Polish Vital Records

Birth, marriage and death certificates — registered and retrieved in Poland, for you.

We work directly with Polish civil registry offices (USC): registering your foreign records into the Polish system, and retrieving official Polish certificates when an authority abroad needs them. Both directions, handled from Kraków.

Tell us what you need → See example cases

Based in Kraków · Direct filings with Polish civil registry offices (USC)

Child looking on old photography of her ancestors
When you need us

Three situations we solve every week

For your citizenship case

You're confirming Polish citizenship

Registering (transcribing) your foreign birth and marriage certificates into the Polish registry is a required step of confirmation — it's what makes your Polish civil record, and then your passport, possible.

Part of our citizenship service — or standalone if you're running the case yourself. See citizenship by descent →
Putting family affairs in order

Your Polish records don't match your life

A marriage abroad never registered in Poland, children born overseas absent from the Polish system, name changes no one ever filed. We bring the Polish registry up to date with your family's real story.

Typical: registering a foreign marriage, adding foreign-born children, recording name changes.
A specific matter requires it

An authority is asking for a document

A university abroad wants the birth certificate of your Poland-born child. A court can't process your divorce until your foreign marriage is registered in Poland. An inheritance case needs a Polish death record. We get the document that unblocks the matter.

Often with an apostille and certified translation, ready to use abroad.
What we actually do

Both directions, one office in Kraków

Into the Polish registry → registration
  • Transcription of foreign birth, marriage and death certificates into the Polish civil registry (USC)
  • Registering foreign marriages so Polish proceedings — like a divorce — can move forward
  • Adding foreign-born children to the Polish system
  • Recording name changes and corrections in Polish records
Out of the Polish registry → retrieval
  • Official copies (odpis zupełny / skrócony) of Polish birth, marriage and death certificates from any USC in Poland
  • Apostille legalisation so the document is recognised abroad
  • Certified (sworn) translation where the receiving authority requires it
  • Delivery to your door, wherever you live
How it works

Simple by design

01
You tell us the situation
Which document, which office or authority is asking, and what you already have.
02
We confirm the path & quote
We reply with exactly what's needed, the timeline, and a single final price.
03
We file and follow up
Applications, USC correspondence, apostille and translation — handled for you.
04
Documents in your hands
Official certificates delivered to your address, ready to use.
Example cases

What this looks like in practice

Foreign marriage · divorce in Poland
A Chicago wedding, a Polish divorce — unblocked in one filing
The situation
A Polish citizen married in Chicago in 2011; the marriage was never registered in Poland. Years later she needed to file for divorce in a Polish court — which couldn't proceed without the marriage existing in the Polish registry.
The outcome
We prepared the transcription application, obtained the sworn translation of the US marriage certificate, and filed with the USC. The marriage was registered and the certified Polish copy delivered — the divorce case could open.
Transcription + sworn translation · ~USD 390
Poland-born child · studies abroad
A birth certificate from Gdańsk for a university in Toronto
The situation
A family living in Canada needed their son's Polish birth certificate for his university enrollment. He was born in Gdańsk; the family had only an old, worn short-form copy — the university required a current official document in English.
The outcome
A fresh full copy (odpis zupełny) was obtained from the USC in Gdańsk, legalised with an apostille and translated by a sworn translator. The complete set was couriered to Toronto within weeks.
Retrieval + apostille + translation · ~USD 290
Family set · four records at once
Bringing one family's Polish paperwork up to date
The situation
A couple in the UK — he a Polish citizen — had a London marriage and two UK-born daughters, none of it reflected in Polish records. They wanted everything in order before applying for the children's Polish passports.
The outcome
The marriage and both births were transcribed into the Polish registry in one coordinated filing, with translations handled centrally. The family received certified Polish copies of all three records, ready for the passport applications.
3 transcriptions, coordinated · ~GBP 620
Inheritance · death record
A death certificate from a small-town USC for a US probate case
The situation
A US attorney handling an estate needed the Polish death certificate of the client's grandfather, who died in a small town in the 1980s. The family didn't know which office held the record or how to request it in Polish.
The outcome
We identified the competent USC, obtained the official copy, added the apostille and a certified English translation, and sent the probate-ready document directly to the law office.
Retrieval + apostille + translation · ~USD 310

Tell us which document — and why

The fastest way to a quote is a short email describing your situation. We'll confirm the path, what's needed, the timeline, and a single final price.

vital-records@polishdescent.com
What to include in your email
  • The document — birth, marriage or death; whose, and roughly when and where
  • The direction — registering a foreign record in Poland, or retrieving a Polish one
  • Who's asking for it — the office, court, university or institution, and any format they require
  • What you already have — copies, old documents, reference numbers
Why it works
Direct with the USCWe file and correspond with Polish civil registry offices directly — no intermediaries, no guessing.
Complete sets, not loose papersWhere needed: apostille and sworn translation included, so the document is accepted the first time.
One final priceYou describe the situation; we reply with exactly what it takes and what it costs. No surprises mid-way.
Connected to citizenshipIf your records are part of a bigger goal, we take it further. Citizenship by descent →
Frequently asked questions

Polish vital records — common questions

I don't know which USC office holds the record — can you still help?
Yes. Tell us roughly where and when the event took place, and we'll identify the competent registry office and request the record on your behalf. If the trail is older or colder than that — the record may need to be found first: that's Polish genealogy research →
What's the difference between odpis zupełny and odpis skrócony?
A full copy (zupełny) reproduces the complete original entry with all annotations; a short copy (skrócony) is a condensed extract. Which one you need depends on the receiving authority — we'll tell you, and request the right one.
Do I need an apostille and translation?
If the document will be used outside Poland — usually yes to the apostille, and a certified translation if the authority requires the document in their language. We arrange both when needed, so the set is accepted the first time.
Why does my foreign marriage need to be registered in Poland?
Polish authorities act on Polish records. Proceedings like a divorce before a Polish court, or a spouse's role in a citizenship case, require the marriage to exist in the Polish registry first — that's the transcription we handle.
Can you do this as part of my citizenship case?
Yes — registering your birth and marriage certificates in Poland is a built-in step of our citizenship confirmation service. If you're pursuing citizenship, start there and the records are handled within it.
How long does it take?
It varies by office and case — typically weeks rather than months for straightforward retrievals and transcriptions. You'll get a realistic timeframe with your quote.