Polish Embassy in Pretoria: citizenship by descent guide

Polish citizenship by descent: what to prepare

Citizenship at this mission: Accepts applications for confirmation of Polish citizenship in person or by mail. The fee follows the consular fee table. The consul forwards the application to the competent voivode in Poland.

Certified long-form records with apostilles, translated into Polish by a sworn translator.

• Your long-form birth certificate
• Birth and marriage records for each generation back to your Polish ancestor
• Your ancestor's US naturalization records, or proof there were none, to show when (or whether) citizenship was lost
• Your ancestor's Polish documents if available: birth record, passport, ID or military records

Polish authorities require translations by a Polish sworn translator (tłumacz przysięgły), done after the apostille.

How the process works

1. Your ancestor must have been a Polish citizen after 31 January 1920, the date of Poland's first citizenship law.
2. We check whether citizenship was lost before 19 January 1951, through naturalization abroad or foreign military service.
3. A voivode (provincial governor) in Poland issues the confirmation. You can file through your Polish consulate, which forwards it, or in Poland through a representative with power of attorney.
4. Your foreign birth and marriage records are transcribed into Polish registers so you can apply for a passport.

Last reviewed: October 2026. Rules and procedures change, so check the official website.

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