This is a document confirming a foreigner’s belonging to the Polish nation. Its acquisition does not mean obtaining Polish citizenship, does not entitle to cross the Polish border without a visa, and is not equivalent to obtaining the right to stay in Poland.
However, holders of the Pole’s Card obtain certain rights that make it easier to stay and work in Poland. Among the most important are:
- Exemption from consular fees for accepting and processing an application for a national visa in order to exercise the rights of the Pole’s Card
- Exemption from consular fees for accepting an application and processing documentation in a Polish citizenship case
- The right to work legally in Poland without the need to obtain a work permit
- The right to undertake economic activity in Poland on the same terms as Polish citizens;
- The right to pursue schooling, studies, doctoral studies and other forms of education, as well as to participate in scientific research and development work;
- The use of health care benefits in emergencies;
- The right to receive a cash benefit for partial coverage of subsistence in Poland when applying for permanent residence. The cash benefit is granted for up to 9 months;
- Priority in applying for financial assistance to support Poles abroad.
Legal basis:
Art. 3-8 of the Act of September 7, 2007 on the Pole’s Card (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 192.)
Obtaining a Pole’s Card requires submission of an application and fulfilment of statutory conditions. The application is addressed to the consul with jurisdiction over the foreigner’s place of residence, and in some cases to the provincial governor. Current regulations provide for the competence of the Voivodes of the Lower Silesian, Kuyavian-Pomeranian, Lublin, Lubusz, Łódź, Lesser Poland, Mazovian, Opole, Subcarpathian, Podlaskie, Pomeranian, Silesian, Świętokrzyskie, Warmian-Masurian, Greater Poland and West Pomeranian voivodeships as the competent authorities for receiving applications for granting or extending the validity of the Pole’s Card and issuing decisions in these cases, if the application was submitted by:
a citizen of Ukraine, the Republic of Belarus, or the Russian Federation or a person who has the status of a stateless person in these countries.
Legal basis:
Article 12 of the Act of September 7, 2007 on the Pole’s Card (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 192).
According to the law, the Pole’s Card may be granted to a person, who declares their affiliation with the Polish Nation and meets all of the following conditions:
- demonstrates their connection to Polish heritage by at least basic knowledge of the Polish language, which they consider their native language, and knowledge and cultivation of Polish traditions and customs;
- in the presence of the consul of the Republic of Poland or the Voivode or an employee designated by the Voivode, will make a written declaration of belonging to the Polish Nation;
- demonstrates that they are of Polish nationality or at least one of their parents or grandparents or two great-grandparents was of Polish nationality, or presents a certificate from a Polish or Polish-American organisation confirming active involvement in Polish language and culture or Polish national minority activities for at least the past three years;
- submits a statement that their ascendants did not repatriate or were not repatriated from the territory of the Republic of Poland or the Polish People’s Republic, on the basis of repatriation agreements concluded in 1944-1957 by the Republic of Poland or the Polish People’s Republic with the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, to one of the countries party to these agreements.
A Pole’s Card may be granted to a person:
- who does not have Polish citizenship on the date of application for the Pole’s Card and on the date of granting the Pole’s Card, or
- not having a permanent residence permit in the territory of the Republic of Poland, or
- having the status of a stateless person.
The Pole’s Card may also be granted to a person whose Polish ancestry has been established in accordance with the provisions of the Repatriation Act of November 9, 2000, provided that they demonstrate knowledge of the Polish language to at least a basic degree.
Legal basis:
Article 2 of the Act of September 7, 2007 on the Pole’s Card (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 192.)
The Pole’s Card is granted on the written application of the interested party, and in the case of minors on the application of their parents, when:
- Both parents hold a Pole’s Card.
- One of the parents has a Pole’s Card, with the consent of the other parent, expressed in a statement made before a consul or notary public, or in the case where the application can be made to the governor, before the governor, unless the other parent does not have parental authority.
In the case of minors who have reached the age of 16, the granting of a Pole’s Card requires the minor’s consent.
Legal basis:
Article 16 of the Act of September 7, 2007 on the Pole’s Card (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 192.)
As a rule, the Pole’s Card is valid for 10 years. The validity of the card can be extended for another 10 years. If the holder submits an appropriate application (the application can be submitted no earlier than 6 months before the expiration of the card).
A Pole’s Card issued to a minor is valid for 10 years, but for no longer than one year from the date the minor attains legal age. If, after reaching the legal age, no later than 3 months before the day on which the year from reaching the legal age expires, the holder of the Pole’s Card applies for an extension of its validity and signs a declaration of belonging to the Polish Nation, the validity of the Pole’s Card is extended for another 10 years.
The Pole’s Card granted to a person who has reached the age of 65 is valid for an indefinite period.
Legal basis:
Article 17 of the Act of September 7, 2007 on the Pole’s Card (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 192.)
Information current as of: .
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