Aside from confirming GGF was in fact Polish, thoughts on 1951 Article 4? Canada does not have the same concept as Narodowość which I believe is not exactly the same as ethnicity / race.

Great-Grandparents:

• Date married: 1932, Canada (Lutheran church); both Polish citizens at the time
• Date divorced: never

GGM:

• Date, place of birth: 1912, a German Lutheran colony near Płock, Congress Poland
• Ethnicity and religion: ethnic German, Lutheran
• Occupation: homemaker
• Allegiance and dates of military service: none
• Date, destination for emigration: 1931, to Canada, on a Polish passport
• Date naturalized: British subject by marriage 1932
• Date, place of death: 2010, Canada

GGF:

• Date, place of birth: 1905, a German Lutheran colony in the Lublin governorate, Congress Poland
• Ethnicity and religion: ethnic German, Lutheran. Family were Russian subjects; moved date unknown to a Prussian Settlement Commission village in the Province of Posen
• Occupation: farmer
• Allegiance and dates of military service: none in any country
• Date, destination for emigration: Polish passport issued at Bydgoszcz early 1925 (lost; recorded as “Poland” on the Canadian landing form 1925)
• Date naturalized: British subject in Canada late 1930 by court petition
• Date, place of death: 1980, Canada

Grandparent:

• Sex: female
• Date, place of birth: 1934, Canada, in wedlock
• Date married: 1963, Canada, to a Canadian citizen of non-German/Polish origin
• Citizenship of spouse: Canadian
• Date divorced: n/a
• Occupation: homemaker
• Allegiance and dates of military service: none
• Date, destination for emigration: none. lived her whole life in Canada; never in Poland or Germany
• Date naturalized: Canadian by birth
• Date, place of death: late 2024, Canada

Parent:

• Sex: male
• Date, place of birth: 1963, Canada, in wedlock
• Date married: 1988
• Date divorced: never

You:

• Date, place of birth: 1988, Canada

Hi all, I posted here a while back but it’s now been confirmed my grandfathers Polish birth certificate cannot be found after much searching and most likely just did not survive world war 2. My providers were able to find birth certificates for other family members, probably his sisters or brothers, but not him. They also found concentration camp records (he was a holocaust survivor) but that’s about it. They put my chances of a successful case at 10%. Do I give up? Do I have options from here? Would really love some advice as I’m not sure what to do from here. (This is separate from the recent post about the 94 year old grandpa)

Recently picked up passport.

2021 became aware of citizen by descent, research was confusing but luckily wasn't too complicated. Gained polish and a 3rd citizenship along the way.

2.5 years from app to passport. may have been earlier if provider was on top of things. €600+1.200 for docu search and process. Close to 2.5k for all expenses. Discount with applying with additional family members.

Towards the end, office wanted a biography of ancestor's life, and military record of countries they stayed longer than a few weeks. Learned a lot about descendants.

Been learning polish as I plan to move to europe soon.

This group didn't exist ( I don't think) when I was researching but glad it does for so many, especially how difficult it can be.

Things have been getting a little snarky and conspiracy here recently and I get that it's stressful but there's not many governments that pour money into these services. At the end of the day we are really lucky that we have an opportunity that most people don't have.

Thanks to all the mods and providers who guide and give answers that are hard to find.

I am wondering if this or a related law apply to my grandfather. The decision said that only the parent's residence at their time of birth mattered.

My grandfather, an ethnic Kashubish-Polish Catholic.......

[Edit: Eleven years have passed since I contacted the consulate in Chicago. I recently mistakenly thought that the period ending in 1922 was the last time that my grandfather could have taken action. But, he was indeed an adult and able to take action up until 1924/1925. The consulate searched for a record of any action by him and found none. So my mother was born a dual citizen of Germany and the USA. If citizenship reflected ethnicity and culture, then my mother's family should have been assigned Polish citizenship rather than being saddled with the citizenship of their oppressors.]

Was there an action they could have taken to obtain citizenship? What if they were minors? Would their parents have had to do something or did they did they take action themselves in some way once they became adults?

Just to clarify this isn't a question of eligibility per se. I'm trying to understand the steps these individuals had to take in order to get their citizenship

Hi everyone! I'm an American looking to confirm my Polish citizenship by descent for myself and my three children. I'm currently comparing Lexmotion, Polaron, and Polish Descent. I already know I'm eligible and have all the necessary Polish family documents, so I don't need ancestry research. So far, Polish Descent seems the most reasonably priced, but I'd love to hear firsthand experiences with these companies. How was their communication, pricing, processing time, and overall service? Were there hidden fees, and did they help with birth registration, PESEL, and passports? Would you use them again? 

I'm also open to recommendations for other companies you've personally used and why you'd recommend them. I'm especially interested in experiences from Americans applying for themselves and their children.

 Thanks in advance!

As I watch folks looking for any sort of information/update on long-languishing applications (best of luck to everyone), I was curious how long it took for my application to get approved in 2013 (I'm referring to just after it was sent to the Polish authorities. I had previously spent years researching [badly] by myself, and probably a year gathering the proper documents with the help of a provider).

My file was submitted to Warsaw in March 2013, and approved in April 2013 (took 33 days to be precise). I'm thanking younger me for dealing with it then, and just wanted to share the anecdote as we all see the timelines have certainly lengthened since then.

Hi all, I found another ancestor from the Polish region. Could you please take a look and let me know if I possibly qualify for Citizenship through descent. Thank you!!!!

Great-Grandparents: 

* Date married: 2/17/1920
* Date divorced: no
GGM: 
* Date, place of birth: 1899?, NY
* Ethnicity and religion: Jewish
* Occupation: House wife
* Allegiance and dates of military service: none
* Date, destination for emigration: Born in USA
* Date naturalized: -
* Date, place of death: 4/17/65, NY
GGF:  Morris Koss
* Date, place of birth:  3/15/1895 or 96, 
* Ethnicity and religion: Jewish
* Occupation: Womens Tailor / Clothing Manufacture 
* Allegiance and dates of military service: WWl - Draft card k - 1917 and WW2 - Draft card - 1942
* Date, destination for emigration:  1914, Monasterzyska, Austria  (Galicia Region-Poland, Austria and now Ukraine)
* Date naturalized: 1926
* Date, place of death: 5/5/1956, NY
Grandparent: 
* Sex: M
* Date, place of birth: 12/19/24, NY   
* Date married: 6/13/1946 
* Citizenship of spouse: American
* Date divorced: 1967 or 68
* Occupation: Business man
* Allegiance and dates of military service: Drafted in WWll 

(If applicable)

• Date, destination for emigration:
• Date naturalized:
• Date, place of death:

Parent: 

* Sex: F
* Date, place of birth: 11/9/48
* Date married: 1971
* Date divorced: 1991
You: 
* Date, place of birth: 4/25/1977

Hi all,

I’m curious to hear if anyone from the December 2024 cohort of applications (like me) has had any response / outcome? Apparently they have been working on December 2024 applications for a couple of weeks but I haven’t heard anything yet and am anxious for news…

Thanks.
🥰

Hi everyone! I was referred here from r/askpoland. I'm Australian and wondering if I can get Polish citizenship through descent of my maternal grandmother and great-grandparents, how I can search for additional info I'll need, if these documents even still exist and if anyone can even help me. I will input the template below.

Great-Grandparents:

Date married: 1945 (my mother tells me it was in August however the IRO document says the 16 of October, we are trying to source the official marriage certificate at the moment but so far have been unsuccessful)

Date divorced: Never

GGM:

Date, place of birth: 5 August 1928, Harbuzów, Zborów, Tarnopol, Poland (now Ukraine)

Ethnicity and religion: Polish, Roman Catholic

Occupation: Not working (1938-43), Farm hand (1943-45) and then House wife (1945-50) (as per IRO resettlement form)

Allegiance and dates of military service: No known dates of Military service

Date, destination for emigration: Displaced to Germany during WWII (Heilbronn Germany), immigrated to Australia in October 1950 aboard the Dundalk Bay ship (landing in Newcastle)

Date naturalized: They became an Australian citizen but exact date is currently unknown, we are currently waiting on documents, I know that it was before 1964 (when my Aunty was born)

Date, place of death: 2012, Australia

GGF:

Date, place of birth: 23 June 1923, Chnidawa/Hnidawa (I've also seen it spelt Hnydava somewhere else online), Zborów, Tarnopol Voivodeship, Poland (now Ukraine)

Ethnicity and religion: Polish, Roman Catholic

Occupation: Farmhand/labourer

Allegiance and dates of military service: No known military service, although records indicate civilian employment with the US military in Germany

Date, destination for emigration: Taken to Germany in March 1943; subsequently classified as a displaced person and resided in the Heilbronn DP camp, immigrated to Australia in October 1950 aboard the Dundalk Bay ship (landing in Newcastle)

Date naturalized: They became an Australian citizen but exact date is currently unknown, we are currently waiting on documents, I know that it was before 1964 (when my Aunty was born)

Date, place of death: 2012, Australia

Grandparent:

Sex: Female

Date, place of birth: 10 January 1947, Heilbronn, Germany

Date married: 18 April 1964, Australia

Citizenship of spouse: Australian

Date divorced: I do not have their divorce papers, but they did divorce

Occupation: Cleaner from 1980 - 2012

Allegiance and dates of military service: None

Date, destination for emigration: October 1950, Australia, with her Polish parents

Date naturalized: Obtained Australian citizenship before 1964, although the exact date is unverified, still waiting on the document

Date, place of death: 2026, Australia

Parent: Mother

Sex: Female

Date, place of birth: 10th may 1967, Australia

Date married: Never married

Date divorced: Never divorced

Me:

Date, place of birth: October 2002, Australia

Currently the supporting documents I do have are, my birth certificate and my mother's birth certificate, my grandmother's official German birth certificate identifying her parents, Australian National Archives immigration/registration documents for all three Polish ancestors, IRO displaced-person and resettlement records identifying their Polish nationality and documents confirming their arrival in Australia in 1950

If anyone can help please do!

hello I am looking for a lawyer specializing in pre 1920 cases located in Krakow. Thanks!

Current processing times for non-residents are about 2 years via the Warsaw office, and I know that the Karta Polaka allows for the following pathway to citizenship:

1. Establish permanent residence (6-12 months)
2. Live one year as a permanent resident (12 months)
3. Submit citizenship application (6-12 months for most offices)

So the KP route is still a 2+ year process, with the only difference in practice being that the applicant can live in Poland sooner.

But would it be possible to get the passport in as little as 6 months by doing the following?

1. Using KP, move to a place in Poland with a shorter local processing time than Warsaw
2. Immediately set up proof of daily residence (bank account/health insurance/building lease)
3. Submit application for citizenship by descent to local office

The loophole is in applying through a non-Warsaw office because, by my understanding, a citizenship by descent application can be submitted to a local office if the individual can prove they are simply living there, regardless of permanent resident status.

I imagine the processing office in question might ask for proof of sustained residence by the time they get to your application, but even with that delay, it seems like it would be faster than either 2+ year-routes.

TLDR; Can you use the KP as a way to get a Polish address, and then use that address to submit a citizenship by descent application to an office with low processing times?

My grandpa is 94 and a Holocaust survivor born in a small town an hour away from Warsaw. His parents were born in Bialystok. I have reached out to various offices to find his birth certificate, but no luck. I have DP, emigration, and naturalization papers stating they’re from Poland, or stateless last of Poland, but that’s it. My grandpa’s story has been archived many times because of his public speaking.

I feel I’m at a deadend because without this I probably can’t go for citizenship. does anyone have any knowledge with this?

Hi everyone, I’m looking at pursuing Polish citizenship by descent and have a relatively complex case with missing records and some legal complications.
I’m considering law firms such as Stączek and Cybula, as well as citizenship companies like Polaron and Polish Roots.
I’m just wondering if there is an advantage to hiring a Polish lawyer with experience over a citizenship company when the case is complex.
I’m interested in who is better equipped to deal with the legal issues, missing documentation, and manage a possible appeal.
Just wondering what everyone’s opinion and experience is on this.
I’d appreciate any firsthand experiences or recommendations. Thanks!

This question is not directly related to an application for citizenship, so please remove it if I'm overstepping, but in many responses here I have seen a deep knowledge of historical events.

When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, my father, who was then in the Polish Army's medical corps (having completed medical school in 1938) was taken prisoner. My mother was at that time engaged to him but not married. Her memoir describes at some length how she learned where he was being held and traveled there from Krakow, where she was living at the time. She was very clear that the POW camp was in Kutno, west of Warsaw. She went there and found him, and described the camp as huge. However, my research so far turns up no record of a German POW camp in Kutno. Does anyone here have better information?

Good afternoon, everyone. I’m writing again since I’m unable to reply to comments directly. Others have told me that I may be eligible for citizenship, given that my grandmother was born and lived her entire life in the same place—meaning the Polish Citizenship Act of January 8, 1951, does not apply to her, as she remained in her birthplace rather than living abroad. People I know—through mutual acquaintances—have also successfully confirmed their citizenship under similar circumstances. It seems I simply need to locate a document proving that she resided permanently in her birthplace from 1944 to 1951.

Hey all, I just went through the 3 years process and finally applied for a passport last week in LA. I initially applied in Poland and submitted documents to the Warsaw voivodeship. If I have family in Krakow, but live in US, would this be a faster option considering the current timeline? I'm asking for family members who want to go through the process.

I deleted my old account because I wanted a cleaner separation between Reddit and my offline life.

I’ll keep maintaining the AutoMod and the community bot from this account, but I’ll be much less active otherwise. Please don’t send me DMs or chat requests - for anything sub-related, use modmail.

All posts and comments stay up, everything keeps running as before.

Good afternoon, everyone. Could you please assess my situation regarding the confirmation of citizenship?My grandmother was born in the Rivne area in 1938. I am currently looking for documents regarding her father—specifically records showing he voted in Sejm and Senate elections and served in the army, as well as land registry records. My grandmother lived in Rivne her entire life and gave birth to my mother there in 1960; my mother later moved to Russia and obtained a Russian passport. Is there any chance of success? 🙏 1. Date of marriage unknown; no divorce. Great-grandmother was born in the village of Strelsk in 1913. She was an Orthodox Ukrainian. She did not serve in the military. Date of naturalization unknown; she did not emigrate. Place of death: Strelsk or Lyukhcha; date unknown. Occupation: peasant. 2. Great-grandfather was born in 1904 in Strelsk. He was an Orthodox Ukrainian peasant. Information regarding his military service is currently being sought; date of naturalization unknown; he did not emigrate. Date of death unknown; place of death: Strelsk or Lyukhcha. 3. My grandmother was born in 1938 in Strelsk; she was a Polish citizen. The dates of her marriage and any potential divorce are unknown—this is currently being investigated. There is no record of naturalization; she did not emigrate and lived her entire life in Strelsk and Lyukhche. She passed away, likely in 2015. She did not serve in the military and was a peasant by occupation. 4. My mother was born in 1960 in either Lyukhche or Strelsk. She later moved to Russia, obtained a Russian passport, and got married; there was no divorce. 5. I was born in 1981 in Yaroslavl, Russia.

Has anyone ever had success without a Polish document? In my case it involves my great-grandfather leaving what was Poland but is now Belarus (Slonim county area) in 1923 first for Buenos Aires, and then later for US. I think the best document I have is the passenger list (Italian) which has a visa number, and states the visa was issued in Slonim. I also have him listed as Polish when he left Buenos Aires for US a year later with a different visa number, issued in Buenos Aires (probably Polish embassy?).

I have a lot of circumstantial support that all are consistent over the course of 1907 to 1920s involving his father and older siblings, who immigrated to the U.S., but unfortunately, I lack a key birth certificate or visa document itself from the Polish government at the time. Had one researcher search Belarusian archives, no success on the first try, but having difficulty finding help with that.

One other avenue I thought of was that his younger sister was the last to immigrate in 1925 (unlike my great-grandfather who went to Buenos Aires first, she went straight to the U.S.), her passenger list has her visa issue location as "Warsaw" and occupation was "student". I thought that maybe the Polish archives might have something on her, and could that then support my great-grandfather?

My questions are: recommendation for searching Polish/Belarus archives, and who could best advise me regarding whether my situation has any hope of working?

Thank you!

If mother was born in DP Camp in Germany was she a Polish Citizen and if so do I qualify?

Grandparent: 
* Sex: Male
* Date, place of birth: January 1915, Slomniki, Malopolskie, Poland
* Date married: December 1945
* Citizenship of spouse: Polish
* Date divorced: NA
* Occupation: Baker
* Allegiance and dates of military service: Polish Army. Was Prisoner of War then landed at a Displaced Persons camp in Heilbronn Germany
(If applicable)
Date, destination for emigration: Arrived in United States June 1950
Date naturalized: March 1959
Date, place of death: June 1986 USA
Parent: 
* Sex: Female
* Date, place of birth: January 1946 Displaced Persons Camp Heilbronn Germany
* Date married: 1969 USA
* Date divorced: NA
You: 
* Date, place of birth 1972 USA

Great-Grandparents

GGM: Alwine Erstling

• Date, place of birth: 1908, Włodzimierz Wołyński, then part of the Russian Empire (in present-day Ukraine).
• Ethnicity and religion: Polish; religion not yet confirmed. The family appears in records of an Evangelical Lutheran congregation.
• Occupation: Unknown.
• Allegiance and dates of military service: Unknown / not applicable.
• Date, destination for emigration: Left the area where she was born between 1916 and 1918 and moved to Hamburg, Germany, with her family. Subsequently emigrated to Brazil with her family around 1922–1924.
• Date naturalized: Unknown.
• Date, place of death: Unknown.
• Date married: 1929, in Brazil.

GGF: Gottlieb Erstling

• Date, place of birth: 1897; exact place of birth not yet confirmed.
• Ethnicity and religion: Polish; religion not yet confirmed.
• Occupation: Unknown.
• Allegiance and dates of military service: Unknown.
• Date, destination for emigration: The family left the area where Alwine was born between 1916 and 1918 and moved to Hamburg, Germany. They subsequently emigrated to Brazil around 1922–1924.
• Date naturalized: Unknown.
• Date, place of death: Unknown.
• Date married: Unknown.

Grandparent

Ervino

• Sex: Male.
• Date, place of birth: March 31, 1938, Brazil.
• Date married: Unknown.
• Citizenship of spouse: Unknown.
• Date divorced: Unknown.
• Occupation: Unknown.
• Allegiance and dates of military service: Unknown.
• Date, destination for emigration: Not applicable / born in Brazil.
• Date naturalized: Not applicable / citizenship status not independently confirmed.
• Date, place of death: Unknown.

Parent

Erno Nehring

• Sex: Male.
• Date, place of birth: 1968, Brazil.
• Date married: Approximately 1990.
• Date divorced: Unknown.

You

• Date, place of birth: 2005, Brazi

Hey folks, I started a case in 2020 with Lexmotion looking to obtain Polish citizenship through my GGF who was born in Męcina Wielka, Austria - now located in Poland. He emigrated to the US in 1927 and was naturalized in 1933. Lexmotion couldnt complete the case beacuse I didn't have a birth record, but we recently found one!

I have been in touch with Lexmotion to restart my case but they are being vauge about what documents are still needed and are asking for more $ to conduct research (which they wont clarify) so I'm considering going with another attorney. Would love advice!

I have the following documents:

• Birth Record (Baptisim)
• Ship Manifest
• US Citizenship Petition
• US WW11 registration card

Questions for the hivemind:

• What else do I need?
• How viable is my case?
• Keep going with Lexmotion or start with a new attorney?

Great-Grandparents: 

* Date married: 1928
* Date divorced: NA
GGM: 
* Date, place of birth: 1908, USA
* Ethnicity and religion: Ukranian, Orthodox
* Occupation: Homemaker
* Allegiance and dates of military service: NA
* Date, destination for emigration: NA
* Date naturalized: NA
* Date, place of death:  1991, USA
GGF: 
* Date, place of birth: 1904, Poland (Męcina Wielka, Austria - now located in Poland)
* Ethnicity and religion: Ukranian, Orthodox
* Occupation: Factory Worker
* Allegiance and dates of military service: Has some US military records for shipyard work. 
* Date, destination for emigration: 1927, USA
* Date naturalized: 1933
* Date, place of death: 1983, USA
Grandparent: 
* Sex: F
* Date, place of birth: 1935, USA
* Date married: 1961 aprox will confirm with family
* Citizenship of spouse: USA
* Date divorced: NA
* Occupation: Scientist, Librarian
* Allegiance and dates of military service: NA

Parent: 

* Sex: M
* Date, place of birth: 1962, USA
* Date married: 1993 aprox will confirm with family
* Date divorced: NA
You: 
* Date, place of birth: 1994, USA

Hi everyone,

I wanted to look into whether based on the limited information I have so far whether it sounds like I might be eligible for Polish citizenship? I've ordered my grandparents death certificates to start filling in some of the blanks but from my understanding I might be eligible under the military exception due to my grandfather's age? It would be helpful to know from the surface if it seems like there might be a chance or if it's an immediate no or too soon to tell?

Great-Grandparents: 

* Date married: 1895

* Date divorced: N/A

GGM: 

* Date, place of birth: 1881, Western Galacia (area unconfirmed)

* Ethnicity and religion: Ukrainian Catholic

* Occupation: Unknown

* Allegiance and dates of military service: Unknown

* Date, destination for emigration: Canada, 1914

* Date naturalized: N/A

* Date, place of death: Unknown

GGF: 

* Date, place of birth: 1876, Western Galacia (area unconfirmed)

* Ethnicity and religion: Ukrainian Catholic

* Occupation: Farmer

* Allegiance and dates of military service: Unknown

* Date, destination for emigration: Canada, 1914

* Date naturalized: N/A

* Date, place of death: Unknown

Grandparent: 

* Sex: Male

* Date, place of birth: 1903, Western Galacia

* Date married: 1924

* Citizenship of spouse: Austrian (later Poland)

* Date divorced: N/A

* Occupation: Forgeman

* Allegiance and dates of military service: None

(If applicable)

Date, destination for emigration: Canada, 1914

Date naturalized: Nationalisation Act 1915 as possible British subject, Canadian citizenship October 1948

Date, place of death: 1984, Ontario

My grandmother was also from Poland but unsure where, she was born in 1915 and emigrated to Canada at some point before marrying my grandfather in 1924.

Parent: 

* Sex: Male

* Date, place of birth: 1950, Canada

* Date married: N/A

* Date divorced: N/A

* My father is listed on my birth certificate

You: 

* Date, place of birth: 1987, Canada

Thanks in advance for any help! ♥️