In short
A person who acquired Polish citizenship by operation of law – for example by birth to Polish-citizen parents – does not need to apply for it again. They can apply for a decision confirming that they hold Polish citizenship under the Act of 2 April 2009 on Polish Citizenship. The decision is issued by the voivode competent for the applicant's current or last place of residence in Poland or, if there is none, by the Masovian Voivode.
What the case involves
You need to show a chain of generations from an ancestor who was a Polish citizen down to the applicant, based on civil status records and documents confirming the ancestor's citizenship. Each link is assessed under the law in force at the time of the relevant event (birth, marriage, emigration, naturalisation). Under the Act of 20 January 1920 on Citizenship of the Polish State, citizenship could be lost, among other ways, by acquiring a foreign citizenship or by entering foreign military service without permission. Polish ancestry alone therefore does not decide the outcome – the documents do.
How we help
- we review the family documents and assess whether the transmission of citizenship may have been broken;
- we identify missing records and help locate them in archives;
- we prepare the application for confirmation of Polish citizenship and represent the applicant before the voivode;
- we advise on the next steps after the decision, such as transcription of foreign civil status records.
A person living abroad can also file the application through a Polish consul, who forwards it to the competent voivode.
Documents usually needed
The set of documents depends on the family history, but it usually includes:
- birth and marriage certificates of everyone in the line from the ancestor to the applicant;
- documents showing the ancestor's Polish citizenship, such as a Polish passport or identity card, a military record book or entries in residence registers;
- documents from the country of emigration showing whether and when the ancestor acquired foreign citizenship – for example naturalisation records, or a certificate that no such records were found;
- the applicant's identity document.
Documents in a foreign language are, as a rule, filed with a Polish translation made by a sworn translator or certified by a Polish consul. Missing Polish records can often be found in state archives, civil registry archives or parish registers.
A decision confirming Polish citizenship opens the way to further steps, such as transcription of a foreign birth certificate into the Polish civil register and an application for a Polish passport.
Clients in the USA and Canada: polishlineage.com
For clients in the United States and Canada we run a dedicated English-language website, polishlineage.com, with a description of the procedure, the documents required and a contact form.
Frequently asked questions
Is confirmation of citizenship the same as being granted citizenship?
No. Confirmation concerns a person who is already a Polish citizen by operation of law – the decision simply states this. Granting or recognition of Polish citizenship are separate procedures with different conditions.
Which voivode issues the decision?
The voivode competent for the applicant's current or last place of residence in Poland. If the applicant has never lived in Poland, the Masovian Voivode is competent.
Can I apply while living abroad?
Yes. The application can be filed through a Polish consul, who forwards it to the competent voivode, or through an attorney in Poland.
Do I need to speak Polish?
No. Confirmation of citizenship does not require knowledge of Polish – the decision only states that citizenship was acquired by operation of law. A language requirement applies to other procedures, such as recognition as a Polish citizen.
How do I know whether citizenship was lost?
The history of the ancestor and of each later generation has to be traced under the law in force at the time – for example whether the ancestor acquired a foreign citizenship or entered foreign military service before later acts came into force. We do this on the basis of documents.
Law and information as of October 2026.