Part 1
What are Advantages and Benefits of Polish Citizenship and European Union EU Citizenship?
A Polish passport gives you entry into the European Union. A Polish passport allows you to work, live, retire and study in any country in the European Union without limitations.
What are the advantages of obtaining Polish citizenship by descent?
Ability to transfer your citizenship to your children and their children.
Unlimited working and residential rights in any of the 27 EU countries.
Visa free access to 127 countries including the United States.
Access to subsidized (often free) college education for yourself and your children and/or grandchildren.
Companies that do business in Europe, have European offices or subsidiaries will see your Polish passport as an advantage.
Qualify for jobs that non-EU citizens cannot. In Europe, employers prefer to hire EU citizens.
Easily buy property in all 27 EU member states.
Access to affordable healthcare and medical care in Europe. Some EU countries have free healthcare.
Lower your tax bill by being an EU citizen and domicile in lower tax jurisdictions.
Collect social benefits reserved only for EU citizens (social security, healthcare, unemployment, pension, retirement, housing credits, et al.).
Start businesses with EU perks. Get EU financing and investment incentives in 28 EU countries.
Are there Financial Advantages in obtaining Polish citizenship?
Access to banking, personal and business loans, mortgages, investment incentives reserved for EU citizens.
Everyone’s priorities are different and personal, so the most important benefits vary from person to person. What is clear is that obtaining EU citizenship is a gift from you to your family for generations.
How about international banking?
As a citizen of the European Union you will be welcomed as a client. You’ll have access to financial institutions in countries like Switzerland, Monaco, Germany, and the UK.
Want to buy property overseas?
With an EU passport, you have the right to freely purchase property in all 27 EU member states. This can be extremely cumbersome for foreigners.
Are you eligible?
As everyone’s circumstances are unique, we will assess your situation individually. and will inform you of your chances of success. This first steps are completely FREE. There is no obligation on your part to proceed with any of our services.
Part 2
Who Can Qualify for Eligibility for Polish Citizenship by Descent?
If your parents or grandparents are from Europe, you probably already know that EU citizenship makes it possible for you to reside, study, own property and gain employment in the European Union countries.
If you have Polish citizenship, you are a citizen of the EU.
If you have Polish ancestry, you can apply to have your Polish citizenship confirmed, provided you meet specific eligibility criteria. You can then apply for your Polish passport.
Confirmation of Polish citizenship occurs after the Polish government issues a decision on your behalf. Anyone not born in Poland typically needs to check their Polish citizenship status (whether or not they still hold Polish citizenship).
How do I know if I qualify for Polish Citizenship by Descent?
First, you need to have Polish ancestors, typically just one. They need to have been born in Poland (or an area that used to be Poland) and resided there after 1920. You will need to prove, at a minimum, that your ancestor was a Polish citizen after 1920.
Proving the citizenship of your Polish ancestor can be done in a variety of ways – typically through finding original documents related to birth, marriage, voting records or any number of different methods. Most of our clients have at least some of these documents such as old passports, birth and marriage records and army documents. Often times, our research team who are intimately familiar with archives in dozens of cities and towns gets to work to ‘fill in the gaps.’ About 90% of our clients need some additional, original documents from the Polish archives beyond what they have in order to prove their case.
There are complexities in Polish citizenship law and a variety of ways that you can be disqualified including service in a foreign military, holding public office outside of Poland, adoption and a host of others.
As just a single example, you will need to provide evidence that your grandmother, did not lose her citizenship by holding a public office. For instance, if she was a teacher, or public official, or any number of jobs that may be publicly funded outside of Poland. This is one of many exceptions and complexities in Polish citizenship law that are numerous.
Generally speaking, you need to prove an unbroken ‘chain’ to your Polish citizen ancestor. Building this unbroken chain with original, Polish documents is the key to proving citizenship.
About 90% of our clients need some additional, original documents from the Polish archives beyond what they have in order to prove their case.
Helping our clients through this complex process is what we do.
If you have Polish ancestors but if you are not sure if you qualify for Polish citizenship, you can take a short quiz about your background that we will evaluate for you free of charge: https://www.polandpassport.com/take-the-citizenship-quiz
If you do qualify, helping our Clients through this complex process is what we do. We are known for the outstanding quality of our legal work in Poland and our ‘concierge’ level of customer care worldwide.
Is there a limit of generations that I can ‘look back’ to qualify for Polish citizenship?
No, great grandparents and beyond qualify as long as there are records confirming citizenship after 1920.
Is having a Polish birth certificate from a grandparent enough to prove Polish citizenship?
Being born in Poland or having a Polish birth certificate alone does not prove one's citizenship. Unlike the US many other countries, being born in Poland is not enough to prove citizenship. It is an excellent start, so hold onto that Polish birth certificate. It will certainly help.
My spouse is Polish, can I qualify for Polish citizenship?
Polish citizenship cannot be acquired through marriage; however you can reside in most EU countries with your spouse with the same rights she or he has. Your children, however, will generally qualify.
If I apply for Polish citizenship, can my children or grandchildren apply for Polish citizenship as well?
If your children (or grandchildren) are under the age of 18, the applications can be submitted for all members of the family at the same time. It’s important to note that each application must be completed and will be resolved based on the decision of the direct ancestor.
That means that a single mistake in any one of the applications will affect all the other applications and typically will cause all of them to be rejected.
Applying for all members of the same family at the same time makes the process faster and more efficient but requires a lot of experience and precision.
Also, every person will need to individually apply for passports. If they are 18 or older and qualify, they will need to apply separately.
There are tricky complications for children in the following circumstances:
Adoption: Adopted children in some cases cannot claim a right to Polish citizenship through descent. Those cases have to be individually evaluated.
Children born out of wedlock: Rules regarding citizenship for children whose parents never married are extremely complicated.
In both of these cases, there may be more options available to you that are not included here. For more details, please contact us at info@polandpassport.com and we will evaluate your individual situation.
Can other family members apply with me for Polish citizenship? Can I use the same application?
All living family members in the direct line between you and your Polish ancestor are most likely eligible.
If you are married or have dependents, your spouse can get a residency permit to live with you. You and your children are eligible for citizenship.
Applying with siblings or cousins is a great idea. You only need one set of documents and the overall process will be more efficient.
Do I need to speak Polish to become a citizen?
You do not need to speak Polish to claim your Polish citizenship - you are only required to prove your lineage to a Polish ancestor. There is no requirement to speak Polish, however, if you decide to prepare the application on your own, you will need an advanced level of Polish language, as the whole process is carried out in Polish.
Are there any residency requirements to become a Polish citizen?
No, if you are a citizen by ancestry there is no residency requirement.
Can I apply for Polish citizenship by myself in English?
The application must be submitted in Polish. All official documentation, application forms, statements and archival records must be translated into Polish by a translator with special accreditation.
If you are not sure if you qualify for Polish citizenship by Descent, take our short quiz. We will evaluate for you free of charge. Your Polish passport may be closer than you think!
See the other Parts of our Series:
The 2021 Definitive 14 Part Guide to Acquiring Polish Citizenship by Descent
Parts 3, 4, 5 and 6: Your Quest for Poland Citizenship by Descent Is Closer than You Think!
Part 3
What is the Process for Applying for Polish citizenship by Descent?
Part 4
How do you obtain a Polish Passport after receiving your Polish Citizenship Confirmation?
Part 5
Are there other ways of gaining Poland Citizenship if you do not qualify for Polish Citizenship by Descent?
Part 6
What is the PolandPassport.com Process of Acquiring Polish Citizenship by Descent
Parts 7 thru 14: How to Get a Polish Passport – It’s Closer than You Think!
Part 7
How much are PolandPassport.com Costs and Pricing?
Part 8
What are the tax implications of obtaining Polish citizenship by descent?
Part 9
What are the Educational Opportunities in Poland and EU by gaining Polish citizenship?
Part 10
What are FAQs about gaining Polish citizenship by descent?
Part 11
How can I create a legacy for my family by gaining Polish citizenship by descent?
Part 12
Are there genealogy tips for procuring documents to obtaining Polish citizenship?
Part 13
What are some Fun Facts about obtaining Polish citizenship?
Part 14
Who is PolandPassport.com?
