I have recently found that I am eligible for Polish citizenship through my ancestry ties to my Paternal Great-Grandfather & Paternal Great-Grandmother. I was planning to use a service I found online until they told me it would cost $2800.00 USD. I think this is to much and I am considering trying to do it myself.
I have been trying to make sense of the process for obtaining Polish citizenship through ancestry ties. I have spent some time looking around reddit as well as [https://www.gov.pl/](https://www.gov.pl/) for information that can help me complete my task.
I will outline the steps I believe I should follow below. I am seeking confirmation from the community here that I am on the right track and looking for help to insure I don’t miss anything
**Step 1 – Gather Polish documents that will confirm your ancestor held Polish citizenship**
In my case its my Paternal Great-Grandfather & Great-Grandmother so that being said I have collected their Original Polish Documents:
1. Dowód osobisty – ( Id Cards )
2. Metryka urodzenia i chrztu (Birth and baptism certificates)
3. Świadectwo ślubu ( Marriage certificate)
**Step 2 – Gather Foreign documents that prove your connection to your Polish ancestors**
In my case I am Canadian and I now need to prove the blood line going all the way back to my Paternal Great-Grandparents So in order to do this I have went ahead and collected Canadian English documents for the direct blood line in question;
1. For **myself** I have – Canadian Passport, Certified copy of Birth Registration
2. For my **Father** I have his – Certified copy of Birth Registration And Marriage certificate
3. For my **GrandFather** I have his – Certified copy of Birth Registration and Marriage certificate
Ive ordered all these Certificates from my local Provincial ” office of the registrar general” . It is a “certified a true photostatic print of record” – statement of live birth.
**Step 3 – Translate all Foreign Documents from english into Polish by a sworn translator recognized by the Polish government**
I plan to take all my Canadian English documents mentioned in **step 2** and bring them to a sworn Polish translator for translation.
**Step 4 – Complete the application “Confirming Polish citizenship or its loss”**
I believe this is the next step and I will need to complete:
“wzor\_wniosku\_o\_potwierdzenie\_posiadania\_lub\_utraty\_obywatelstwa\_polskiego”
“Application Form for Confirmation of Possession or Loss of Polish Citizenship”
I have found the application here : [https://www.gov.pl/web/canada-en/confirming-polish-citizenship-or-its-loss](https://www.gov.pl/web/canada-en/confirming-polish-citizenship-or-its-loss)
I believe this application asks for family information and history, it must be filled out in Polish language and use capital letters.
**Step 5 – Mail Polish documents, Canadian Documents, Polish Translated Canadian Documents and Application for – Confirming Polish citizenship or its loss to the closest Polish consular office in your country.**
So basically everything Ive acquired and completed through step 1-4 above I will send it away in the postal letter mail to the closest local Polish Consulate office.
**Step 6 – Waiting period. During this step I am waiting for a decision on wether or not I will be Accepted for Polish citizenship or denied.**
If the application is good and they confirm my citizenship I assume they send me my Citizenship Certificate.
**Step 7 – Registration of foreign birth certificates in a Polish registry office**
Now that I have my Citizenship Certificate I can begin the process of registering my birth in Poland, I will Fill out this application form – Wniosek\_transkrypcja\_aktu\_urodzenia\_wzór.pdf. (Application\_Transcription\_of\_Birth\_Certificate\_Template.pdf) found here :
[https://www.gov.pl/web/unitedkingdom/registration-of-foreign-birth-certificates-in-a-polish-registry-office](https://www.gov.pl/web/unitedkingdom/registration-of-foreign-birth-certificates-in-a-polish-registry-office)
Along with the application I will send **only my personal original** Birth Certificate that has parental information along with the Polish translated copy.
**Step 8 – Wait for Birth Certificate to be mailed out**
**Step 9 – Schedule Appointment at my local Polish consulate in regard to getting a passport**
I believe I must go to my local consulate and bring my newly acquired Polish Citizenship Certificate and Polish Birth Certificate with me to my appointment and the passport application is done there in person.
**Step 10 – Process Completed**
I will now wait for my new Polish passport to arrive in the mail. Once received, I have now successfully completed the process and I have my Citizenship Certificate, Birth Certificate and Polish Passport.
**Questions**
1) Where does Pesel tie into this?
2) What documents will be Retained by Polish government?
3) Do I have sufficient / Proper Documents for each person?
4) Am I missing Anything?
5) Will I Be successful if I follow my own steps?
Now that I’ve outlined my understanding of the Polish citizenship process above. I’m reaching out to the community for validation and to ensure I haven’t overlooked any vital details. If anyone here has experience or expertise in this area, I would greatly appreciate your feedback and guidance.
\* I want to clarify that this is not a guide; it’s just my personal thoughts and understanding of the process. \*
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by SimulationError404