Restoration of Polish citizenship
The institution of restoration of citizenship allows foreigners who lost their Polish citizenship before 1 January 1999 to have it restored, provided they fulfill the conditions laid down in the Polish Citizenship Act.
Polish citizenship may be restored pursuant to an administrative decision by the Minister of the Interior, issued at the request of the person concerned.
The application for the restoration of Polish citizenship should be accompanied with:
- documents proving identity and citizenship
- documents confirming the change of name and surname, if applicable
- documents confirming the loss of Polish citizenship
- the applicant's photograph.
The applications and other documents required in cases regulated by the Act, drawn up in a foreign language, should be submitted together with their translations into Polish, translated or certified by a sworn translator or by a consul, unless otherwise stipulated by an international agreement binding for the Republic of Poland.
The application for restoration of Polish citizenship should be filed with the Minister of the Interior, with the reservation that a foreigner residing outside the Polish territory should file the application for restoration of Polish citizenship through a consul competent for the foreigner's place of residence.
Acquisition of Polish citizenship takes effect on the date on which the decision to restore Polish citizenship becomes final.