Publication date: 08.05.2024
Lawyer
Polish citizenship opens many advantages and opportunities for Ukrainians. As a member of the European Union and NATO, it allows you to move freely, work and live in any country of the united Europe. Let's consider the main ways of acquiring Polish citizenship for our compatriots.
Receipt through origin (repatriation)
The easiest way for those who have documented Polish roots is the so-called "repatriation" procedure. For this, it is necessary to collect a historical family file, which confirms your genealogical connection with the Polish lands. These can be metric books, birth/marriage certificates, autobiographies of ancestors or archival documents.
After preparing the package of documents, it is submitted to the citizenship department of the Voivodship Administration at the place of residence in Poland. The decision to grant citizenship is made within 1-2 years. This procedure is free of charge for persons with confirmed Polish roots.
Map of the Pole as a first step
In order to facilitate the procedure of confirming the origin, it is advisable to first issue the Pole's Card. This document is a kind of confirmation of the connection with the Polish people and culture. To receive it, it is enough to confirm the fact that a relative belongs to Polish nationality.
Having a Pole's Card allows you to speed up the procedure for acquiring citizenship through repatriation by up to 1 year. Also, according to the law, if you have a Card, the period of residence for naturalization is reduced by three - from 10 to 3 years.
So, the step-by-step process of obtaining citizenship through roots looks like this:
1. Collect documents confirming your genealogy (autobiographies, metric books, etc.).
2. Issue a Pole Card.
3. Collect the required package of documents.
4. Submit a petition to the citizenship department and receive a positive decision.
Citizenship through marriage or residence
Another way is to obtain citizenship through marriage with a Polish citizen. After 3 years of official marriage, you can apply for citizenship. Knowledge of the Polish language at a basic level and proof of legal income for subsistence are also requirements.
The option of naturalization through residence provides for a period of 10 years of permanent legal stay in Poland (3 years for holders of the Pole's Card). Evidence of a source of regular income, a high level of Polish and loyalty to Poland is also required.
To apply for Polish citizenship through the voivodship administration, you must prepare the following set of documents:
A completed application in Polish according to the established form (it can be downloaded from the official government website).
The original of the applicant's foreign passport and a copy of all its pages.
1 color photo card measuring 4.5x3.5 cm, taken no earlier than 6 months ago.
A document confirming knowledge of the Polish language at least at the B1 level (original and copy). This can be a certificate of graduation from a Polish school, a diploma with studies in Polish, or a certificate of the State Commission on Polish as a Foreign Language.
Application from the applicant with a list of all dates of departures and entries to/from Poland, as well as information on places of stay abroad.
Receipt for the payment of the fee for the decision to grant citizenship (219 zlotys at the time of writing).
The original and a copy of documents confirming a stable source of income (work certificate, employment contract, income declaration).
The original and a copy of a document certifying permanent residence (ownership of an apartment or a lease agreement).
The original of the birth certificate and marriage certificate (if available) issued by the Polish department of the RACS. Foreign documents are not valid, so it is necessary to contact the RAC at your place of residence in advance to enter data into the Polish register.
Therefore, obtaining Polish citizenship for Ukrainians is much easier if ethnic ties with Poland are confirmed. Although even without roots there are ways of naturalization through marriage or long residence in the territory of the state. The main thing is to meet all the requirements and carefully prepare for the procedure.
