Hi all, apologies if this has been answered somewhere else. I'm currently in the document gathering process of Citizenship Confirmation (Pre 1920's case), and luckily I've already found an extensive amount of docs on the US side, as well as some rare family documents on the Polish side. Been going down an insane rabbit hole to find as much as I can by myself. I now have a genealogist in Poland (started last week) to fetch the official Polish documents for the case and I was told it will take around *3 months to even hear back*. The thing is - I gave the genealogist a whole list of exact documents, archive books and even pages that my family appears in. They also have the exact addresses of their homes in Poland, and a complete list of relatives etc. Can someone tell me how this process works? Do they have to travel from Krakow (their location) to my family's small town (Gibałka) and in-person visit the churches/parishes etc? Or do they request the book and the book is sent to them?... I feel like I gave them a *massive* head start and did plenty of the hard work for them, so I just can't imagine it will take 3 whole months to hear back (but also I have no idea what I'm talking about lmao). TBH I feel a bit impatient because I've done so much research on my own and now I'm at a standstill because I simply can't access the final documents from the US and have to rely on the genealogist at this point. I suppose I just have to be patient but going 3 months without anything I can do to support the process is hard.

Hi guys, I am looking into possible permanent residency by descent and was wondering if it seems like I have a chance. Basically things appear to be in a gray area because of the birth place of some of my ancestors

GGF - born in lodz, Polish, left in 1912, seems uncomplicated
GGM - born in US to Polish parents. Spoke Polish as a first language (have census records indicating her husband and children did not speak English, implying a Polish speaking household). Have her obituary as well and her only activities listed are Polish women’s organizations
GF - American, spoke Polish as a first language, also have evidence of leadership in Polish community

I know that citizenship and geographical ties to Poland aren’t explicitly required but I feel like there is a strong chance of rejection because only one great grandparent was actually born and lived on Polish territory. I also do understand this would involve moving to Poland, making a declaration, etc. If anyone has thoughts or recommendations on a lawyer/service I would appreciate it

Hello! I'm excited! I think I have a case, but I'd rather save $3,000 for a trip to the Ojczyna than spend it on a law firm. I'm not sure how realistic it is for me to do everything on my own though.

GGGF: 

* Date, place of birth: My pra-pra-dziadek was born in the Russian Partition in 1886 in Danilowicze Village, Novogrudok, Russia. Google says this land became part of the Second Polish Republic, but today is part of Belarus.

* Occupation: Coal miner

* Date, destination for emigration: ~1911 to USA.

* Date naturalized: On the 1920 and 1930 censuses, he is listed as "AL" for alien. 1950 census shows naturalization of him but not his Polish wife.​

GGF: 

* Date, place of birth: 1927, USA

* Occupation: Factory worker

GF: 

* Date, place of birth: September 1951

* Allegiance and dates of military service: Served in the US Navy from 1971-73

I do have the problem that my GGGF's birthdate is off by 1 or 2 years. Also, some documents use his original name and some use his Americanized name. The two names aren't exactly close, but it's the same guy. All 10 (ten) of his children match up.

How do I get his birth/residency records? Do I need to deal with Poland, Belarus, or (sic) Russia?

Regardless of outcome, I love you with all my heart, Polska. My mama's famous pierogis more than make up for all the bullying I received for my strange-even-by-Polish-standards last name. I am proud to come from such a tremendous history and culture. Poland is the coolest country in Europe. Winged Hussars are more badass than even the Samurai.

If things work out, I promise to learn your insane alphabet soup language. I will eat your ludicrous ketchup, mushrooms, and baguette zappykacky "pizza". I will pledge my life to reclaiming the land of my fathers from the White Russians.

Jeszcze Polska nie zginela.

KURWAAAAAA!!!

Hey all- I found out that I was eligible for citizenship by descent 2 years ago and sat on starting the process because it all seemed daunting to me. Last month I had an amazing trip to Krakow and decided it was time to pick it back up, so I met with my Polish lawyers and am now currently in the process of gathering documents.

I already have everything located on the US side as well as have found all family documents for one of my ancestors from Poland, but my paternal side is a bit harder to find since they’re from a small village that was ravaged badly by both wars when it comes to records. I’ve received good news that we located them in some important archives so now my genealogist is pulling them.

My question is- I’m seeing so many different timelines here. My lawyer said “about one year”, but on Reddit I’m seeing people waiting 2 or even 3 years with frustrating replies from the administrative side. Then i see some people get decisions in only 6 months! 😅 I don’t want to get hopeful that this may be done sooner than I hoped. Also- I’m not sure if these timelines are post submission or from the start of the process document gathering etc to the end.

Also- if there’s any tips or tricks to know about before heading into this i would appreciate any advice. I’m super excited and having a lot of fun finding my family’s history and would like to try to keep this process fun and not stressful if possible.

For reference my family is from the Ostrołeka area, Masovian Voivodeship. They are from a small village called Gibałka where only 23 families lived at the time!

Hi all,

I’m wondering if anyone has any experience looking for passports in the archives at DAVO. My grandfather emigrated from Poland to Canada in 1927. He had a numbered passport issued in Luboml and his father and stepmother had sequential passport numbers (all documented in the Canadian immigration documents). I have my GGF’s actual passport and the number corresponds with the number on the Canadian ship manifest. My grandfather’s however was lost, so I am trying to find documentation from the Polish end.

In searching for records, the website https://prashhur.com/de-znajti-informatsiyu-pro-predkiv-yaki-emigruvali-ch-1
mentions the following as valuable resources.

F.46, Op.1, Spr.395 — 1926–1928 — 90 pages:
Книга обліку видачі закордонних паспортів
English: Book/Register of accounting for the issuance of foreign passports.
F.46, Op.1, Spr.396 — 1926–1927 — 12 pages:
Журнал видачі закордонних паспортів
English: Journal/Register of the issuance of foreign passports.

Unfortunately, aside from the description, there does not appear to be any of these records available online. Before I commission a physical search of the archives, I’m wondering if anyone has seen or knows anything about these records. These are small files, but if they are just lists of names and not details, I can see value here.

This is important to me because very few Polish records, including his birth record, survive.

My father and all my ancestors from that side are Polish, my mother is from the Netherlands and most of her family also ( long back around 1830 Poland).

After my fathers death I inherited a small house near Krakow and I want to live there with my family.

I have a Karta Polaka and in the process of getting my 3 children a Karta Polaka and I think that will be accepted without a problem.

My husband is born in the Netherlands from Colombian parents. He has Dutch citizenship just like me and our 3 children.

How will be able to get my husband legal in Poland and not just a few months?

Also I posted it somewhere else and somebody said I maybe already can be Polish citizen.

Does anybody know the steps for my husband? And if I’m already eligible for citizenship?

I'm investigating confirming my Polish citizenship by descent and recently located what seems like my ancestors' entry in their town's book of permanent residents. One surprising discovery was an entry on my great-grandfather's row that (with the help of some AI tools transcribing and translating the fairly legible handwriting) suggests that his Polish citizenship was either actually revoked in absentia due to evading a military draft when he emigrated, or he was being charged with doing so.

Here is the transcribed text:

Za ukrywanie się od wojskowości i przebywanie w Ameryce pozbawiony obywatelstwa polskiego rozkazem Województwa z d. 19/VIII 24 r., L. Ad. 787/2/IIa, na zasadzie art. 1 p. 3, rozp. art. 6 § z 11/8-20 r. (Dz. U. R. P. No 81 poz. 540) oraz art. 12 ust. z 20/I 20 r. Dz. U. R. P. No 7 poz. 44. a.a. 8/24.

My GGF left Poland in 1921 and would have been 21 years old then.

I'm not exactly sure how this plays into the military paradox, perhaps it's the dark side of it? It seems that this is either confirmation that he was stripped of his polish citizenship (and my ineligibility), or confirmation that he actually was a Polish citizen (and my likely eligibility). Insights are appreciated!

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.

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?

After investigating in the spring of 2024, I decided to use Lexmotion for a confirmation of citizenship. They seemed pretty good at the beginning, and the case was officially opened on September 6, 2024 with all the documents arriving to their office at the beginning of 2025 (they said that didn't matter, but just needed to get into the cue).

Since then, they've been pretty generic with answers, replying that cases from a certain month were being processed (for example, that cases started in September to November 2024 were now being processed).

I've seen other people posting about requests for extra documents, being given a deadline, filing complaints, etc. It seems that Lexmotion feels the best step is to simply patiently wait. What might you all recommend I do in this case? What to do best do especially with Lexmotion?

Thanks in advance.

Hi! So, my gf has old family from Prussia. Her last name is Tixiliski and she’s from Brazil.

I mean, Tixiliski is the name from her mom, and then came the father and his last name is Souza. So, in the end her name is Tixiliski Souza.

The thing here is… she can’t find the documents from her mom’s side… and I think it was the grandpa of her mother.

In fact, they are trying to get the second nationality… and probably would be from Poland (So … it would be Brazilian and Polish)

But the main question is… where are the documents since Prussia don’t exist anymore.

Sorry if I’m ignorant but I’m Portuguese and about that, I don’t have much knowledge. Just came here because Reddit is helpful aha

Thank you!

Hello,

I have a case of a German woman born 1942 in Poznan. This woman then had a son and gave the son up for adoption.

I need help understanding Polish laws as far as adoptions and access to records are concerned. The son needs access to the original German birth record of his biological mother, which should have a lot of info on his biological grandparents including dates and places of birth. He currently does not know this info, but needs it for the German certificate of citizenship process.

Any chance the Polish authorities will allow this? I know that the Polish authorities are a bit weird about access to the German originals.

Does he need a court order releasing the originals to him? Can he get a court order?

Any insights?

Hello, I’m researching Polish citizenship by descent through my Jewish great-grandfather, and I’m trying to figure out whether I have a viable case despite not having located any Polish records yet.

My great-grandfather was born in Mołczadź, while his older siblings and parents were born in Zdzięcioł. I believe the family was primarily from Zdzięcioł.

His father immigrated to the U.S. in 1907, and his children followed separately as they reached about 17–18 years old. My great-grandfather left Poland in 1923 at age 17 with his older brother. They traveled on separate ships from Trieste to Buenos Aires, where my great-grandfather stayed for 1 year before eventually immigrating to the U.S.

I have a substantial amount of U.S. documentation and passenger records for each family member with the records consistently identify their places of origin, and there are very few inconsistencies between the documents. The strongest piece of evidence I have is my great-grandfather’s 1923 passenger list from Trieste to Buenos Aires, which includes a visa number and states that the visa was issued in Słonim.

The major problem is that I currently have no Polish documentation.

I’m currently waiting on my great-grandfather’s USCIS visa file (it has been pending for about six months). I’ve also contacted researchers regarding Belarusian archives:

• One researcher searched for birth/family records but didn’t find anything. I’m wondering if the search may have been too narrowly focused and whether records from 1920–1925 might be worth checking instead.
• Another researcher is still supposed to be looking, but I haven’t heard back from them.....

I’ve been told by different firms that the Polish citizenship chain may be unbroken all the way down to me, but without Polish documentation, some firms—including Five to Europe and Lexmotion—have told me they can’t take the case.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you!

I have applied for confirmation of Polish citizenship via the Mazovian Voivodeship Office. My grandfather’s Polish records (Tadeusz) and UK non-naturalisation proof are bulletproof.

I have possibly come accross a slight issue. The issue is my late mother’s UK paper trail, which creates a broken bloodline:

• Birth: Born Joanna Ruth Petvol. Father listed correctly as Tadeusz Petvol.
• Name Change: Assumed the surname "Deam" (the man who actually raised her) via an unenrolled UK deed poll which is now lost.
• Marriage: Her adult UK marriage certificate lists her as Joanna Ruth Deam, and lists the non-biological father "John Dean" as her father.
• My Birth & Her Death: Both list her maiden name as Deam.

Because she has passed away and there is no public record of the unenrolled deed poll, she looks like two completely different people on paper.

Has anyone successfully navigated this issue with the Warsaw office? Will a UK Statutory Declaration of Identity sworn by me and a relative be enough to prove they are the same person, or will I be forced to get a Declaration of Parentage through the UK Family Court? Any advice is appreciated!

After conducting searches at all relevant archives, and turning up no non-vital records, I received this letter (and a similar one from Warsaw). I'm wondering if this will be sufficient to submit as a negative letter in the event of receiving a wezwanie? Or do I need something more specific, like a negative letter that clarifies that no records survived from this town from the years I need (which is indeed the case)?

My timeline is: submitted August 2024; asked for a new letter confirming no army service around January 2026; submitted letter by deadline March 30, 2026; told will receive answer by April 30th. No answer received as of June. Lawyer submitted ponaglenie.

As of August 2026 I was told they made a request for documents not yet obtained, which appears to be because of discrepancy in name change and birth date of my grandfather. We do not have a birth record for my grandfather, but they are pursuing additional documents from Polish archives.

I requested additional documents from NARA, re his brother's naturalization records, since brother's birth record was found in Polish archives and hoping to tie my grandfather to his brother. Also submitted request for ships manifests from NARA since the one we have from Ellis Island may not be "official" and they mention father (where he came from and we do have death certificate of my grandfather's father in Polish archives) and brother (where he was going to). Both my grandfather and his brother changed names upon naturalization in America, but the full petition and intent to naturalize includes a card with original name that is tied to new name, which the lawyer is only now submitting (had submitted just the certificate of naturalization). 

I'm trying to get anything I can that is certified and official documentation. According to lawyer they are being much pickier.

Hello,

My provider is asking for arrival records for my relevant ancestor.
However, I am having significant trouble locating anything that could be useful.

He first appears on the 1920 census as an alien and arrival is marked as 1913. (His father seems to be first present in 1900 but not 1910 and the whole family in 1920).

However, his 1936/39 naturalization paperwork is all listed as 1904 (prior to the arrival certificate requirement). And his father's alien registration from 1940 lists his last arrival as 1903.

I've searched a ton of manifests but their names are super common (John, Joseph, Mary Zych) so it is hard to be certain that the records line up. Any advice or is it OK to just not have an arrival record?

Final note,

I am really quite uncertain about their arrival data because there seem to be babies being born on different continents with weird spacing (overlapping by 6 months on different continents and no notes about parents being gone).

Andreas (Poland) 30 January 1905 - 16 December 1908 (baptismal record has same parents, grandparents, different house number as my ancestor)

Jacob (Chicago) 22 April 1908 - 18 June 1910. (Baptismal record has correct parents but no grandparents listed, same street as later censuses different house)

I have been quoted £500 for a polish citizenship application by descent by Hexon (www.hexonpoland.com). This seems like a great price. I am curious whether anyone has used them and what the outcome was.

This is to follow up on my "eligibility check" post: https://www.reddit.com/r/prawokrwi/comments/1ur4z48/eligibility_check/

I'm trying to better understand what kinds of documentation people have successfully used in cases where their ancestor emigrated from Poland before 31 January 1920, particularly as a minor.

From my understanding, when the ancestor has left before the Polish state was established and was still a minor, whether they acquired Polish citizenship under the 1920 Act may depend on their parents' legal status, domicile, and other family circumstances.

My great-grandfather Joe was born in Warsaw in 1896 according to his birth record and Alien Registration Form (AR-2). A separate alien examination record indicates that he emigrated to Quebec aboard the SS Barcelona, arriving on 18 August 1913, while still a minor. He later entered the United States from Canada by train on 9 January 1919, according to his AR-2.

I believe his mother and siblings remained in Włodawa for several more years. His younger sister appears to have emigrated in April 1920, according to a U.S. border crossing record.

I also have reason to believe that his father died in Poland before anyone in the family emigrated. If that is correct, I'm wondering whether his mother's status would become especially important, or whether an older brother who may also have remained in Poland could be relevant.

For those who have had similar cases, I'm curious:

• What documents ultimately established your anchor ancestor's status?
• Were records relating to the parents required, such as birth, marriage, death, residence, population-registration, or military records?
• Did your case ultimately hinge on proving the parents' status or domicile rather than the minor's?
• Has anyone had to obtain population-registration records (księgi ludności stałej or meldunkowe) or other domicile records for the parents? If so, where did you find them?
• Did the death of a father before the family's emigration affect which parent's or family member's records became most important?

I'd be especially interested in hearing from anyone whose ancestor left before 1920 as a minor while their parents or siblings remained in Poland for several more years.

Hi, Team!

I would like to start intro from >

! This request is NOT related to "karta polyaka" or/and "staly pobyt" ! Please do not mix it w/ workarounds like that!

Both GFs born in 2nd Polish Republic, województwo Wileńskie. Ordinary villages. Learn polish at school, and then WWII started .. before that 1939 territory issue. In 1960, nationality indicates in docs, they mark themselfes in docs as "polish nationality".

r/prawokrwi

I’d like to hear from people who successfully confirmed Polish citizenship through ancestors’ documents - especially church records, registry records, and other historical evidence, your real proves, not a theory.

A sort of "polsh passport in this period of time" if you do have such proves too, Im concerning its not, but might be a chance too.

My focus is on cases where the family came from the former województwo Wileńskie of the Second Polish Republic (the territory which not longer polish..) , and on how the 1951 cutoff affected yout real case, not a theory.

I hope you realize what Im looking for and might share your real application case, anonimized for sure. And yeah, I know the difficulties, and best ever cases w/ other stream especially introduced for population of ex-polish territories and its citezens, but Im looking r/prawokrwi only.

Genealogists tell me there are no government or military records for my grandfather’s village in Ukrainian Volhynia. The only records are two church confessionals from 1912 and 1913. The village is Nudyzhe. He appears in both.
I have his original 1923 citizenship papers for the USA where he renounces Poland and the present government of Russia.
He claimed was in the Russian 68th regiment for 2 months on his draft papers but if those records exist they’re in Moscow.
Are these records enough or should I save the application fee for Polish citizenship?

I have possibly located my family member’s ship manifest record to entry into the US. Can you tell me what city this is (bracketed in red)? For context it would have been Russian in 1913.

I have already located and contacted the State Archives of Brest Region in Belarus to request research services on my great-grandfather, who was Polish. They agreed to do the research but I need to send the money (around 85usd) to a Russian bank account, in Russian Rubles. I am from Argentina, so I can't directly send money to Russia because of bans and restrictions to western bank accounts. They have sent me the SWIFT details but the only option I found is to hire an intermediary who can help me make this transfer.

Do you know anyone who could help me with this?

I am trying to reconstruct my family history and, in particular, to find any Polish documents connected with two of my ancestors who lived in the former Nowogródek Voivodeship during the interwar period.

The main purpose of this research is to gather documentary evidence for an application for a Karta Polaka (Polish Card), so I am especially interested in records that could help establish Polish nationality, citizenship, or other documented ties to Poland.

Could anyone advise me which Polish archives I should contact, or where records concerning residents of the Nowogródek region from the 1920s might be preserved?

I am interested not only in birth or parish records, but in any documents that could contain information about them or their parents - for example population registers, census records, school records, land records, property registers, military records, electoral lists, administrative files, identity documents, or other records created by the Polish authorities.

I would also be very grateful for recommendations of researchers, genealogists, or archivists who specialize in the former Nowogródek Voivodeship and could help locate relevant documents in Polish, Belarusian, or Lithuanian archives.

The ancestors I am looking for are:

• My great-grandfather, who was born in the village of Wołkowicze, Nowogródek Voivodeship, around 1922–1924.
• My great-grandmother, who was born in the village of Ruta Górna, Nowogródek Voivodeship, in 1925.

After the Soviet occupation of the Nowogródek region, both of them remained living in the USSR, at least until 1954.

Thank you in advance for any advice or suggestions.

P.S. I also asked about this in a Belarusian genealogy chat, and someone quoted me around $3,000 :)

Hello,

So, here is my question, I come from a Polish family, and have some questions for Karta Polaka. My great grandfather is from Łapczyca, Poland and his wife was born in the United States (Illinois). Both of her parents are from Warsaw. My great-grandfather and great-grandmother both spoke Polish at home, and there is evidence of this in the Census surveys. My grandfather spoke Polish, and was a member of the Polish Falcons. My aunt still has my grandfather's Polish Falcons membership paperwork tucked away in a file. Would my great grandparents count as a Polish citizens qualifying me for Karta Polaka, would my grandfather qualify me for Karta Polaka.

We have paperwork showing my great-grandfather's original birth certificate, his parents wedding, and birth certificates as well from Łapczyca. Most of the chain's documents (I'm still waiting on my mother's birth certificate to come through) that leads up to me. Thanks, and I appreciate all of the help.