How to register a foreign document in Poland?

Registration of foreign civil status records, or "umiejscowienie" (transcription), is the precise and literal transfer of the content of documents into Polish civil status registries.

Umiejscowienie (transcription) is required when obtaining Polish citizenship, entering into or dissolving a marriage, and for resolving other legal and administrative matters related to civil status.

Who handles transcription and what the procedure looks like

Civil Registry Offices (Urządy Stanu Cywilnego) in Poland are responsible for registering civil status records.

An application is submitted to the Civil Registry Office. This can be done in person, through a representative, or by mail. It is not mandatory to apply exclusively to the office in your place of residence: documents can be registered at any Civil Registry Office in the country.

The application is reviewed within one month from the date of submission, and in complex situations, the period may be extended, but not beyond two months.

The state fee is 50 zlotys (11 euros, or 38 Belarusian rubles). It can be paid by bank transfer or directly at the municipal office (urząd) cash desk during working hours. In both cases, proof of payment must be attached to the application.

After the data from the foreign document has been entered into the Polish register, the foreigner is issued a full extract from the civil status record. The document can be picked up in person at the Civil Registry Office or ordered for delivery by mail.

Sworn Translation

Every document submitted to a Polish Civil Registry Office for transcription ("umiejscowienie") must be accompanied by a sworn translation (tłumaczenie przysięgłe) into Polish. For example, a sworn translation of a birth certificate typically costs 50–100 zlotys (11–22 euros, or 38–76 Belarusian rubles).

What documents are needed to apply for transcription

Among the required documents:

• application for transcription (wniosek),
• original foreign civil status record — birth certificate, marriage certificate, or death certificate,
• sworn translation of the certificate into Polish,
• proof of payment of the state fee.

You also need to have an identity document with you.

Green booklets and apostille

The practice of different Civil Registry Offices often varies. Depending on the circumstances and the specific office, the applicant may need additional documents, such as an apostille or parents' birth certificates. Therefore, before visiting, it is advisable to clarify the current list directly with the chosen institution.

In the summer of 2025, many Civil Registry Offices required an apostille on documents issued by BSSR or USSR authorities, or on copies thereof issued already in sovereign Belarus. This was due to a letter from the Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs, which recommended requesting additional confirmation of document authenticity, such as an apostille, in cases where the head of the Polish Civil Registry Office doubts the official nature of the document or its authenticity.

It cannot be unequivocally stated that a particular document will definitely require an apostille or, conversely, will be accepted without one. It is best to clarify this with a specific Civil Registry Office and, if necessary, choose another. It is important to remember that you can apply to any Civil Registry Office in Poland, regardless of your place of residence.

Are original documents returned?

When processing documents at a Polish Civil Registry Office, originals remain in the archives — and are not returned to the applicant.

However, in exceptional cases, the original foreign civil status document may be returned upon application by the person who submitted it, if it is impossible to obtain a duplicate copy of the document. To do this, you must write a free-form application addressed to the head of the Civil Registry Office, referring to Article 26 of the Civil Status Records Act.

If the application is granted, the head of the Civil Registry Office will make a copy of the document and certify its conformity with the original. The certified copy will remain in the institution's archives, and the original will be returned to the applicant.

Additional documents: parents' birth certificates and proof of name change

Some Polish Civil Registry Offices require both parents' birth certificates, others require the mother's certificate to enter her maiden name, and still others do not request such information at all.

If the applicant changed their surname, the Civil Registry Office may also request documents confirming the grounds for such a change. Depending on the situation, this could be a marriage certificate or a certificate of name and surname change.

If the applicant remarried but kept their previous spouse's surname, an archival certificate can be provided as additional proof. Most is aware of a case in Warsaw where such a certificate was accepted even without a sworn translation.

When can transcription of documents be refused?

Article 107 of the Civil Status Records Act provides for three grounds on which the head of the Civil Registry Office is obliged to refuse the transcription of a foreign civil status record.

First, the document does not meet the established requirements. For example, it is not recognized as a civil status record in the country of issue, has no legal force, was issued by an improper authority, raises doubts about its authenticity, or confirms a different event — not birth, marriage, or death.

Second, the Civil Registry Office will refuse transcription if the applicant submits not a document from the country where the event (birth, marriage, death) occurred, but a transcription of the original document made in some other state.

Third, carrying out the transcription contradicts the fundamental principles of Poland's legal order.

What else can be a problem?

A laminated document can become a serious obstacle during the transcription procedure at a Polish Civil Registry Office.

Most is aware of a case where a laminated birth certificate was accepted when submitting documents to the voivodeship office for obtaining permanent residence based on roots, but was refused acceptance by the Civil Registry Office for transcription. The employee explained to the applicant that such a document could be accepted if the applicant is under international protection in Poland.

What to do in case of refusal of transcription?

If the Civil Registry Office refuses to enter a foreign document into the registers, the applicant has the right to appeal this. A complaint is submitted to the Voivode within 14 days from the date of receiving the decision — through the head of the Civil Registry Office who issued the refusal.

What to do if the certificate is lost or damaged?

If the birth certificate has been lost or damaged, you can try to obtain a duplicate copy in the country of issue. However, in Belarus, this can only be done either by personally appearing at the Civil Registry Office or through a representative based on a power of attorney issued in Belarus.

If travel to Belarus is impossible, for example, for individuals under international protection in Poland, one can try to undergo the procedure for restoring the content of a foreign civil status record (odtworzenie treści zagranicznego dokumentu stanu cywilnego). Article 109 of the Civil Status Records Act states that this procedure applies when obtaining a duplicate document is impossible or involves serious difficulties.

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