Passports – general information
08.12.2022
Passport matters - general information
Valid passport document:
• entitles you to cross the border;
• certifies Polish citizenship;
• it certifies the identity of the person indicated therein (with respect to the data contained in the document).
A passport issued to a person under 12 years of age is valid for 5 years from the date of issue, and issued to a person over 12 years of age - 10 years from the date of issue.
The passport contains a microchip with biometric data: facial image and fingerprints.
The following persons may obtain a temporary passport:
• residing outside the territory of the Republic of Poland, for the time of waiting for the collection of the passport (if they express such a wish and submit an application for the issuance of this document);
• for whom collecting fingerprints is physically impossible and this obstacle is temporary;
• in case of emergency:
- to return to the place of permanent residence,
- related to the disease,
- related to the illness or funeral of a family member,
- related to professional activity,
- related to the implementation of the obligation to study by persons without legal capacity or with limited legal capacity, who are under 18 years of age, with the development of their individual skills or, if necessary, to provide these people with care;
• residing outside the territory of the Republic of Poland, who have not been assigned a PESEL number, in particularly justified cases, if the circumstances make it impossible or significantly difficult to assign a PESEL number, and issuing a temporary passport is necessary due to the protection of essential rights and interests of the person to whom the temporary passport is to be issued ;
A temporary passport is valid for the period indicated therein, but not longer than 365 days from the date of its issue
IMPORTANT! The honorary consul does not issue passport documents.
IMPORTANT! When planning a trip abroad, get acquainted with the current regulations defining the rules of entry and stay of foreigners on the territory of a given country, including - in the scope of the required period of validity of the passport and the possibility of crossing the border on the basis of a temporary passport.
Legal basis
The Passport Documents Act of 27 January 2022
Regulation of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration on passport documents of 9 September 2022
The Consular Law Act of 25 June 2015
Regulation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs on consular fees of 18 December 2015