Poland: notarial and documentary services
How someone in Poland can get documents prepared, witnessed or certified, take an oath of British citizenship and obtain informative notes.
Overview
The consular section of the British Embassy Warsaw can provide a range of notarial and documentary services for British nationals in Poland.
Where local notaries can provide services, the British embassy will not provide them. In many cases, local notaries or lawyers can provide services more cheaply, quickly and conveniently.
You must make an appointment for each service that requires your personal attendance. Use the links after each service to make an appointment.
Before booking, make sure you have selected the correct service and that the document will be accepted by the relevant authority. This could be the local town hall, registry office, tax authorities, immigration office or another authority either in Poland, the UK or a third country.
Services we provide in Poland
Consular staff in Poland can:
- make a certified copy of a British passport
For information about documents relating to marriage, such as a certificate of no impediment (CNI) and notice of marriage, see getting married abroad.
If you can’t find the service you are looking for on this page, see other services provided by the British embassy in Poland.
What to bring to your appointment
See the individual services below for details of supporting documents to bring. Make sure you have acceptable proof of address and identity, and payment for any fees. See the full list of consular fees.
Payment
We accept payment by Visa and MasterCard only.
Refunds will not be given for certificates or notarial services that are not accepted by the requesting authority. Only the relevant authority can confirm which service you will require. This information cannot be verified by the Consular Section of British Embassy Warsaw.
Proof of address and identity
For all appointments for notarial services you will need to bring acceptable proof of your identity and address.
We accept passports or national identity cards as proof of identity.
We accept local residence cards or letters such as utility bills or bank statements as proof of your address.
Make a certified copy of a British passport
This service is for customers who need certified photocopies of British passports.
What you will need to bring with you:
- your valid British passport that you need a certified copy of
- proof of identity/address – see what we will accept as proof
- the correct fee - consular fee 6 – see the list of fees and payment options
Book an appointment to make a certified copy at the British Embassy in Warsaw
Services provided elsewhere
Witnessing a life certificate
We no longer provide life certificates for British nationals claiming a British pension abroad. View the list of professionals who can witness a life certificate (PDF, 18 KB).
Certificate of good conduct
If you need a Certificate of Good Conduct (COGC, Zaświadczenie o Niekaralności) from the territory of Poland, you can get one from the Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) in Warsaw.
British nationals living in Poland may apply directly to the CRB at:
Ministerstwo Sprawiedliwości
Krajowy Rejestr Karny
ul. Czerniakowska 100
00-454 Warsaw
Poland
Tel.: +48 22 397 6200,
Fax: +48 22 397 6205,
E-mail: b-krk@ms.gov.pl
If a British national lives outside Poland, they should send a postal request directly to CRB in Warsaw.
If you need to get a COGC from Poland, you’ll need to complete and sign a request form (Zapytanie o udzielenie inforamcji o osobie). The form should only be signed by the person concerned.
You need to include the following details:
- last address of your residence in Poland (line No. 10)
- reason for applying for the certificate (line No. 11)
- length of time you would like to be checked (line No. 13)
- your current UK address must be printed in the top left corner of the page
- your signature in the space provided (podpis osoby uprawnionej)
Once you have completed and signed the form, you should send it to:
Biuro Informacyjne Krajowego Rejestru Karnego
Ministerstwo Sprawiedliwości
ul. Czerniakowska 100
00-454 Warsaw
Poland
You need to pay a fee of 30 PLN (equivalent of £5) for the COGC. The transfer has to be made from the bank account of the person applying for the COGC. It should be transferred to the following bank account:
NBP O/O Warszawa
PL 77 1010 1010 0400 1922 3100 0000
SWIFT (kod BIC): NBPLPLPW
At:
Narodowy Bank Polski
Oddział Okręgowy Warszawa
Plac Powstańców Warszawy 4
00-950 Warszawa
When you transfer the fee, you need to provide the address of the Polish Ministry of Justice:
Ministerstwo Sprawiedliwości
Al. Ujazdowskie 11
00-950 Warszawa
The CRB reply will be sent directly to the person concerned. The process takes about 4 weeks.
The COGC may also be obtained through a family member/friend/acquaintance/colleague who lives in Poland providing he/she has a written authorisation to collect the certificate. The original must be signed by the person concerned.
The authorised person should contact the CRB (tel: +48 22 397 6200, fax +48 22 397 6205) directly for further instructions. The authorisation document should read as follows:
Upoważniam Panią/Pana …………………… legitymującą/legitymującego się Dowodem Osobistym/Paszportem Nr………wydanym ……………do odbioru zaświadczenia z Krajowego Rejestru Karnego. (I authorise Ms/Mr …………………, holder of Identity Card/Passport No. …………………issued on ………… to collect a Certificate of Good Conduct from the Criminal Record Bureau.).
Data protection
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office holds and uses data for purposes notified to the Information Commissioner under the Data Protection Act 1998. Such personal data may be disclosed to other UK government departments and public authorities.
Disclaimer
This information is provided as a general guide and is based upon information provided to the embassy / consulate by the relevant authorities and may be subject to change at any time with little or no notice. Accordingly the FCDO and the British embassy / consulate will not be liable for any inaccuracies in this information. For all notarial and legalisation services it is the responsibility of the customer to ascertain the precise requirements of the person requesting the notarial or legalisation service and to satisfy themselves that the service provided by the embassy/consulate will be accepted.
Last updated 18 August 2016 + show all updates
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British Embassy Warsaw no longer provide certified copies of UK educational documents. Only British passports.
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Changes in 'Certificate of No Impediment' information
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Changes to Notarial and Document Services guide for Poland
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updated list of services provided by British Embassy in Warsaw.
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First published.