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Would you like to know whether you are eligible for Polish citizenship? You should ask yourself if you have Polish roots or at least strong connections with Poland. According to the legal regulations, citizenship of Poland may be granted to an individual at his request, but he must fulfill several conditions first. That’s why we have decided to make this case less complicated and prepare 3 facts about Polish citizenship. Here they are!
The right of the blood is not the only way to get citizenship
We completely understand that the issue of Polish citizenship may be problematic or questionable. It is not easy to figure out who can become a part of the Polish nation and, as a result, get the rights and duties associated with that. We are here to help you! The main point is you should prove your eligibility and lodge an official motion in the appropriate institution. Before you decide to go through the whole process, we need to start from the basics.
The Act on Polish citizenship clearly defines the main ways of acquiring citizenship. As you may probably know, the right of the blood which applies to children whose parents are Polish is not the only proper way to become a fully-fledged citizen.
According to the above-mentioned Act, an individual may also obtain citizenship:
- by the right of the soil – applies to a child (whose parents are unknown) born or found on the territory of Poland;
- by adoption – applies to a child under 16;
- by naturalization – also well known as the Grant of Polish citizenship, applies to any foreigner who has strong links to Poland and, at the same time, can confirm them;
- by descent – applies to individuals who have at least one Polish ancestor.
You can see clearly now that the issue of Polish citizenship is not that complicated. The first problem may arise when it comes to confirming eligibility for that!
The President of Poland has the power to issue a citizenship
As you are here, you probably wonder what steps you should take to get Polish citizenship. We pointed out the most common ways of obtaining citizenship, but that’s not the only aspect you need to know more about. What do we mean by saying that? Keep in mind that the ways we mentioned refer to specific cases. If you have Polish roots (e.g. your ancestors were born here and resided in Poland after 1920), you probably qualify for Polish citizenship through ancestry. Your origin must be confirmed first. Click here to get more info!
The case gets more complicated when it comes to the Grant of Polish citizenship. In such situations, you do not have to be of Polish origin but, instead of it, you should prove your connections with Poland. So, if you live here, run a business or speak the Polish language, we have to say that it is a great starting point. The President of the Republic of Poland is the one to give positive consent on citizenship applications which also means he decides whether the arguments stated in the motion are sufficient enough. However, he does not confirm citizenship through ancestry. The Voivode does!
You cannot lose citizenship of Poland
The last but not least aspect we would like to focus on is the loss of Polish citizenship. The question is – Can citizenship be lost? We do know that the fear of losing it may be stronger than the desire to become a citizen of Poland but there is nothing to worry about!
The current legal regulations say the only way to lose citizenship is to renounce it. The process is called ‘Renunciation of Polish citizenship’. The loss occurs after 30 days. What’s important, an individual who declares his will to renounce it must hold citizenship of another country (e.g. the country of birth). The principle prevents the problem of statelessness.
We are pretty sure that you are ready to take the first step and finally become a Polish citizen!
