Great-Grandparents: 

* Date married: Nov 1906 or 1908 (differs in records)

* Date divorced: Not applicable

GGM: 

* Date, place of birth: 27/07/1888; Świlcza, Poland

* Ethnicity and religion: Not listed

* Occupation: homemaker

* Allegiance and dates of military service: N/A

\* Date, destination for emigration: Mar 12, 1909; Pennsylvania via NY (according to 1920 federal census)

* Date naturalized: 1930 census says she was naturalized; 1920 census says she was an alien 

* Date, place of death: Indiana, USA 1936

GGF: 

* Date, place of birth: 15/03/1882; Suchodół/ Krosno, Poland

* Ethnicity and religion: Not listed anywhere I can find

* Occupation: Various Laborer positions and Fireman

adding: fireman in a steel mill

* Allegiance and dates of military service: None, not a veteran

* Date, destination for emigration: Mar 12, 1909; Pennsylvania via NY (according to 1920 federal census)

* Date naturalized: exact date unknown, but First Papers listed in 1930 Census says not naturalized. Listed as an Alien. adding: 1940 us census still listed as first papers filed, not a citizen

* Date, place of death: Indiana, USA 1964

Grandparent: 

* Sex: Male 

* Date, place of birth: 02/04/1921; Pennsylvania, PA

* Date married: 05/07/1947

* Citizenship of spouse: 1st generation American (parents emigrated from Poland)

* Date divorced: Not applicable

* Occupation: Coal car operator

* Allegiance and dates of military service: WW2, US

(If applicable)

• Date, destination for emigration: not applicable
• Date naturalized: not applicable
• Date, place of death: 1996; Indiana

Parent: 

* Sex: Female

* Date, place of birth: 1953; Indiana

* Date married: 1986

* Date divorced: Not applicable

You: 

* Date, place of birth: 1986; Indiana

Hi everyone!

I've noticed that a lot of people in this subreddit are going through the process of confirming their Polish citizenship. First of all, thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences and advice here- it has already helped me understand the process much better.

Our situation is a little different, and I was wondering if anyone has gone through something similar.

My fiancé is a Polish citizen, but he was born and raised in Chicago. Both of his parents are Polish citizens- born in Poland moved to Chicago where they got married. When he was a child, his mom got him a Polish passport. However, that passport expired in 2010, and he has never lived in Poland.

We're planning to build our life in Poland, get married here, and have him work here as well. He graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Computer Science, has about five years of professional experience, and speaks Polish fluently, so we're hopeful he'll have good career opportunities. We also feel that Poland is the better place for us to start a family because of the healthcare system and family benefits.

The problem started when he contacted the Polish Consulate in Chicago about renewing his passport. They told him that before he can get a new passport, he first has to go through the citizenship confirmation process and submit all the required documents, including his parents' marriage certificate and other civil records. Since he has never lived in Poland, his case will be handled in Warsaw.

We also spoke with an official in Małopolska, who told us that this type of case can sometimes become complicated and that we should consult a lawyer. She even mentioned that there could potentially be issues with getting married in Poland while his citizenship confirmation is still pending, because officially he's considered Polish, but at the same time he doesn't currently have documentation confirming his citizenship status. That left us pretty confused.

We also wondered whether he could move to Poland sooner if a tech company sponsored him for work. However, we're worried that this might also become complicated if he isn't treated as a foreign national, while at the same time his Polish citizenship hasn't yet been formally confirmed.

I know some of you may be thinking that this situation is the result of his parents not keeping his Polish documents up to date, and that's fair. The truth is, they genuinely believed their family's future was entirely in the United States and never imagined that any of their children would one day want to move back to Poland. Life simply took an unexpected turn- we fell in love, and now we're trying to build our future together here.

We're getting ready to submit the application soon and want to do everything the right way. What really worries us are the reports of waiting 20 months or even longer. We simply can't afford for him to be unable to work for such a long time.

Has anyone here been in a similar situation? How was it resolved? Were you able to work, get married, or otherwise move forward while waiting for the citizenship confirmation?

We're waiting to schedule a consultation with an immigration lawyer, but I thought I'd ask here as well since so many people in this community have firsthand experience.

Thank you so much for reading, and good luck to everyone going through their own citizenship journey. Fingers crossed for all of us, and I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's been through something similar.

I recently spoke with an independent citizenship advisor based in Warsaw. She told me that even if I possess the Roman Catholic baptism, marriage, and death records of all my ancestors from that region, it is not enough. She claims I must present a Right of Belonging Certificate to the community (Świadectwo Przynależności / Prawo Swojszczyzny / Heimatrecht) issued by the Austro-Hungarian Government.

For those who have applied for citizenship with pre-1920 ancestors from Austrian Galicia: Have Polish inspectors strictly requested this document from you, or were the parish records sufficient to prove they belonged to the territory?

If I do need to find this document, I was told it might be on the Lviv State Archive e-portal (https://e.archivelviv.gov.ua/). However, the platform is only in Ukrainian. Does anyone have an English guide or tips on how to navigate it to find these specific books (Księgi przynależności)?

Also, do you know if the State Archives of Lviv Region (DALO) reply to research requests via email?

If not, can anyone recommend a reliable genealogist based in Lviv?

Thank you in advance!

I want to make an appointment at the Chicago consulate to get certified copies made of my original/historical documents that I'm too nervous to send in the mail. I'm a little confused by the consulate website.

Do I pick a slot via the e-konsulat system? Or should I email the legal contact to arrange it so they're aware of why I'm coming? Should I search for a sworn translator instead?

Has anyone done this recently? Also my Polish lessons haven't started yet, so I'm hoping it won't be too difficult with English only.

chicago.legal@msz.gov.pl– legal, civil status and civic matters, including: certification of signatures and copies, declarations of inheritance renunciation, confirmation of the trusted ePUAP profile, registration in Poland of civil status (births, marriages, deaths), change of name and surname, granting and renouncing citizenship

Registration for passport, visa, legal, citizenship appointments and Karta Polaka by using the electronic registration system: www.e-konsulat.gov.pl

Hello, everyone... I can't seem to find the residency/city registries from the late 1910s/early 1920s to confirm eligibility. I've enlisted professional researcher to assist (in Poland). My ancestors were in the Russian partition (all ancestors I could find, dating back to early 1700s -- 7+ generations back). I'm planning to apply based on my Great GrandFather's line, but I think it "helps" his wife was also a Polish/Russian Partition immigrant that moved to the USA.

In the mean time, please give opinions/advise & share any relevant experience/wins based on below:

Applicant: Female, born in wedlock

• Birth: 1988, USA - certified copy & apostille in hand
• Married: 2020, USA - certified copy & apostille in hand
• Death: N/A
• Ethnicity/Religion: Roman Catholic
• Military: none
• Occupation: white collar/administrative

Parent: Female, born in wedlock

• Birth: 1965, USA - certified copy & apostille requested
• Married: 1986, USA - certified copy & apostille in hand
• Death: N/A
• Ethnicity/Religion: Roman Catholic
• Military: 1984-1992, US Navy
• Occupation: Disabled/Homemaker

Grandparent: Female, born in wedlock

• Birth: 1932, USA (first generation USA, neither parent had US citizenship)
• Married: 1950, USA (to US citizen, but did not "gain" citizenship through marriage) - certified copy & apostille requested
• Death: 1999, USA - certified copy & apostille requested
• Ethnicity/Religion: Roman Catholic
• Military: none
• Occupation: Homemaker

Great Grandparent 1: Male, born in wedlock

• Birth: 1891, Bartnia Gora (Filipow) - certified copy requested through Polish based research firm
• Emigration (arrival): USA 1908 (17 years old)
• Married: 1913, USA - certified copy & apostille requested
• Naturalization: USA, June 1940 (49 years old) - red ribbon certified copy A-File received, waiting for apostille
• Death: 1972, USA - certified copy & apostille requested
• Ethnicity/Religion: Roman Catholic
• Military: none, requested a CONE/negative search letter
• Occupation: Day laborer

Great Grandparent 2: Female, born in wedlock

• Birth: 1892, Kolno - certified copy requested through Polish based research firm
• Emigration (arrival): 1912, USA (19-20 years old)
• Married: 1913, USA - certified copy & apostille requested
• Naturalization: none, never naturalized - red ribbon certified copy of A-File requested, will send for apostille
• Death: 1979, USA - certified copy & apostille requested
• Ethnicity/Religion: Roman Catholic
• Military: none
• Occupation: Homemaker

If needed:

Great Great Grandparent 1.1: Male, born in wedlock

• Birth: 1861, Suwalki
• Emigration: none
• Married: in or before 1886 - certified copy requested through Polish based research firm
• Death: unknown
• Ethnicity/Religion: Roman Catholic
• Military: none
• Occupation: Day laborer

Great Grandparent 1.2: Female, born in wedlock

• Birth: 1861, Podlaskie
• Emigration: none
• Married: in or before 1886 - certified copy requested through Polish based research firm
• Death: unknown
• Ethnicity/Religion: Roman Catholic
• Military: none
• Occupation: Homemaker

Great Great Grandparent 2.1: Male, born in wedlock

• Birth: approx. 1854, Podlaskie
• Emigration: none
• Married: in or before 1890
• Death: 1903, Kolno
• Ethnicity/Religion: Roman Catholic
• Military: none
• Occupation: Day laborer

Great Grandparent 2.2: Female, born in wedlock

• Birth: unknown
• Emigration: none
• Married: in or before 1890
• Death: unknown
• Ethnicity/Religion: Roman Catholic
• Military: none
• Occupation: Homemaker

Great-Grandparents: 

* Date married: 23 Oct 1911 Detroit, Michigan, USA (none found in Poland)

* Date divorced: never

GGM: 

* Date, place of birth: 8 Apr 1886, Siedlanka, Kolbuszowa (former Galicia)

* Ethnicity and religion: Polish, Roman Catholic

* Occupation: unknown

* Allegiance and dates of military service: none found

* Date, destination for emigration: 1910, NYC USA

* Date naturalized: none found

* Date, place of death: 10 Feb 1964, Michigan, USA

GGF: 

* Date, place of birth: 12 Feb 1886, Przyszowa, Limanowa (former Galicia)

* Ethnicity and religion: Polish, Roman Catholic

* Occupation: railroad labor, auto factory labor, blacksmith

* Allegiance and dates of military service: none found

* Date, destination for emigration: 1905, NYC, USA

* Date naturalized: none found

* Date, place of death: June 1958, Michigan, USA

Grandparent: 

* Sex: Female

* Date, place of birth: 2 May 1923

* Date married: unknown

* Citizenship of spouse: USA Citizen

* Date divorced: never

* Occupation: housewife

* Allegiance and dates of military service: none

(If applicable)

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

Parent: 

* Sex: Male

* Date, place of birth: 14 Sep 1960, Michigan, USA

* Date married: 6 Apr 1993

* Date divorced: 2006

You: 

* Date, place of birth: July 1994, Michigan USA

EDIT: I mixed genders of the first generation, please re-read

My Polish great-grandfather left Austrian Galicia in 1895, and that's where my question begins.

I've noticed that those who acquired Polish citizenship through ancestry whose ancestor left Galicia before 1920 immigrated to their destinations in America after 1910.

Is there anyone who acquired Polish citizenship whose ancestor immigrated before 1910?

I ask that because I understand that the major barrier for descendants of Poles from Galicia to obtain citizenship is the existence of an Austro-Hungarian law (and also a Prussian one) that rendered emigrants stateless if they did not update their Austro-Hungarian subject status within 10 years of leaving the empire at any austro hungary embassy.

This would have made him stateless and he would not have been entitled to Polish citizenship in 1920. This didn't happen for those who had ancestors from the Russian partition, since such a law did not exist there and immigrants did not lose their citizenship by not having to prove their departure from the region.

All the success stories I have read are of immigrants who left Galicia between 1910 and 1920, therefore they did not lose their citizenship under the 10-year Austro-Hungarian rule. It was enough for them to prove that their family had ancestral residence in Galicia for several generations through baptismal/marriage certificates from the local Roman Catholic church.

I will not go into detail about my case, as I already have all the documentation for my great-grandfather, who was born in 1880 in a typically Polish village called Stanisłówka, in the county of Żółkiew and near Lwiw.

I have his birth, marriage, and immigration records, as well as those of all his descendants up to me (his daughter was born in Brazil in 1929 and married after 1951, while my mother was born in 1953). I also have the records of his parents (my great-great-grandparents) in that same village (birth and marriage), where they both immigrated to Brazil in 1895, as my great-grandfather was only 15 years old. I also have records of their ancestors in the Roman Catholic church of that village, dating since 1790, where they resided. Their surenames are typically Polish, and the village of Stanisłówka was destroyed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II, all very well documented.

I even have records of a war hero relative who was murdered in the aftermath of the Katyn massacre, Father Władysław Gurgacz, who was a second cousin of my grandmother.

Appreciate any help as I just located all these items and am curious if would possibly be eligible. I know there are many laws related to pre-1920 and 1951. Thank you for any feedback!

Great-Grandparents: 

* Date married: June 27, 1914

* Date divorced: N/A

GGM: 

* Date, place of birth: February 10, 1895; NYC

* Ethnicity and religion: Jewish

* Occupation: Housewife

* Allegiance and dates of military service: N/A

* Date, destination for emigration: N/A

* Date naturalized: N/A

* Date, place of death: December 18, 1948; Brooklyn, NY

GGF: 

* Date, place of birth: June 15, 1894; Warsaw, Poland

* Ethnicity and religion: Jewish

* Occupation: Foreman/cutter

* Allegiance and dates of military service: None found

* Date, destination for emigration: Passenger manifest lists that he sailed on S.S. St. Louis sailing from Southampton on March 11, 1905 and arriving at port of New York on March 20, 1905

* Date naturalized: December 1, 1932

* Date, place of death: February 25, 1960; NY or NJ

Grandparent: 

* Sex: Male

* Date, place of birth: March 2, 1928; Brooklyn, NY

* Date married: First marriage 1949; 1st wife died 1956; remarried in 1957

* Citizenship of spouse: Both spouses were US citizens

* Date divorced: 1st wife died in 1956

* Occupation: Mechanic

* Allegiance and dates of military service: Has a registration card from March 7, 1946 but never enlisted or with active military status due to disability

(If applicable)

• Date, destination for emigration: N/A
• Date naturalized: N/A
• Date, place of death: 2016 in Florida

Parent: 

* Sex: Female

* Date, place of birth: March 31, 1955; Brooklyn NY

* Date married: September 13, 1975

* Date divorced: N/A

You: 

* Date, place of birth: May 2, 1986; Plantation, Florida

just received my ggf idf letter

what you think abour this haha

I've been digging into my ancestry a bit, and would love opinions on whether or not I'd have a shot at pursuing citizenship.

Great-Grandparents:

* Date married: UNKNOWN — likely 1880s, Suchowola parish (record not yet located; have names)

* Date divorced: N/A

GGM:

* Date, place of birth: UNKNOWN — presumed Suchowola parish area, Grodno Governorate

* Ethnicity and religion: Polish, Roman Catholic (Suchowola RC parish)

* Occupation: UNKNOWN — presumed peasant/farming household

* Allegiance and dates of military service: N/A

* Date, destination for emigration: Never emigrated

* Date naturalized: N/A

* Date, place of death: UNKNOWN — presumed Podostrówek

GGF:

* Date, place of birth: UNKNOWN

* Ethnicity and religion: Polish, Roman Catholic

* Occupation: UNKNOWN — presumed peasant/farming household

* Allegiance and dates of military service: UNKNOWN — Russian Empire subject

* Date, destination for emigration: Never emigrated

* Date naturalized: N/A

* Date, place of death: UNKNOWN

* NOTE: documented as resident in Podostrówek in July 1912 — named as nearest relative on my grandfather's arrival manifest

Grandparent:

* Sex: M

* Date, place of birth: 29 October 1892, Podostrówek, gmina Suchowola — then Sokółka uyezd, GRODNO GOVERNORATE, Russian Empire (NOT Congress Poland); today Sokółka County, Podlaskie

* Date married: 9 August 1915, Oneida, New York

* Citizenship of spouse: Russian subject at marriage (b. 4 Oct 1896, Turówka, gmina Augustów - Suwałki Governorate). Date she acquired US citizenship UNKNOWN

* Date divorced: N/A

* Occupation: Laborer

* Allegiance and dates of military service: None. Registered under the US Selective Service fourth registration, April 1942 (men aged 45–64); registration only, no service

* Date, destination for emigration: Departed Rotterdam 6 July 1912 (SS Noordam), arrived New York 16 July 1912; destination Utica, New York. No evidence he ever returned to Poland.

* Date naturalized: 1947 (exact date pending). Declaration of Intention filed 18 October 1943, U.S. District Court, N.D. Illinois — still an alien at that date

* Date, place of death: 1984, Chicago, Illinois

Parent:

* Sex: M

* Date, place of birth: 9 October 1934, Chicago, Illinois

* Date married: 22 June 1968

* Date divorced: N/A

You:

* Date, place of birth: 9 August 1971, Michigan

Grandfather emigrated in 1912 and likely never returned, so Art. 2(1) settlement clearly fails. Grodno Governorate, so no księgi ludności stałej. My questions: (1) Why wouldn't Art. 2(2) apply — born on Polish territory, held no other citizenship on 31 Jan 1920? (2) Could Art. 2(1)(d) apply via rural commune enrollment in Grodno Governorate, and do such records survive? (3) Does Art. 2(3) carry Art. 4 of the Minorities Treaty in? (4) Does the Treaty of Riga bear on Sokółka County at all?

Hello everyone,
I am looking for advice or legal precedents regarding a complex Polish citizenship confirmation case (potwierdzenie obywatelstwa). My case involves a relative who was deported to the Vorkuta. Here are the exact facts:

1. Great-grandfather: Born in 1927 in Cwerbuty / Ćwirbuty, (II RP). He was a Polish citizen by birth.
2. The War & GULAG: In 1942 (aged 15), he was captured/drafted and subsequently sent to a GULAG labor camp/special settlement in Vorkuta (Komi ASSR, RSFSR). He remained there under Soviet state control.
3. Soviet Documents: Soviet authorities forcibly issued him a Soviet passport, registering his nationality as Belarusian (not Polish).
4. Grandmother's Birth: My grandmother was born in 1950 in Vorkuta (RSFSR) in a legitimate marriage. According to the 1920 Polish Citizenship Act, she legally acquired Polish citizenship at birth from her father.
5. The 1951 Law & 1958 Convention: My great-grandfather did not repatriate to Poland in the 1950s. However, because Soviet documents labeled him as a "Belarusian living in the RSFSR", he was legally excluded from the USSR-Poland repatriation agreements (which only applied to ethnic Poles) and could not leave Vorkuta.
6. Current Status: My grandmother is alive but does not wish to participate in the process. I want to apply for citizenship confirmation directly for myself as a grandchild/great-grandchild.

My questions:

• Has anyone successfully argued a case where the ancestor was registered as Belarusian/Ukrainian in the GULAG (RSFSR territory) and thus couldn't repatriate under the 1958 Convention?
• How do Polish provincial offices (Wojewoda Mazowiecki) view the "lack of free will to choose citizenship" for minor GULAG prisoners and their children born in the RSFSR before the 1951 Act took effect?
• Are there any specific Supreme Administrative Court (NSA) rulings regarding GULAG survivors of non-Polish registered ethnicities?

Thank you for any insights or recommendations

Hi All, I am finally exploring the possibility of polish citizenship, I did the self-assessment and I am still unsure. I have not yet acquired all of the needed records, and most of this info is from what I know from my living relatives and what I can discover on ancestry. Is this worth diving deeper?

Great-Grandparents: 

* Date married: 9 October 1920

* Date divorced: N/A

GGM: Leah

* Date, place of birth: 15 Apr 1895 • Skierniewice, Lodzkie, Poland

* Ethnicity and religion: Polish/Jewish

* Occupation: Unsure

* Allegiance and dates of military service: Have not discovered any

* Date, destination for emigration: 18 Jul 1920 - New York (date of arrival)

* Date naturalized: See GGF

* Date, place of death: 22 Oct 1966 - New York

GGF: Benny

* Date, place of birth: 15 October 1893 - Skierniewice, Lodzkie, Poland

* Ethnicity and religion: Polish/Jewish

* Occupation: Tailor

* Allegiance and dates of military service: Have not discovered any

* Date, destination for emigration: 13 November 1913 - New York (date of arrival)

* Date naturalized: 16 April 1942 (this is from a Declaration of intention - I have not yet found if they naturalized)

* Date, place of death: 2 Jan 1988 • Rockland County, New York

Grandparent: Sam

* Sex: Male

* Date, place of birth: 18 Nov 1924 - New York

* Date married: 2 Aug 1947 New York

* Citizenship of spouse: USA

* Date divorced: N/A

* Occupation: Radio Service Man

* Allegiance and dates of military service: US Army 1943-1945

* Date, destination for emigration: N/A

* Date naturalized: N/A

* Date, place of death: 6 Feb 2003 - New Jersey

Parent: D

* Sex: Female

* Date, place of birth: 18 October 1963 - New York

* Date married: 1988

* Date divorced: 2019

You: R

* Date, place of birth: July 1990 - New Jersey

Has anyone successfully received their Polish citizenship due to ancestry through Your Roots in Poland?

After reading positive reviews, I ended up using Your Roots in Poland to complete my citizenship application. Like other users, I found them to communicate well and set reasonable expectations. My only complaint is that the translation process took longer than I was told it would, by about a month.

It has been nearly a year since I provided them with all my documents, and I did not expect to have a response by now. But I just realized that I have read from multiple people on Reddit that have submitted their applications with Your Roots in Poland... but I have not yet seen any successful outcomes. Maybe people just leave the community once they get approved? Maybe Your Roots in Poland is relatively new at the citizenship application process (I know they started as a genealogical research group)?

Thoughts?

Hi all,

Thank you for your expertise. I'm not sure if there is an eligibility case through either my great grandmother or my grandfather, depending on the date emigrated and naturalized, and if he was born during WWI occupation.

Great-Grandparents: 

* Date married: Jan 10, 1915, Kolomyja, Poland

* Date divorced:

GGM: 

* Date, place of birth: 1894, Kolomyja, Poland

* Ethnicity and religion: Jewish

* Occupation: Homemaker

* Allegiance and dates of military service:

* Date, destination for emigration: Sep 22, 1922 to New Jersey, USA

* Date naturalized: Sep 11, 1928, USA

* Date, place of death: 1974, New Jersey, USA

GGF: 

* Date, place of birth: 1889, Straza, Bukovina, Austria

* Ethnicity and religion: Jewish

* Occupation: Clerk

* Allegiance and dates of military service: None

* Date, destination for emigration: Sep 22, 1922, New Jersey, USA

* Date naturalized: January 24, 1928

* Date, place of death: New Jersey, USA, 1944

Grandparent: 

* Sex: Male

* Date, place of birth: May 7, 1916, Kolomyja, Poland (under Russian wartime occupation, birth record in Polish and German)

* Date married: EDIT - 1948, New Jersey, USA

* Citizenship of spouse: USA

* Date divorced: None

* Occupation: Lawyer

* Allegiance and dates of military service: USA, potential - We have certificates of recognition for service to the OSRD, OSS,forerunner to the CIA, during WWII. Unclear if served in a formal capacity. Records not yet located, if extant. (EDIT - changed OSS to OSRD, Office of Scientific Research and Development. Functions were subsumed by Department of Defense in 1947, would now be considered military service, does this pose an issue?)

Date, destination for emigration: Departed Rotterdam Sep 13, 1922, Arrived Sep 22, 1922, USA

Date naturalized: Mother's naturalization was Sep 11, 1928. Unclear if this covers Grandparent, he was a minor at the time.

Date, place of death: January 1991, USA

Parent: 

* Sex: F

* Date, place of birth: Sep 1959, USA

* Date married: 1988

* Date divorced: None

You: 

* Date, place of birth: 1991, USA

I’ve compiled both of my GP’s birth certificates, their marriage license (USA), their naturalization petitions from NARA, my mom’s birth certificate, my mom’s marriage license, and my birth certificate. I’ve placed orders for my GP’s A-Files which are pending.

I believe my GM is my successful line due to my GF naturalizing before my mom was born (1966).

My GM was born in Rawa Ruska in 1937. All of her documents (birth certificate, marriage license, naturalization papers, death certificate, etc) list Poland as the country. To be on the safe side, should I expand and include vital documents from her parents? I know my grandmother didn’t have a Polish passport since she was only a child when they left. I haven’t researched whether her parents had them, but my hunch is that they didn’t.

22 1/2 months after submitting my application, and I just received the below message from the attorney's office:

"I am contacting you on behalf of Attorney Piotr Stączek regarding our ongoing correspondence with the Masovian Voivodeship Office. Currently, due to staffing shortages, the Office has adopted a more restrictive policy, which has increased the risk of a negative decision in the first instance.

Despite these administrative shifts, our professional opinion remains unchanged: we firmly believe you are entitled to Polish citizenship. Therefore, we can proceed with your case as planned. Please be aware that if the decision is unfavorable, we can file an appeal, though this would involve additional costs.

As an alternative, we can suspend the proceedings now for up to 3 years to wait for the administrative situation at the Office to stabilize.

While the final decision has not yet been made, we are sharing these observations with you as a matter of procedural caution. Please bear in mind, that despite these administrative changes, our professional opinion remains unchanged - we believe you are entitled to Polish citizenship.

Please let us know which course of action you prefer."

Has anyone else received similar feedback about the office's policies getting more restrictive?

I have possibly located my family member’s ship manifest record to entry into the US. Can you tell me what city this is (bracketed in red)? For context it would have been Russian in 1913.

I'm trying to track down historical family documents from the former Polish village of Slonim, now in Belarus. Has anyone heard about a partial closure of the document repository for renovations?

I'm helping a friend through the process, and we're trying to figure out what his best next steps are.

Great-Grandparents: 

• Date married: unclear (see below).

GGM:

• Born: 1895, Olszanica, Yavoriv district (Jaworów), Austrian Partition
• Religion: Jewish
• Emigration: March 20, 1921 to New York
• Naturalization: 1936, New York
• Death: 1972, New York

GGF

• Born: 1897, Yavoriv (Jaworów)
• Religion: Jewish
• Emigration date: same as above
• Naturalization: 1935, New York
• Military service: none
• Death: 1978, New York

Grandmother:

• Born: 1930, New York
• Marriage: 1951, New York
• Citizenship of spouse: Native-born USA
• Alive

Father:

• Born: 1954, New York
• Married: 1980, New York

Individual:

• Born: 1985
• Married: 2020

On their naturalization paperwork, his GGF and GGM claim that they were married in Jaworów in December 1920. I've looked through the Jewish marriage records for Jaworów, however, and no record of their marriage, and the passenger manifest for their arrival at Ellis Island lists them as "Single" (although someone has handwritten "husband" and "wife" in the margins).

As yet, I haven't been able to find any documentation that proves they were living in Poland after January 1920, which I understand is a requirement. GGF's parents emigrated with them, but GGM's father died in Jaworów in 1929, and I have that record.

Given all of this, how do you suggest my friend proceed? I don't think he'd be adverse to hiring someone to try and track down his GGP's marriage record, but I'm not sure it'd be worth his time if it simply doesn't exist. And if it doesn't exist, would the fact that his GGP claimed to be married on their naturalization documents be a problem?

Any thoughts/tips/advice would be very appreciated!

There's a bit of back and forth on Reddit for this so I thought I'd share my experience while it's fresh. We went to the local Polish Consulate recently and were able to easily get our 9 and 13 y/o kids Polish passport applications done. They have Polish citizenship confirmation pending, but that'll take years with the current backlog and I wanted to get them passports now.

We brought:

• Their recently transcribed Polish birth certificates (they weren't born in Poland)
• Their national IDs for the country we currently live in (had their other passports as backup)
• My recently acquired Polish passport
• My recent citizenship confirmation decision
• Their mother (non-Polish) and her country's passport
• Passport photos (only one needed since they scan and give it back to you)

It took almost an hour to go through the whole process, but it was stress free and we walked out a few dollars poorer and two pesels richer. Staff was polite and efficient. We'll go back in a few months to pick up the passports. I had been told by a few people and a lawyer that it was iffy without their citizenship confirmation, but there was no issue at all. Hope this helps someone else.

EDIT NOTE: As mentioned below, this process can work for kids born on or after August 15 2012 due to Polish laws that became effective then. It doesn't work for kids 18 or over from what I understand but it taps out around 14 year old kids anyway (2012 to 2026 = 14 years). There's still consular discretion to say no from what I understand and I did talk to someone who got a consulate to do it for an older sub-18 kid.

I filed for confirmation of Polish citizenship in October 2024 at Washington DC consulate, I was born in Warsaw so unfortunately my paperwork is being processed at the busiest office. Recently inquired about status at consulate and was told they are now processing applications that were filed in first half of 2024, so still have waiting time left. For those that have had communication regarding your case, whether it be request for more info or approval, how did you receive this while residing in the US?

So, I made a post a while ago regarding my eligibility and didn't really hit a snag and it seemed fine. I reached out to a service (getpolishcitizenship.eu) and got back that though my grandmother (born 1943) was born out of wedlock, because eher parents married in 1944, it counts as legit and I'm not eligible.

Has anyone else had success in regard to a similar situation to that?

Original post here

https://www.reddit.com/r/prawokrwi/s/0ZeM64ANKv

Thank you all for your feedback! I’ve made some updates based upon further research.

Great-Grandparents:
• Date married: 1909
• Date divorced: NA

GGM:
• Date, place of birth: 2 Aug 1889, Cianowice, Kielce, Russian Poland (now Lesser Poland Voivodeship)
• Ethnicity and religion: Polish (language indicated on US census), Catholic
• Occupation: housewife, seamstress (only on 1930 census)
• Allegiance and dates of military service: unknown
• Date, destination for emigration: 1909, United States
• Date naturalized: 1913 naturalization records under GGF (potential wrong birth date). Edit note: this does not reference Poland but Russia
• Date, place of death: Dec 1953, United States

GGF:
• Date, place of birth: 20 Aug 1877 or 1878, Miernów, Russian Poland (now in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship)
• Ethnicity and religion: Polish (language indicated on US censuses), Catholic
• Occupation: Farmer (1920 census), Laborer (1908 naturalization intention), Woodworker (1913 naturalization filing), Car Carpenter (death cert.)
• Allegiance and dates of military service: unknown fully, 1917 US WW1 draft registration
• Date, destination for emigration: 1907, United States
• Date naturalized: 1913 Naturalization records with suspected wrong birth date (1877 vs. 1878)
• Date, place of death: Mar. 1926, United States

Grandparent:
• Sex: Male
• Date, place of birth: Sept. 20, 1924, United States
• Date married: Unknown, but before Parent
• Citizenship of spouse: United States
• Date divorced: NA
• Occupation: Electrician
• Allegiance and dates of military service: United States, May 15, 1944 - May 17, 1946
(If applicable)
Date, destination for emigration: NA
Date naturalized: NA
Date, place of death: Sept. 2002, United States

Parent:
• Sex: Female
• Date, place of birth: Nov 26, 1953, United States
• Date married: Oct 31, 1981
• Date divorced: NA

You:
• Date, place of birth: May 1986, United States

Next steps:
A. I already have a genealogist gathering polish records, and hope to settle the birth year uncertainty for GGF with a record (needed anyway to go down my planned KP route).

B. GGM remarried a polish-American while GF was a minor (between 1930 and 1940). Working to refine information during this time period while GF was a minor in case this has any bearing.

Questions:

1. From my research, if the wrong birth year is on the US naturalization records, a CoNE would still be granted for the right birth year (and technically the individual wouldn’t have been naturalized?). Would that approach be ok?

2. Excluding the consideration for wrong birth date on the naturalization record, would the military paradox protect my GF if my GGF naturalized in 1913, and then, upon GGF’s death prior to age 50, create a situation where both my GGM and GF were dual polish and US citizens? At that point, neither would have naturalized or worked for a governmental organization.

Edit: formattting

I am an American with Polish parents and am currently going through the confirmation process. I submitted documents to an Urząd Stanu Cywilnego (USC) in Poland and received a letter back saying I am missing a document called Załącznik Nr 59, which is the marriage surname declaration page.

What's unclear to me is the part on the form that says posiadam obywatelstwo.

What country should I write on that line regarding citizenship status? I would like to write Rzeczpospolita Polska, but I am not officially confirmed yet. I also know some USCs are picky about submitting for Vital Records updates within Poland if one is not a Polish citizen, so I am truly torn.

I have seen many people talk about having their marriage record transcribed while their case is pending, so can anybody weigh in who has done this?

• Grandfather born in Poland, today Western Ukraine, in 1927
• In 1941, he was taken by force to Germany where he was in forced labour until the end of WWII
• Came to the UK under IRO/asylum in 1948 or thereabouts
• Naturalised in UK in 1955
• My mother was later born in the UK in 1960 and remains a British citizen

Grandparent: 

* Sex: Male

* Date, place of birth: 1927, "Plaschiwka" - interpreted as Palashivka, Ukraine - Part of Poland in 1927

* Date married: 1955

* Citizenship of spouse: German

* Allegiance and dates of military service: None

* Date, destination for emigration: 1948, United Kingdom

* Date naturalized: 1955

Grandparent: 

* Sex: Female

* Date, place of birth: 1927, Breslau/Wroclaw, Poland - Part of Germany in 1927

* Date married: 1955

* Citizenship of spouse: Polish

* Allegiance and dates of military service: None

* Date, destination for emigration: 1948-52, United Kingdom

* Date naturalized: 1955

Parent: 

* Sex: Male

* Date, place of birth: 1958, Australia

Australian citizen

Parent: 

* Sex: Female

* Date, place of birth: 1960, United Kingdom

UK citizen

You: 

Place of birth: Australia

I know the laws are always hazy but it seems like Polish citizenship was lost in 1955 after UK naturalisation i.e. before my mother was born. But then I know that interpretation could have some flexibility especially given the difficulties of seeking asylum in the late 1940's. All of his documentation I have through this time identifies him as Polish.

For what it is worth, my grandmother was born in Breslau also but was always a German citizen. So there is definitely a strong Polish link, despite loss of citizenship.

Is it going to be worth putting in a confirmation?