Poland in the UK

You can apply for a passport at any Polish consular office. Please note that both the application and collection of your new passport must be completed at the same office.

IMPORTANT! Honorary consuls are not authorized to issue passports.

Yes, you must submit your passport application in person.

You must schedule your appointment to apply for a passport through the e-Consulate system.

IMPORTANT! You no longer need to fill out the passport application in paper. Your passport application will be filed electronically during your visit in a consular office. A consular officer will file your application using an electronic form. You will just need to confirm all your data are correct and sign your application on a dedicated device (signature pad).

• A colour biometric photograph – read what the photo should look like.
  Filing the photograph together with the application is mandatory. You cannot replace the photograph or send it later. If no photograph is attached to your application or the photograph does not comply with requirements, we will notify you that your passport application will have been rejected.
• A valid passport / temporary passport or a valid identity card (if issued) confirming your identity and Polish citizenship.
  IMPORTANT! If you apply for a passport and there are justified doubts as to your identity, citizenship or other details required to file a passport application, the consul may ask you to submit additional necessary documents.
• Bring an abridged or unabridged copy of your Polish birth certificate if you do not have the PESEL number.
• Bring an abridged or unabridged copy of your Polish marriage certificate if you do not have the PESEL number and you got married. This document must be submitted by both men and women, whether they have changed their names upon marriage or not.
• If your surname has changed when you married abroad – bring an abridged or unabridged Polish marriage certificate.
• A document confirming your eligibility for a reduced passport fee (e.g. student ID, pensioner ID, etc.).

We may ask you to submit additional documents if we cannot establish your identity and / or citizenship based on the data in documents presented or the data available to us in our records and registers, or if the data are unclear or inconsistent:

• an abridged or unabridged copy of your Polish birth certificate,
• an abridged or unabridged copy of your Polish marriage certificate,
• a decision of the province governor confirming your Polish citizenship,
• a valid foreign identity document.

IMPORTANT! Take your current passport / temporary passport with you when you apply, even if it has expired.

The passport fee is 96 GBP. 

The fees must be paid at the office counter when submitting your application.

Accepted forms of payment: cash, postal order made out to the appropriate consular office, credit and debit cards (except at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Belfast), cheque (only at the Consular and Polish Diaspora Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London).

You are eligible for a 50% discount if:

• you are a pupil or a student (aged between 18 and 26),
• you are a pensioner,
• you are a disability pensioner,
• you are an old age pensioner, disability pensioner or person with disability; eligibility is based on Polish provisions (the Old Age and Disability Pensions from the Social Insurance Funds Act of 17 December 1998, the Social Pension Act of 27 June 2003 and the Vocational and Social Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities Act of 27 August 1997),
• you are wholly dependent on your spouse who is an old age pensioner, disability pensioner or a person with disability in the meaning of the above provisions,
• you stay in a residential home or care facility or you rely on social assistance in the form of fixed allowances pursuant to the provisions of the Social Assistance Act of 12 March 2004 (Dz.U. 2021, items 2268 and 2270, and 2022, items 1 and 66),
• you receive a carer’s allowance, attendance benefit or allowance paid to carers of persons with disabilities, granted pursuant to the provisions of the Family Benefits Act of 28 November 2003 and the Act on determining and paying allowances to carers of 4 April 2014,
• you are a veteran or a person to whom the provisions of the Act on veterans and certain persons being victims or wartime and post-war repressions of 24 January 1991 apply,
• you are a person classified as an anti-communist resistance activist or a person repressed for political reasons pursuant to the Act on anti-communist resistance activists and persons repressed for political reasons of 20 March 2015,
• you are a person whose involvement in regaining independence and sovereignty by Poland or respecting political human rights in Poland have been confirmed by the Head of the Veterans and Repressed Persons Office by means of decisions issued pursuant to Article 117, item 4 of the Old Age and Disability Pensions from the Social Insurance Funds Act of 17 December 1998,
• you are a soldier doing territorial military service,
• you are a veteran who suffered harm in the meaning of the Veterans of Foreign Missions Act of 19 August 2011,
• you are a rescue firefighter serving in the voluntary fire service and a person who has been granted a rescue worker benefit pursuant to the Voluntary Fire Service Act of 17 December 2021,
• you are a volunteer serving in entities entitled to undertake mountain rescue efforts,
• you are a member of a large family in the meaning of the Large Family Card Act of 5 December 2014 and hold a Large Family Card.

IMPORTANT! If you want to benefit from the consular fee discount, you need to present a document confirming your eligibility while submitting the passport application. These documents cannot be sent / presented later on. 

You will not pay for your passport if:

• you turn 70 on the day of application or earlier,
• you stay in a nursing home or a residential care facility and your travel abroad is related to a long-term treatment or a surgery,
• you receive a permanent benefit from the social service and your travel abroad is related to a long-term treatment or a surgery,
• your passport has a technical defect,
• you file your passport application prior to the expiry date of your current passport to remove a discrepancy (for example in your name, surname, date of birth, place of birth or PESEL number),
• you hold a final court decision that renders invalid a decision of the passport authority refusing to issue or voiding your passport document.

IMPORTANT! If you want to be exempt from the passport fee, you need to bring documents confirming that you meet one of the above criteria.

When you apply for a passport, a consular officer will give you an estimated collection date. You will also receive a written confirmation of your passport application. On the receipt you will find your passport application number, which is useful if you want to track the progress online (See if your passport is ready). 

If you need the ID document urgently, for example because of a travel at short notice, you should additionally apply for a temporary passport that will cover the waiting time for the delivery of your biometric passport. You will get it sooner than the biometric one. 

IMPORTANT! If you are planning to travel abroad with a temporary passport, check current rules of entry and stay of foreigners in the country of your destination. Make sure that you can cross the border with a temporary passport and check the required validity period (at entry and departure).

You must collect your passport in person at the same office where you submitted your application.

On the day of collection, please bring your previous passport or temporary passport to the consular office. It will be canceled (except for pages with valid visas) and returned to you.

IMPORTANT! In justified cases, particularly if traveling to the consular office is especially difficult, the consul may waive the requirement to collect your passport in person. You should discuss this option when you submit your passport application. If approved, you will need to submit a reasoned written request to the consul (a special form is available at the consular office) and cover the postage costs. The consul will then send your new passport to the specified address via a secure postal or messenger service if possible.

Before sending your new passport, the consul will void your current passport or temporary passport.

IMPORTANT! We do not send passports to citizens residing in Poland. Additionally, it is not possible to send passports issued by a domestic authority (province governor) to individuals staying abroad.

The consul will refuse to issue a passport at the request of:

1. A court conducting proceedings related to a criminal case, fiscal crime, matters concerning a minor, or civil proceedings against the passport applicant.
2. An authority conducting preliminary or enforcement proceedings in a criminal case, including those related to fiscal crimes, against the passport applicant.

In these instances, you cannot appeal the consul's decision to refuse the passport.

The consul may refuse to issue a passport under the following circumstances:

• The submitted documents and available registers do not allow the passport authority to confirm the details that need to be entered into the passport or temporary passport.
• The submitted documents and available registers do not confirm the applicant's Polish citizenship.
• The applicant has not paid the required fee for the passport or temporary passport.

A refusal to issue a passport is communicated by the consul through an administrative decision.

How to Appeal

If a consul issues a decision refusing your passport application, you can appeal that decision through the consul to the minister responsible for internal affairs. However, please note that you cannot appeal a decision made at the request of a court or other authority conducting proceedings.

Can I apply for a passport if my current passport expires in a few years' time?

Yes, you can apply for a new passport even if your current passport expires in a few years.

Do I have to apply for a replacement passport if my personal data have changed?

Yes, you must apply for a new passport if your personal data have changed or need to be corrected, including changes to your surname(s), name(s), date and place of birth, sex, or PESEL number.

If this applies to you, you should apply for a new passport within 90 days from the date of one of the following events:

• Delivery of the final administrative decision or binding court ruling stating the change.
• Issuance of a marriage certificate reflecting the change of surname, or, if the marriage was performed before a consul or foreign authority, from the delivery date of a copy of the marriage certificate.

My passport ran out of space for visas and border crossing stamps, but it expires in a few years' time. Does it need to be replaced?

If your passport has run out of space for visas and border crossing stamps but still has a few years until expiration, replacing it is not mandatory. However, if you plan to travel abroad, it is advisable to apply for a new passport to avoid any issues.

It may also be wise to consider applying for a new passport even if you do not have immediate travel plans, as this can help prevent difficulties in the event of a sudden trip.

Can I apply for a passport if I lost my personal ID and my new 10-year passport is waiting to be collected in Poland?​​​​​​

Yes, you can apply for a temporary passport at a consular office if you have lost your personal ID and are waiting to collect your new 10-year passport in Poland.

Please remember to bring the temporary passport issued by the consul when you return to Poland to collect your new passport.

What should I do if the passport is waiting to be collected in Poland and I am not planning to travel to Poland soon?

If your passport is waiting to be collected in Poland and you are not planning to travel there soon, you should contact the consul regarding this matter.

Is it possible to have the passport sent from another consulate or from Poland?

No, it is not possible to have the passport sent from another consulate or from Poland. You must collect your new passport in person at the same office where you applied for it.

How do I get a passport if I was born abroad, I have never had a Polish passport or personal ID, I have never lived in Poland but one of my parents used to have a Polish passport?

To obtain a passport if you were born abroad, have never had a Polish passport or personal ID, have never lived in Poland, but one of your parents held a Polish passport, follow these steps:

1. Request Confirmation of Polish Citizenship:
   Submit a request to confirm your Polish citizenship.
    
2. Register Your Foreign Documents:
   After receiving the province governor's decision confirming your Polish citizenship, you must register your foreign birth certificate and, if applicable, your marriage certificate in Poland. This process will provide you with a copy of a Polish birth certificate and a Polish marriage certificate.
    
3. Prepare Documents for Your Passport Application:
   • a recent passport photo,
   • an abridged or unabridged copy of your Polish birth certificate,
   • an abridged or unabridged copy of your Polish marriage certificate (if applicable),
   • the decision confirming your Polish citizenship,
   • a valid ID card with a photograph.

4. When you attend your passport appointment, bring the following documents:

By following these steps, you will be able to apply for your Polish passport.