Polish citizenship; proof through generations

Up to which generation can Polish citizenship be confirmed?

There is no generation limit in the citizenship confirmation process.

If my mother / father never confirmed his Polish citizenship inherited from my grandparent (s), can I start the process directly or would my mother / father have to do it first?

If you can prove through documents the link with your ancestors who have had Polish citizenship and did not lose it during their stay in another country, it is possible to confirm your citizenship without the need for your mother / father to confirm it.

Can confirmation of Polish citizenship be obtained by proving kinship on both maternal and paternal lines?

Yes. However, it must be taken into account that the confirmation of citizenship through the maternal line, due to numerous changes in both Polish and foreign legislation, is more complicated than the transmission of citizenship through the paternal line.

The competent government delegations when making the decision to confirm or not the Polish citizenship of the applicant based on that of his mother / grandmother / great-grandmother etc. They refer to the laws in force on the day of the woman's birth to see whether or not she could transmit citizenship to her sons and / or daughters. In Polish law the most important changes regarding citizenship issues took place in the years 1920, 1951, 1962 and 2009.

For example, women born in another country to Polish citizen parents, who before January 20, 1951 were 18 years old or married foreigners or became naturalized, lost her Polish citizenship by law.

The men, if they became naturalized, served in the foreign army without prior authorization from the Polish Government or/and took possession of a public office in another country, they lost Polish citizenship under the law.

In any case, each case is different, there may be different factors to take into account and each request must be analysed individually. Therefore, the Consulate employees are not in a position to advise particular cases or advise which documents to present, or guarantee the final result of the procedure. It is the Polish authorities who make the final decision based on the documentation submitted.