Guidance

Poland: Knowledge Base profile

Updated 9 April 2024

About: Poland

This document contains useful information about Poland which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 3.0

• published for Home Office staff on 9 April 2024

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with minor formatting changes.

Poland: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Poland.

Names in Poland consist of:

• a maximum of 2 forenames
• 1 surname (surnames can be double barrelled)

It is required by law that a forename clearly indicates the person’s gender. Almost all Polish female names end in -a, while most male names end in a consonant or a vowel other than a.

Examples of male and female names:

• Malinowski (M) – Malinowska (F)

• Zawadzki (M) – Zawadzka (F)

• Podgórny (M) – Podgórna (F)

• Biały (M) – Biała (F)

An exception is the name Maria which can be used as a female name, as it can be also used as a middle (second) name for males.

Change of name

Change of name following marriage is allowed and Poland marriage certificates record the surname the spouses (and their future family) will use.

Name changes other than by marriage are legal in Poland and can be done at a registry office or consulate (overseas).

When a person has a change of name, they must change their identity cards and any other document that proves their identity.

Poland: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Poland.

Dual nationality is allowed in Poland.

Poland: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Poland.

Legitimacy

Poland does not recognise a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births. All children are born legitimate, whether the parents are married or not.

Parental responsibility

Both parents have parental responsibility. If the parents separate or divorce the court decides who has parental responsibility.

Poland: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Poland.

Adoption is legal in Poland. Foreign nationals are allowed to adopt.

Poland: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Poland.

There is no law regulating surrogacy in Poland.

Poland: gender recognition

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Poland.

Transgender citizens are recognised in Poland. Where the change of gender took place outside Poland, the person must register the change with a court in order to have the gender changed on their Poland identity documents.

Poland: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents from Poland.

All birth, marriage and death are registered at local registry offices, who also issue the certificates.

Following the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, HM Passport Office cannot accept Multilingual Standard Forms (MSFs) issued by member states. An MSF will:

• contain a reference to the convention signed at Vienna on September 8 1976, this may be on the reverse of the document
• be marked as a Formul A (birth certificate), normally in the top right corner on the front of the document in the language of the country where the document was issued
  • there will also be marriage certificates and death certificates that will have a different Formul version that is also not acceptable

These documents are an extract of a civil registration record translated into the language needed and not a full, original certificate.

Birth certificates

Births must be registered in Poland within 14 days; late registrations are allowed.

Poland issues 2 types of birth certificates:

• Skrocony Akt Urodzenia, this is a short version of a certificate and is not acceptable for HM Passport Office purposes. It contains the person’s:
  • surname and forename(s)
  • date of birth
  • place of birth
  • mother’s maiden surname and father’s surname
• Zupelny Akt Urodzenia, this is a long version of a birth certificate, and is acceptable for HM Passport Office purposes. It contains the person’s:
  • surname and forename(s)
  • date of birth
  • place of birth
  • mother’s full name, date of birth, place of birth, maiden name
  • father’s full name, date of birth, place of birth
  • observation box to include additional information, (for example, to record, a declaration of paternity made by a father in front of a head of a registry office, change of name, change of gender)

Any changes to the record will be added as a marginal note on the long version of the birth certificate. A new short birth certificate will be issued with no link to the change.

Marriage certificates

There are 2 types of marriage ceremonies in Poland, civil and religious. Only a marriage registered at the local civil registry office and a certificate issued by them is valid in Polish law.

Poland issue 2 types of civil marriage certificate:

• short version (Skrocony Akt Malzenstwa) shows:
  • birth surnames and forenames
  • date and place of marriage
  • dates and places of birth
  • declaration showing what surname the married couple and their children will use
• long version (Zupelny Akt Malzenstwa) shows:
  • birth surnames and forenames
  • date and place of marriage
  • dates and place of birth
  • parents’ forenames
  • declaration showing what surname a married couple and their children will use
  • an observation box to record any additional information, (for example witness’ names)

The couple are issued with a short version when they are married, but they can request a full version from the local civil registry office.

Death certificates

Death certificates are issued when a death is registered at the local civil registry office. Poland issue short and long version of a death certificate.

Identity documents

Every Poland citizen over 18 who is resident in Poland must have an Identity Card (Dowód osobisty) issued by the local administration. Identity Cards are issued for the period of 10 years (5 years if owner is under 18 at the date of issuing).