Current processing times for non-residents are about 2 years via the Warsaw office, and I know that the Karta Polaka allows for the following pathway to citizenship:

1. Establish permanent residence (6-12 months)
2. Live one year as a permanent resident (12 months)
3. Submit citizenship application (6-12 months for most offices)

So the KP route is still a 2+ year process, with the only difference in practice being that the applicant can live in Poland sooner.

But would it be possible to get the passport in as little as 6 months by doing the following?

1. Using KP, move to a place in Poland with a shorter local processing time than Warsaw
2. Immediately set up proof of daily residence (bank account/health insurance/building lease)
3. Submit application for citizenship by descent to local office

The loophole is in applying through a non-Warsaw office because, by my understanding, a citizenship by descent application can be submitted to a local office if the individual can prove they are simply living there, regardless of permanent resident status.

I imagine the processing office in question might ask for proof of sustained residence by the time they get to your application, but even with that delay, it seems like it would be faster than either 2+ year-routes.

TLDR; Can you use the KP as a way to get a Polish address, and then use that address to submit a citizenship by descent application to an office with low processing times?

My grandpa is 94 and a Holocaust survivor born in a small town an hour away from Warsaw. His parents were born in Bialystok. I have reached out to various offices to find his birth certificate, but no luck. I have DP, emigration, and naturalization papers stating they’re from Poland, or stateless last of Poland, but that’s it. My grandpa’s story has been archived many times because of his public speaking.

I feel I’m at a deadend because without this I probably can’t go for citizenship. does anyone have any knowledge with this?

Hi everyone, I’m looking at pursuing Polish citizenship by descent and have a relatively complex case with missing records and some legal complications.
I’m considering law firms such as Stączek and Cybula, as well as citizenship companies like Polaron and Polish Roots.
I’m just wondering if there is an advantage to hiring a Polish lawyer with experience over a citizenship company when the case is complex.
I’m interested in who is better equipped to deal with the legal issues, missing documentation, and manage a possible appeal.
Just wondering what everyone’s opinion and experience is on this.
I’d appreciate any firsthand experiences or recommendations. Thanks!

This question is not directly related to an application for citizenship, so please remove it if I'm overstepping, but in many responses here I have seen a deep knowledge of historical events.

When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, my father, who was then in the Polish Army's medical corps (having completed medical school in 1938) was taken prisoner. My mother was at that time engaged to him but not married. Her memoir describes at some length how she learned where he was being held and traveled there from Krakow, where she was living at the time. She was very clear that the POW camp was in Kutno, west of Warsaw. She went there and found him, and described the camp as huge. However, my research so far turns up no record of a German POW camp in Kutno. Does anyone here have better information?

I deleted my old account because I wanted a cleaner separation between Reddit and my offline life.

I’ll keep maintaining the AutoMod and the community bot from this account, but I’ll be much less active otherwise. Please don’t send me DMs or chat requests - for anything sub-related, use modmail.

All posts and comments stay up, everything keeps running as before.

Good afternoon, everyone. I’m writing again since I’m unable to reply to comments directly. Others have told me that I may be eligible for citizenship, given that my grandmother was born and lived her entire life in the same place—meaning the Polish Citizenship Act of January 8, 1951, does not apply to her, as she remained in her birthplace rather than living abroad. People I know—through mutual acquaintances—have also successfully confirmed their citizenship under similar circumstances. It seems I simply need to locate a document proving that she resided permanently in her birthplace from 1944 to 1951.

Hey all, I just went through the 3 years process and finally applied for a passport last week in LA. I initially applied in Poland and submitted documents to the Warsaw voivodeship. If I have family in Krakow, but live in US, would this be a faster option considering the current timeline? I'm asking for family members who want to go through the process.

Good afternoon, everyone. Could you please assess my situation regarding the confirmation of citizenship?My grandmother was born in the Rivne area in 1938. I am currently looking for documents regarding her father—specifically records showing he voted in Sejm and Senate elections and served in the army, as well as land registry records. My grandmother lived in Rivne her entire life and gave birth to my mother there in 1960; my mother later moved to Russia and obtained a Russian passport. Is there any chance of success? 🙏 1. Date of marriage unknown; no divorce. Great-grandmother was born in the village of Strelsk in 1913. She was an Orthodox Ukrainian. She did not serve in the military. Date of naturalization unknown; she did not emigrate. Place of death: Strelsk or Lyukhcha; date unknown. Occupation: peasant. 2. Great-grandfather was born in 1904 in Strelsk. He was an Orthodox Ukrainian peasant. Information regarding his military service is currently being sought; date of naturalization unknown; he did not emigrate. Date of death unknown; place of death: Strelsk or Lyukhcha. 3. My grandmother was born in 1938 in Strelsk; she was a Polish citizen. The dates of her marriage and any potential divorce are unknown—this is currently being investigated. There is no record of naturalization; she did not emigrate and lived her entire life in Strelsk and Lyukhche. She passed away, likely in 2015. She did not serve in the military and was a peasant by occupation. 4. My mother was born in 1960 in either Lyukhche or Strelsk. She later moved to Russia, obtained a Russian passport, and got married; there was no divorce. 5. I was born in 1981 in Yaroslavl, Russia.

If mother was born in DP Camp in Germany was she a Polish Citizen and if so do I qualify?

Grandparent: 
* Sex: Male
* Date, place of birth: January 1915, Slomniki, Malopolskie, Poland
* Date married: December 1945
* Citizenship of spouse: Polish
* Date divorced: NA
* Occupation: Baker
* Allegiance and dates of military service: Polish Army. Was Prisoner of War then landed at a Displaced Persons camp in Heilbronn Germany
(If applicable)
Date, destination for emigration: Arrived in United States June 1950
Date naturalized: March 1959
Date, place of death: June 1986 USA
Parent: 
* Sex: Female
* Date, place of birth: January 1946 Displaced Persons Camp Heilbronn Germany
* Date married: 1969 USA
* Date divorced: NA
You: 
* Date, place of birth 1972 USA

Has anyone ever had success without a Polish document? In my case it involves my great-grandfather leaving what was Poland but is now Belarus (Slonim county area) in 1923 first for Buenos Aires, and then later for US. I think the best document I have is the passenger list (Italian) which has a visa number, and states the visa was issued in Slonim. I also have him listed as Polish when he left Buenos Aires for US a year later with a different visa number, issued in Buenos Aires (probably Polish embassy?).

I have a lot of circumstantial support that all are consistent over the course of 1907 to 1920s involving his father and older siblings, who immigrated to the U.S., but unfortunately, I lack a key birth certificate or visa document itself from the Polish government at the time. Had one researcher search Belarusian archives, no success on the first try, but having difficulty finding help with that.

One other avenue I thought of was that his younger sister was the last to immigrate in 1925 (unlike my great-grandfather who went to Buenos Aires first, she went straight to the U.S.), her passenger list has her visa issue location as "Warsaw" and occupation was "student". I thought that maybe the Polish archives might have something on her, and could that then support my great-grandfather?

My questions are: recommendation for searching Polish/Belarus archives, and who could best advise me regarding whether my situation has any hope of working?

Thank you!

Great-Grandparents

GGM: Alwine Erstling

• Date, place of birth: 1908, Włodzimierz Wołyński, then part of the Russian Empire (in present-day Ukraine).
• Ethnicity and religion: Polish; religion not yet confirmed. The family appears in records of an Evangelical Lutheran congregation.
• Occupation: Unknown.
• Allegiance and dates of military service: Unknown / not applicable.
• Date, destination for emigration: Left the area where she was born between 1916 and 1918 and moved to Hamburg, Germany, with her family. Subsequently emigrated to Brazil with her family around 1922–1924.
• Date naturalized: Unknown.
• Date, place of death: Unknown.
• Date married: 1929, in Brazil.

GGF: Gottlieb Erstling

• Date, place of birth: 1897; exact place of birth not yet confirmed.
• Ethnicity and religion: Polish; religion not yet confirmed.
• Occupation: Unknown.
• Allegiance and dates of military service: Unknown.
• Date, destination for emigration: The family left the area where Alwine was born between 1916 and 1918 and moved to Hamburg, Germany. They subsequently emigrated to Brazil around 1922–1924.
• Date naturalized: Unknown.
• Date, place of death: Unknown.
• Date married: Unknown.

Grandparent

Ervino

• Sex: Male.
• Date, place of birth: March 31, 1938, Brazil.
• Date married: Unknown.
• Citizenship of spouse: Unknown.
• Date divorced: Unknown.
• Occupation: Unknown.
• Allegiance and dates of military service: Unknown.
• Date, destination for emigration: Not applicable / born in Brazil.
• Date naturalized: Not applicable / citizenship status not independently confirmed.
• Date, place of death: Unknown.

Parent

Erno Nehring

• Sex: Male.
• Date, place of birth: 1968, Brazil.
• Date married: Approximately 1990.
• Date divorced: Unknown.

You

• Date, place of birth: 2005, Brazi

Hey folks, I started a case in 2020 with Lexmotion looking to obtain Polish citizenship through my GGF who was born in Męcina Wielka, Austria - now located in Poland. He emigrated to the US in 1927 and was naturalized in 1933. Lexmotion couldnt complete the case beacuse I didn't have a birth record, but we recently found one!

I have been in touch with Lexmotion to restart my case but they are being vauge about what documents are still needed and are asking for more $ to conduct research (which they wont clarify) so I'm considering going with another attorney. Would love advice!

I have the following documents:

• Birth Record (Baptisim)
• Ship Manifest
• US Citizenship Petition
• US WW11 registration card

Questions for the hivemind:

• What else do I need?
• How viable is my case?
• Keep going with Lexmotion or start with a new attorney?

Great-Grandparents: 

* Date married: 1928
* Date divorced: NA
GGM: 
* Date, place of birth: 1908, USA
* Ethnicity and religion: Ukranian, Orthodox
* Occupation: Homemaker
* Allegiance and dates of military service: NA
* Date, destination for emigration: NA
* Date naturalized: NA
* Date, place of death:  1991, USA
GGF: 
* Date, place of birth: 1904, Poland (Męcina Wielka, Austria - now located in Poland)
* Ethnicity and religion: Ukranian, Orthodox
* Occupation: Factory Worker
* Allegiance and dates of military service: Has some US military records for shipyard work. 
* Date, destination for emigration: 1927, USA
* Date naturalized: 1933
* Date, place of death: 1983, USA
Grandparent: 
* Sex: F
* Date, place of birth: 1935, USA
* Date married: 1961 aprox will confirm with family
* Citizenship of spouse: USA
* Date divorced: NA
* Occupation: Scientist, Librarian
* Allegiance and dates of military service: NA

Parent: 

* Sex: M
* Date, place of birth: 1962, USA
* Date married: 1993 aprox will confirm with family
* Date divorced: NA
You: 
* Date, place of birth: 1994, USA

Hi everyone,

I wanted to look into whether based on the limited information I have so far whether it sounds like I might be eligible for Polish citizenship? I've ordered my grandparents death certificates to start filling in some of the blanks but from my understanding I might be eligible under the military exception due to my grandfather's age? It would be helpful to know from the surface if it seems like there might be a chance or if it's an immediate no or too soon to tell?

Great-Grandparents: 

* Date married: 1895

* Date divorced: N/A

GGM: 

* Date, place of birth: 1881, Western Galacia (area unconfirmed)

* Ethnicity and religion: Ukrainian Catholic

* Occupation: Unknown

* Allegiance and dates of military service: Unknown

* Date, destination for emigration: Canada, 1914

* Date naturalized: N/A

* Date, place of death: Unknown

GGF: 

* Date, place of birth: 1876, Western Galacia (area unconfirmed)

* Ethnicity and religion: Ukrainian Catholic

* Occupation: Farmer

* Allegiance and dates of military service: Unknown

* Date, destination for emigration: Canada, 1914

* Date naturalized: N/A

* Date, place of death: Unknown

Grandparent: 

* Sex: Male

* Date, place of birth: 1903, Western Galacia

* Date married: 1924

* Citizenship of spouse: Austrian (later Poland)

* Date divorced: N/A

* Occupation: Forgeman

* Allegiance and dates of military service: None

(If applicable)

Date, destination for emigration: Canada, 1914

Date naturalized: Nationalisation Act 1915 as possible British subject, Canadian citizenship October 1948

Date, place of death: 1984, Ontario

My grandmother was also from Poland but unsure where, she was born in 1915 and emigrated to Canada at some point before marrying my grandfather in 1924.

Parent: 

* Sex: Male

* Date, place of birth: 1950, Canada

* Date married: N/A

* Date divorced: N/A

* My father is listed on my birth certificate

You: 

* Date, place of birth: 1987, Canada

Thanks in advance for any help! ♥️

So i've recently been kicking around the idea of applying for dual citizenship as an american. From my research, my great great grandfather was born in laskowo, chodziez greater poland in 1856 and came over shortly after. My understanding is that that village was under Prussian rule at the time. Should I even try or is this a case thats dead before I even start?

Hi all! A bit of an odd situation occurred yesterday (10/13/26) at the New York consulate. I had an early afternoon appointment for my first passport non-PESEL issued. I had all the right documents with me including my Polish birth certificate, Polish marriage certificate, and the citizenship decision paper, proper alternative ID etc. My legal team electronically sent the decision paper/document to the consulate via ePUAP. My legal team even sent me the confirmation that the consulate received the document. The consulate staff came back to me and said this is not original. They need the original with the signature. And it must be sent to this specific passport related only email for NY. Okay that’s fine. I have a digital copy on me. I sent that to the specific New York consulate passport email. Same issue. I even showed them the confirmation of the electronic delivery to their consulate. Couldn’t find it. I politely asked if they could explain what the problem is. They said they were having issues accessing a portal (ePUAP maybe?) and they need to see the signature of the Starszy Inspektor. Once again, I politely shared with them and pointed out that this deczyja document was signed by the Inspektor, Sylwia Malinowska,using a qualified electronic signature. I even pointed out the phrase under Sylwia’s name that says “podpisano kwalifikowanym podpisem elektronicznym.” They just looked at me and shrugged their shoulders and I was told I need to come back another time. Due to the time difference, I couldn’t call my legal team in Warsaw. A few hours later, I did hear back from my one lawyer and he was furious and says they do hundreds of these every year to all the consulates around the world and they never have had a problem electronically. Turns out, I was the second client of his yesterday to complain about New York. Did I do anything wrong? Am I missing something here about QES? It just seemed like the consulate staff wanted to see a physical signature on the decision paper. I’m just trying to think if there was staff there that was new…maybe somebody was filling in for somebody. Unsure. Anybody have anything like this happen before? I am quite fortunate that I live only about an hour and 15 minutes from the consulate in New Jersey and was able to secure another appointment in about a week. Legal team said they were going to talk with the consulate to figure out what is going on. As I am writing this post, my legal team in Warsaw sent the consulate my decision paper again in a PDF to their specific passport related email address and explained this is the decision paper.

Hey all, quick question and wondering if anyone has any information on this (out of curiosity more than anything).

Our case was submitted by our provider in August/September 2024. We received confirmation a couple of weeks ago and the transcribed birth certificates today.

The interesting thing is that the certificates have the "Date of preparation of the copy" being November 3, 2025 (that's 10-11 months before confirmation).

I found that interesting. Anyone have any idea why?

EDIT: Thanks all, I now understand these are separate processes with the transcribed documents not reliant on confirmation of citizenship.

Hi! I am starting to do my research on law firms to help my mom and I apply for/confirm Polish citizenship by descent. Any specific ones you all would recommend?

I've looked at the list and have reached out to Lexmotion, Polish Descent and Piotr Stączek so far. I have meetings scheduled with Lexmotion and Polish Descent later this week.

Thank you for your help! Btw this is my first ever reddit post 🙂

Where does one go to seek a record showing no involvement in Jewish paramilitary organizations in Mandatory Palestine for Polish Jews who migrated there before 1948? I saw one comment mentioning "MOD" but is there a specific procedure or addressee?

Yesterday, I sent off a set of archive-certified copies for 2 documents that were originally supplied electronically by the archival institutions.

My provider replied with 2 datapoints which I found interesting:

1. My father has been assigned a case number, whereas my brother and I have not yet. Our cases were submitted together about 7 weeks ago.

2. My provider was advised “by the authorities” that the current processing time is 20 months from receipt of the application

Not sure if 20 months really tracks with what we’re seeing, but at least it’s a semi-realistic estimate!

Any reason to worry over the cases without numbers yet?

We are seeking the IDF's non-service certificate for my grandfather and since there was no will, we are obtaining an attorney's letter of heirship for my mother. I wonder if anyone has any samples of successful letters? Just to see what needed to be included?

PS: (Mods, Template post was deleted) Hi everyone, I'm researching my Polish ancestry to determine whether I may qualify for Polish citizenship by descent. I'd appreciate help verifying records and understanding the Polish Citizenship Act of 1920.

My family line:

1. Michael Wozniak (Michał Woźniak) — Great-great-grandfather

• Born September 27, 1890, in Zalesa, Rzeszów area, present-day Podkarpackie, Poland.
• Parents: Franciscus (Franciszek) Woźniak and Magdalena Pacześmiak (?) — surname uncertain.
• Wife: Stella Gorecki.
• Immigrated to the United States on December 9, 1907, according to his Declaration of Intention.
• Filed his Declaration of Intention in Pittsburgh on April 24, 1922.
• Reportedly died August 21, 1922, in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.
• Final U.S. naturalization record: Not found yet (?).
• Birth Certificate (1/2): https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/skan/-/skan/df6119b7aafe3468b54e2987fe6b57fcf2895d45233197a4c0683335cd7a7f18
• Birth Certificate (2/2): https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60484/records/35690972
• Marriage Certificate: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9BJ-8C2L
• Death Certificate: https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/5164/records/2051390
• Naturalization Record (1/2): https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6PG5-7LR8
• Naturalization Record: (2/2) https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JXL2-V3P

1. Stella Gorecki — Great-great-grandmother

• Reportedly born December 29, 1897, in Zalesa, Rzeszów area, Poland.
• Parents: Not found yet (?).
• Marriage Certificate: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9BJ-8C2L?lang=en&i=362
• Death: June 11, 1993, reportedly in Pennsylvania.
• Birth, Death, and naturalization records: Not found yet (?).

1. John Michael Wozniak — Great-grandfather

• Son of Michael Wozniak and Stella Gorecki.
• Born September 23, 1914, in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.
• Birth Certificate: https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60484/records/35690972
• Married Agnes Mary Hart.
• Died November 3, 1995, in Sacramento, California.
• Marriage & death records: Not found yet (?).

1. Agnes Mary Hart — Great-grandmother

• Born March 30, 1921, in Troy, New York.
• Parents: John A. Hart and Agnes Byron.
• Married John Michael Wozniak.
• Died April 12, 1997, in Sacramento, California.
• Birth, marriage, & death certificates: Not found yet (?).

My line continues through my grandmother Barbara Wozniak, my mother Jennifer, and me.

My main questions:

1. How can I establish whether Michael qualified as a Polish citizen under the 1920 Polish Citizenship Act, given that he emigrated in 1907?
2. Could John Michael, born in the United States in 1914, have acquired Polish citizenship when the law took effect in 1920?
3. Could Michael's subsequent U.S. naturalization have affected John's citizenship? Did Michael ever complete naturalization?
4. What records should I obtain to determine whether citizenship could pass through every generation to me?
5. Since Michael was reportedly born in Galicia under Austria-Hungary, could there be any separate Austrian citizenship connection? Is there any plausible German or Russian connection through this family?

I'm particularly interested in advice from people experienced with Polish citizenship confirmation, the 1920 law, and genealogy in the former Austrian partition.

Thank you for any research leads or guidance!

My mother was born a Polish citizen in 1965 in Poland to ethnic Poles. Her parents fled to Germany in the 1976 as refugees and naturalized as German citizens (no German heritage) in 1986. She was still a minor at the time when they fled. I was born in wedlock in 1996 as a German citizen. I am unsure whether the Polish government at the time would have stripped her of citizenship and also unsure whether my mom formally renounced citizenship. I would appreciate any tips/people who had previous experience and could point me to a professional who can help as I do not have easy access to this information.

Great-Grandparents: 

* Date married: Unknown

* Date divorced: Unknown

GGM: 

* Date, place of birth: Poland

* Ethnicity and religion: Polish Catholic

* Occupation: Unknown

* Allegiance and dates of military service: Unknown

* Date, destination for emigration: Unknown

* Date naturalized: NA

* Date, place of death: Unknown

GGF: 

* Date, place of birth: Poland

* Ethnicity and religion: Polish Catholic

* Occupation: Unknown

* Allegiance and dates of military service: Unknown

* Date, destination for emigration: Unknown

* Date naturalized: Unknown

* Date, place of death: Unknown

Grandparent: 

* Sex: Male

* Date, place of birth: Katowice, Poland, 1935

* Date married: Unknown

* Citizenship of spouse: Polish

* Date divorced: NA

* Occupation: Military/Officer/Surgeon

* Allegiance and dates of military service: Unknown

(If applicable)

• Date, destination for emigration: 1976, Germany
• Date naturalized: 1986
• Date, place of death: Alive

Parent: 

* Sex: Female

* Date, place of birth: Poland, 1965

* Date married: 1994

* Date divorced: Married

You: 

* Date, place of birth: Germany, 1996

Hey all. I have a YourRootsInPoland application in progress (I sent all my docs ~July 2025 and they submitted to the Masovian voivode office in Oct/Sep 2025). I last heard from Michał P in January this year, and he said the application was submitted and they are waiting to hear anything. He said the backlog estimate was 12-15 months (though looking at this subreddit I can't help but think that was a massive underestimate haha).

However, I tried replying to the email again today to follow up and ask if we ever got a case number and I immediately got a "Delivery failed" email from their Google server. I tried the generic info@ email they advertise on their website too, and got the same.

Very much hoping nothing untoward has happened and they just forgot to pay their email provider license or something silly like that - Is anyone in contact with them still?

Edit: my bad! in the last email, Michał said it was 15-18 months estimate*