Polish passport

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A passport is a document which entitles to cross the state border, endorse having Polish citizenship and identity of its holder. Having a passport is required for entry to most countries of the world. Some countries may also require additional entry visas. Every Polish citizen has the right to obtain a Polish passport. A Polish passport is the property of the Republic of Poland and is issued by a national government, at the request of an adult person. Parents apply for passport on behalf of a child. Polish passport can be issued only for one person and is valid for 10 years. Those documents are issued by the wojewoda, and by Polish Consul to persons resident abroad. The main condition for obtaining a Polish passport is having Polish citizenship.

Many people during travel or holidays lose their passports. A person who lost a Polish passport is required to report the Polish state authorities. A Polish Consul may, upon confirmation of identity, issue a temporary passport to return home. The document reported as being lost is no longer valid. Polish passport also loses validity if its holder lost his Polish citizenship.

Polish citizenship & passport

Since 2006 a new form of Polish passport is issued. Biometric passports have a security in the form of electronic chip encoded with information about the passport holder. Unfortunately, the issue of a Polish passport is related to the payment of a fee. Receipt of an ordinary passport costs about 140 zloty. However, this fee is increased by 200%, if the previously owned Polish passport had been destroyed because of the fault of its holder.

Polish citizenship and Polish passport

Milions of US citizens have Polish roots. Their ancestors arrived to United States in XIX and XX century. Now many of them can apply to confirm their Polish citizenship. Unfortunatelly, usually only descendants of emigrants who left Poland around 1918-1920 and later could get Polish citizenship and Polish passport (theoretically more people were eligible for Polish citizenship, but now it’s question of proofs, and because of that – usually only people who left Poland after that time could confirm their Polish nationality). First Polish Citizenship Act was issued in 1920 and it was first legal act that regulated all affairs related with Polish citizenship after 123 years of captivity. In accordance with its provisions, to be entitled Polish citizenship, one had to:

Polish citizenship – 1920

1. Be settled on the territory of the Polish State and could not concurrently be recognized as a citizen of another country. One was considered to be settled in the Polish State, if the individual:

a) was enrolled or is entitled to be enrolled to books of permanent population of former Kingdom of Poland;

b) was entitled to homely surrounding in one of communes on the territory of The Polish State, which have made up a part of The Austrian State or The Hungarian State;

c) had, before January 15, 1908 on grounds of German citizenship, a permanent residence on territory of The Polish State, which formerly has been a part of The Prussian State;

d) was enrolled to urban or rural commune or to one of state organizations on lands of former Empire of Russia which are now parts of The Polish State;

f)  was born on the territory of The Polish State, as far as it is not entitled to another country’ citizenship;

g) was entitled to Polish citizenship based upon an international treaty.

The Act also defined rules of acquiring and losing of Polish citizenship. Through provisions of Polish citizenship Act of 1920, Polish citizenship could be acquired through:

1. Polish citizenship – Birth.
Legitimate children acquired by birth their father´s citizenship. Illegitimate children acquired by birth their mother´s citizenship. Unknown parents´ children who were born or found on The Polish State´s territory were recognized as Polish citizens, as far as their other citizenship wasn’t revealed.

2. Polish citizenship – Entitlement, recognition or adoption.
By entitlement, recognition or adoption a child who was not 18 years old yet acquired citizenship of its father or mother, relatively of another person who recognized or adopted it.

3. Polish citizenship – Marriage.
A woman who was a foreigner acquired Polish citizenship by marriage with a Polish citizen.

4. Polish citizenship – Granting of citizenship (naturalization)
In accordance with the regulation, granting of citizenship could happen on request of a person who wanted to obtain it if this person fulfilled conditions mentioned by the Act then he/she had the possibility of acquiring Polish citizenship.

5. Polish citizenship – Adoption of a public office or entering Polish military service.
A foreigner coould acquired Polish citizenship by adoption of by performing public office or entering Polish military service.

If our ancestors left Poland before 1951 – each applicant – to get Polish passport should check – if he is eligible for Polish citizenship on the base of that Polish citizenship Act