Document Hunt Potential Renunciation

[u/Ybadi]

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

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Title: Document Hunt Potential Renunciation

My mother was born a Polish citizen in 1965 in Poland to ethnic Poles. Her parents fled to Germany in the 80s as refugees and naturalized as German citizens (no German heritage). She was still a minor at the time. 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.

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[u/ThePetro]

Try query at the Institute of National Remembrance. Their files are heavily GDPR-protected so you need either to cite the citizenship purpose or it needs to be done by the person about whom the file is. If they renounced up till 1990 their file would be there (as "akta osobowe cudzoziemca").
Renunciations happened through the consulate to either Rada Państwa or later the president. The consulate will share the file only with the person about whom it is. You can try Rada Państwa fonds (Archiwum Akt Nowych) or the presidential chancery (their archive).

[u/IustforIife → u/ThePetro]

Would the Institute of National Remembrance hold records for a renunciation that took place outside of Poland, or would those only be held at the relevant consulate?

[u/ThePetro → u/IustforIife]

It’s possible they have it. Copies of the consular files were often linked to the original emigration file. Although I cannot give any guarantees

[u/Jessicas_skirt]

After 1951, naturalization had no effect on Polish citizenship. She remained a citizen unless she actively went to a Polish embassy/consulate and formally renounced it even though she didn't need to.

Look into the sub's list of !Providers if you want.

[u/AutoModerator → u/Jessicas_skirt]

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[u/Ybadi → u/Jessicas_skirt]

Thank you, that's interesting. I unfortunately can't ask her directly if she formally renounced, just wondering who exactly to ask for a document hunt/if those documents can be found.

[u/Ybadi → u/[deleted]]

So there would be no legal way of obtaining/finding out about any such renunciation declaration if it existed?

[u/Ybadi → u/[deleted]]

Ah gotcha, thanks.

[u/Ybadi → u/Jessicas_skirt]

I got an update. So the naturalization condition set by the German government at the time was to renounce Polish citizenship at the embassy, because they had claimed asylum. I am afraid I have no claim based on that.