal lies to the Minister of the Interior and Administration within 14 days.

What does it cost?

The stamp duty for a decision confirming that Polish citizenship is held or has been lost is PLN 277. Filing through a Polish mission in the United States carries an additional consular fee of USD 118.

Beyond that you should expect the cost of sworn translations and of obtaining copies of civil-status records. These depend on how many documents are involved and are not set by any official schedule.

How long does it take?

The voivode has six months to issue a decision. That is the statutory period for the authority; the time needed beforehand to gather and translate documents depends on what you already hold and on whether records have to be traced in archives.

What if the decision is negative?

A decision of the voivode may be appealed to the Minister of the Interior and Administration, filed through the voivode who issued it. The deadline is 14 days from service of the decision, and it is strict — once it passes, the route of appeal closes.

How we help

We assess whether there is a basis for confirmation in your case, identify which documents are missing and where they may be held, prepare the application, and handle correspondence with the authority. Under a power of attorney we act for you in Poland, without you needing to travel.

This article is general information about Polish law, not legal advice about your situation. Legal basis: the Act of 2 April 2009 on Polish Citizenship (consolidated text, Journal of Laws 2023 item 1989), together with official guidance from the Ministry of the Interior and Administration and from the Polish mission in the United States. Amounts and time limits may change — verify them before filing. If you would like to know how these rules apply to your matter, describe it to us.