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. Original foreign marriage certificate with apostille/legalization.
3. Translation of the foreign marriage certificate by a sworn translator or a consul.

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.

Remember! If a foreign marriage certificate shows no information about the surname of spouses after marriage or about the surname of children born in that marriage, while submitting your transcription application you can also make a declaration on this matter or make a declaration for the record before the consul.

Charges in accordance with the table of consular fees.

Payments are accepted only in cash.

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 marriage 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 to be 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 spouses have to be present to submit a transcription application?

An application for the transcription of a marriage certificate may be submitted by either spouse but, in that case, he/she will be able to make a declaration of his/her surname only — leaving the original surname, creating a hyphenated surname or taking the other spouse’s surname. The spouse who does not apply for transcription keeps the original surname, while the children born to such marriage will bear a hyphenated surname composed of the mother’s surname and the surname of her husband. Of course, this limitation will not apply if the information about the choice of surname was included in the foreign marriage certificate.

Our details in the foreign marriage certificate have been saved without Polish characters. How does it affect the transcription application?

In this case you may (together with the transcription application) request to have the spelling in the Polish marriage certificate adapted to the rules of Polish spelling or request the rectification of data based on your birth certificates.

How long can I use the documents bearing my previous surname (passport and ID card) after the Polish marriage certificate was drawn up and a new surname adopted?

You should immediately request the replacement of existing identity documents. In the case of Polish nationals residing abroad, the documents remain valid for four months from the date of the marriage certificate stating the change of surname and, in the case of marriage concluded before a consul or abroad, from the date a copy of the Polish marriage certificate was served.