Renunciation of Polish citizenship and how can one lose Polish citizenship

How can Polish citizenship get lost?

Under the current regulations, there is only one way of losing Polish citizenship – renunciation of Polish citizenship.

Renunciation of Polish citizenship is described in Chapter 6 of the Polish Citizenship Act. Article 46 of the Act on Polish Citizenship. It states that a Polish citizen who renounces Polish citizenship loses Polish citizenship after receiving the consent of the President of the Republic of Poland after acceptance of the application for renunciation of Polish citizenship.

The consent for renunciation of Polish citizenship is given in the form of a decision issued by the President of the Republic of Poland. Loss of citizenship occurs after 30 days from the date of issue of such a decision/document. Renunciation of Polish citizenship is a declaration of will made by the person, who wants to lose Polish citizenship and it is an obligatory element of the application for granting consent for such renunciation submitted to the President of the Republic of Poland.

What are the formal requirements to renounce Polish citizenship?

The only formal requirement limiting the President to issue consent for renunciation of Polish citizenship is stated in Art. 7 of the Hague Convention. Article 7 states that renunciation can be granted under the condition that an applicant poses citizenship of another country. This prevents cases of statelessness. Therefore, in addition to other documents, an applicant for renunciation of Polish citizenship should enclose a document confirming the possession of another citizenship or a promise to grant such citizenship.

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How can the application for renunciation of Polish citizenship be lodged?

The application for renunciation of Polish citizenship is subject to the same procedure as the application for the Grant of Polish citizenship to the President of the Republic of Poland. Renunciation of Polish citizenship is granted by the President of the Republic of Poland and the President’s office issues a decision on renunciation of Polish citizenship. The proof of issuance of such a decision (both positive and negative) is a notice drawn up by the Head of the Presidential Chancellery and delivered to the applicant via the Voivode or Polish Consul, depending on the residence of an applicant.

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Dorota Dwojacka

Polish Citizenship Expert at Five to Europe – conducts eligibility assessment, research towards locating required records for Polish citizenship application, application preparation and representing customer during the entire administrative process by the Voivode.

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Polish citizenship is passed by “the right of blood”. If one of the parents holds Polish citizenship (or is a person of Polish descent), it is passed to the child irrespective of whether the child was born in Poland or abroad.
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