Polish Citizenship by Descent

If a Polish parent or grandparent passed citizenship down the line, you may already be Polish.

Confirmation by descent recognises citizenship you already hold through ancestry. We run the whole case from Kraków — research, documents, filing — until you collect your Polish passport.

  • No need to speak Polish or sit a language test
  • No need to live in or move to Poland
  • Your children and grandchildren can qualify too
  • Represented by a Polish attorney at law

Family business · Based in Kraków

Get your free assessment → See pricing from $990
Child looking on old photography of her ancestors
What "by descent" actually means

Two ways your Polish citizenship can flow to you

Most cases

Confirmation — you're already Polish

Polish citizenship passes by blood (ius sanguinis). If your parent, grandparent or great-grandparent was a Polish citizen and never lost that status in a way that broke the chain, you were most likely born a Polish citizen already — even if you've never set foot in Poland. The legal process simply confirms what is already true. It doesn't grant you something new; it recognises what's yours.

Specific cases

Restoration

Sometimes the chain looks broken — an ancestor naturalised abroad or served in a foreign army in a way that affected their status. Here the route can be restoration, and Polish roots still support the claim.

How restoration works →
At a glance

Everything that matters, in one table

Legal basisIus sanguinis ("right of blood") — citizenship passes automatically by bloodline
Who qualifiesDescendants of Polish citizens: parent, grandparent, great-grandparent or further back
Generational limitNone — as long as the chain of citizenship is unbroken
Language requirementNone
Residency requirementNone — you never need to live in or visit Poland
Dual citizenshipYes — no need to renounce your current citizenship
Deciding authorityVoivode — for applicants abroad, filed and represented by your attorney in Poland
Typical timelineRoughly 6–18 months depending on documents and research needed
Your involvementPower of attorney + a few documents — we handle the rest
OutcomeConfirmation decision → Polish (EU) passport for you, and a path for your children
What happens next

Three simple steps to know where you stand

01
You submit your details
A few quick questions about your Polish ancestor — through the short form on this page.
02
You get an email from us
We reply with your free initial assessment and a link to book a free, no-obligation consultation.
03
We talk it through
On the consultation we analyse your family history with you in detail and walk through your citizenship options.

Curious what the full case looks like after that — stage by stage, with timelines? See how we work →

Send my details →
Pricing

One final quote for your whole case — before you commit

You tell us about your family; we assess your case from what you share and give you a single, final price up front — no guesswork on your side. Once you're in, we run the research and paperwork end to end. Straightforward cases start low — here's what shapes the number.

Straightforward cases start fromUSD 990per person
  • Example of a straightforward case:
  • · Mother is a Polish citizen · emigration after 1951
  • · Her birth certificate & old Polish passport available
  • · No name changes to reconcile
  • · Family discount: applicant + 2 children together
Document availability & research
Lower when you already hold the certificates; higher when records must be found in archives.
Emigration history & timeline
Early or multi-country migration adds to the documents needed to prove the claim.
Lineage & generational distance
The further back your qualifying ancestor, the more documents each generation adds.
Language & translation volume
Non-Polish records need a certified sworn translator; cost scales with pages.
Bridging the gaps
Name changes, inconsistent dates or gaps may need extra legal documents.
Family discount
Direct descendants applying together are coordinated at a reduced rate.
What you get

Everything your case needs, handled by one team

Legal & administrative

  • Direct legal representation by an attorney at law in Poland
  • Research & retrieval of certified records from Polish archives
  • International document retrieval to bridge gaps in your lineage
  • Citizenship confirmation letter for your passport
  • Secure consulate delivery via the authenticated digital inbox
  • Vital records registration into the Polish registry
  • PESEL preparation ready for your passport

Comfort & support

  • Unlimited consultations with your specialist
  • Handled from home — the process is fully remote
  • Global family coordination across the US, Canada, UK, Israel, Australia
  • Dedicated case manager start to finish
  • Door-to-door courier for original documents
  • Home delivery of your completed package

Credentials & security

  • Verified attorney — Kraków Bar Association (OIRP)
  • Registered legal entity — verifiable in the court registry (KRS)
  • Years on the market — not a pop-up agency
  • GDPR-aligned data handling
  • Stripe / PCI-compliant payments
  • Experienced legal team managing every case
Only need part of this? Document research and vital records are also standalone services — see Polish genealogy research and Polish vital records.
Real cases, real costs

Every family history is different

Before 1920 · to the US
A single Ellis Island manifest, rebuilt into a full claim
The obstacle
Great-grandfather born 1898 near Lwów, emigrated 1913, name Americanized. Only a ship manifest survived.
The outcome
Records found in the National Archives in Przemyśl; US naturalization date confirmed eligibility. Passports collected in New York in 18 months.
Research USD 590 · Confirmation USD 1,600
Holocaust survivor · to Israel
One survivor, everything lost, citizenship restored
The obstacle
Grandfather born Lublin 1923, sole survivor. German birth certificate lost; name changed Szlomo → Samuel in a DP camp.
The outcome
Records recovered in Poland and Germany; an IDF letter confirmed eligibility; the attorney prepared the name-change explanation. Confirmed in 13 months.
Research USD 650 · Confirmation USD 1,450
Soviet deportation · UK → Australia
Across three continents and a lost birth record
The obstacle
Grandmother deported to Kazakhstan at 15, later naturalised British. Her birth certificate lost; the family now lives in Australia.
The outcome
Deportation records obtained from the Institute of National Remembrance; UK records retrieved on the client's behalf. Confirmed in 17 months.
Research + UK records GBP 540 · Confirmation GBP 1,280
After 1951 · to Canada
Anglicised names, reconciled and confirmed in 6 months
The obstacle
Client born Łomża 1968, family naturalised in Canada 1982. Names anglicised — Franciszek→Francis, Oliwia→Olivia — none registered in Poland.
The outcome
Client and siblings applied as a family; documents collected by courier; confirmation and name amendments done together. Passports collected in Toronto.
Confirmation + name registration CAD 1,790
Told you don't qualify?

Why the most common "no" answers are often wrong

"Your ancestor naturalised abroad — chain broken."
Often false. Whether citizenship was lost depends on exact dates and which act was in force at the time — and restoration may still be available.
"The records were destroyed in the war."
Alternative evidence exists more often than families assume: church books, notarial records, military archives, ship manifests, deportation lists.
"Your family left before Poland existed (pre-1920)."
Emigrants from partitioned Poland could still acquire citizenship in 1920 under domicile rules. Hard cases — our speciality, not a dead end.
"The names don't match the records."
Americanized, Anglicised and Germanised names are the norm in our practice — the attorney prepares the legal reconciliation.
Bring us the case another firm rejected →

Please fill out the initial assessment form

It will only take you a few minutes. It will allow us to evaluate your case and prepare initial recommendations on how to proceed.

Please fill in the missing information marked in red.

All fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required

This would include passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate, voting card, army identification or calling card, census record or any other document

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Your heritage isn't just paperwork — but it is proven on paper.

We've reunited families across the US, UK, Canada, Israel and Australia with the citizenship that was always theirs.

Frequently asked questions

Polish citizenship by descent — the questions we hear most

Do I need to speak Polish or pass a language test?
No. Confirming citizenship by descent doesn't require any Polish language ability — the requirement only applies to naturalisation through residence, which is a different route.
Do I have to live in or travel to Poland?
No. The entire process is handled remotely from Kraków on your behalf. You only visit a Polish consulate near you, in person, at the very end to collect your passport.
Can I qualify through a grandparent or great-grandparent?
Often, yes. Citizenship passes down the line as long as the chain wasn't broken. The key is whether your Polish ancestor held citizenship and didn't lose it before passing it on — which we assess from your family details.
Can my children and grandchildren get it too?
Yes. Because citizenship passes by descent, once your own is confirmed your direct descendants are generally eligible as well. We routinely process families together under one umbrella.
How much does it cost?
Straightforward cases start from USD 990 per person. Because it's a document-driven process, we give you a single final price after assessing your case — it reflects how many documents are already in hand versus what needs to be found and translated.
How long does it take?
It varies with the complexity of your family history and how quickly records can be located. Across our cases it has ranged from around 6 months for simple, well-documented families to 18 months where extensive archival research was needed.
What if documents are missing or names were changed?
That's the norm, not the exception. We locate records across Polish and international archives, and your attorney prepares the legal documents needed to reconcile name changes and gaps in the storyline.
Does dual citizenship create problems back home?
A Polish passport is an EU passport, and Poland allows dual citizenship. As long as you live outside Poland, confirming your Polish citizenship generally carries no tax or military obligations there. Check your own country's rules on dual nationality.