Confirmation of holding or having lost Polish citizenship
The proceedings aimed at confirming that a party holds or lost Polish citizenship may be initiated by an authority ex officio or upon request of:
- the party whom the proceedings concern, or
- an entity that can prove legal interest or its obligation to obtain this decision.
The confirmation takes the form of an administrative decision, and the proceedings progress in accordance with the rules laid down in the code of administrative procedure.
The authority to which the application should be submitted and which issues the confirmation in the case is the province governor having jurisdiction over the place of residence or the last place residence on the territory of Poland of the person whom the proceedings concern, and if this information is unavailable – the Mazowieckie province governor.
A person living abroad may submit the application via a Polish consul who will then immediately forward the application to a province governor together with the documents attached.
The application must be submitted on the official form whose template is specified by the Resolution of the Minister of the Interior concerning the template of the application form for confirmation of holding or having lost Polish citizenship.
The application should contain the data of the person to whom the confirmation pertains, and his or her first and second degree ascendants (i.e. parents and grandparents), as well as information about important circumstances that are essential to determine the facts and the legal situation.
The application should be supplemented with documents confirming the data and information included in the application, unless obtaining these documents is hindered by obstacles that are difficult to overcome.
The above remarks concerning the form of the appendices (original/copy), their translation into Polish, the manner of submitting the application (personally/by mail) all apply to submitting this application, too.
The application is subject to stamp duty in the amount of PLN 58. The proof of payment should be attached to the application.
A Polish citizen cannot lose Polish citizenship unless he or she renounces it, for which the consent of the President of the Republic of Poland is required. Polish citizenship is lost after 30 days from the date of issuing the above-mentioned consent, but the President may make this period shorter.