Poland in South Africa

You can submit your application at a competent local Polish consular post.

Documents can be submitted in person or sent by post. 

Please register for „legal matters” via https://secure.e-konsulat.gov.pl/.

1. Transcription application form,
2. The original birth certificate containing the parents' names and surnames along with the Apostille. The mother's maiden name must be entered in the birth certificate. If there is none, the Polish birth certificate of the mother or the Polish marriage certificate of the parents should be attached. If there are no Polish documents, a foreign original document with an Apostille and a translation should be attached.
3. Translation of the foreign birth certificate by a sworn translator or a consul.
4. Also, if one of the spouses does not have a Polish birth certificate and the marriage of the child’s parents was not registered in Poland, we recommend you to present the original of that parent’s birth certificate (apostille or legalisation might be needed unless separate laws require otherwise) together with a translation of the foreign birth certificate by a sworn translator or a consul. Transcription can still be performed without the presentation of the abovementioned document, however, the transcribed certificate will not have all the details and assigning a PESEL number and issuing a passport document might not be possible.

Remember! Documents drawn up in a foreign language must be submitted with the official translation into Polish by:

• A sworn translator entered on a list kept by the Minister of Justice,
• A sworn translator authorised to make such translations in the member states of the European Union or the European Economic Area (EEA),
• A consul.

Charges in accordance with the table of consular fees.

The consul will immediately forward your application to the head of the Register Office of your choice. The standard due date for completion is between 3 through 5 months.

A Polish copy of the birth certificate can be collected in person at the consulate or during the consular duty.

The head of the Register Office will refuse to transcribe a foreign civil status document if:

• A document is not considered as a civil status document or is not a valid official document or has not been issued by the competent authority in the issuing state, or raises doubts as to its authenticity, or confirms an occurrence other than birth, marriage or death.
• A foreign document was created as a result of transcription in a state other than the state of occurrence.
• It would be contrary to basic principles of Poland’s legal order.

A refusal to transcribe a foreign civil status certificate will take the form of an administrative decision which may be appealed with the competent provincial governor for the territory in question.

Do both parents have to be present to submit a transcription application?

No, both parents do not have to be present while submitting an application to transcribe their child’s birth certificate. Transcription application to a chosen head of the Register Office may be filed by a person affected by the occurrence that is subject to transcription or by any other person who will prove a legal interest in transcription. 

Can a transcription application be filed by a person other than parent?

Anyone “who will prove a legal interest in transcription” can file a transcription application. That is why the cases of applications submitted by e.g. unrelated persons or local institutions are considered on an individual basis.

My partner gave birth to our child in RSA. Our child’s birth certificate shows me as the child’s father. But my partner’s divorce lawsuit is still pending in Poland. Will the transcribed Polish birth certificate show the details of her husband as the child’s father?

No, details of the child’s father will be the same as in the foreign birth certificate. During the appointment you will asked to provide the address of the partner’s husband. After the transcription, the head of the Register Office will notify her husband of registering the child’s birth and entering your details as the child’s father. The head of the Register Office will also instruct the partner’s husband that if he acknowledges his paternity he may bring legal action for the denial of paternity.

Does a Polish birth certificate also involve the assignment of a PESEL number?

Not exactly. In the case of persons born abroad and without a registered address in Poland, the issuance (as a result of transcription) of a Polish birth certificate is a necessary condition for assigning a PESEL number. However, the PESEL application for a child is filed only during a passport appointment. In the case of persons who have their certificates transcribed in connection with ongoing proceedings to confirm holding Polish citizenship, obtaining a positive decision from a provincial governor on holding Polish citizenship will be an additional condition for a passport application to be accepted (and a PESEL number to be assigned).

Details in our child’s foreign birth certificate have been saved without Polish characters. How does it affect the transcription application?

In this case you may request to have the spelling in the transcribed certificate adapted to the rules of Polish spelling or request the rectification of the details based on your marriage certificate or your birth certificates. However, while the Register Offices in Poland can correct the details of the parents in their child’s birth certificate on such a basis (as persons who already have civil status certificates in Poland), they do not always correct the details of the child. This may lead to a situation where the parents’ details will be saved according to the rules of Polish spelling while the child’s will be saved without Polish characters.