How to proceed

At the office or by mail.

Who is it for?

Anyone who previously had Polish citizenship and lost it before 1 January 1999.

When to apply

At any time.

What to do

1. Collect all the necessary documents. For details, see ‘What to prepare’.
2. Pay the stamp duty or the consular fee. For details, see ‘How much to pay’.
3. Submit an application to the Minister for Interior and Administration. For details, see ‘Where to apply’.
4. Wait for a reply. For details, see ‘How long you will wait’.

 

Where to apply

To the Minister for Interior and Administration. The address is stated below:

Ministerstwo Spraw Wewnętrznych i Administracji ul. Stefana Batorego 5, 02-591 Warszawa

Through the Polish consulate – if you live abroad. The list of consulates can be found on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

How much you will pay

PLN 219 for issuing a decision – if you live in Poland and are applying directly to the minister. Bank transfer details are stated below:

Urząd Miasta Stołecznego Warszawy (Office of the Capital City of Warsaw)
Centrum Obsługi Podatnika (Taxable Persons Service Centre)
Account No: 21 1030 1508 0000 0005 5000 0070

Consular fee – if you live abroad and are applying through a consulate. At the consulate, you will learn how to pay the fee.

What to prepare

• application for recovery of Polish citizenship,
• translation of foreign documents into Polish – if you are attaching foreign-language documents to the application; Such translation must be made by a sworn translator or the Polish consul.

How long you will wait

Up to 2 months.

How to appeal

If you disagree with the decision by the Minister for Interior and Administration (MSWiA), you can file an application for re-examination of the case with MSWiA. You must appeal in writing within 14 days after receiving the decision. You can submit the application in person at the office or by post.

If you disagree with a subsequent MSWiA decision, you can appeal to a competent administrative court. You must lodge the appeal within 30 days after being issued with the minister's decision. You must also submit a letter of complaint to MSWiA.