Poland - Passport & Nationality - Polish Citizenship by Descent
Polish citizenship and nationality law is set out in the Polish Citizenship Act of 2009, which was published on 14 February 2012, and became law in its entirety on 15 August 2012. To qualify for Polish Nationality by Descent (called Confirmation of Polish Citizenship), an applicant must have a direct Polish ancestor. This can be a parent, grandparent or great grandparent born in Poland.
The primary requirements are:
- The ancestor must have been born in Poland (or one of the former Polish Territories) and resided there after 1920.
- The ancestor held Polish Citizenship after 1920 and before the applicant's birth.
The applicant must prove that no event took place from the time their ancestor left Poland and the time they were born that would affect their citizenship. They are:
- Marriage (for women) to a foreign citizen before 1951
- Foreign army service (for men) before 1951, unless this service was during WW2 with the Allied Forces
- Foreign public service (for men and women) before 1951
- Acquisition of foreign citizenship (prior to 1951) unless covered by military conscription age (17-50 years of age)
- Renunciation of Polish citizenship directly to the Polish Government
- The other parent has held citizenship of an Eastern Bloc country prior to 1993 (depending on the country)
- Lack of documentation.