Renunciation of Polish Citizenship
01
How can Polish citizenship be lost?
Under the current regulations, there is only one way of losing Polish citizenship – renunciation of Polish citizenship.
Renunciation of citizenship is described in Chapter 6 of the Polish Citizenship Act. Art. 46 of the Act on Polish Citizenship. It states that a Polish citizen who renounces Polish citizenship loses it after receiving the consent of the President of the Republic of Poland which is issued to a Polish citizen after acceptance of an 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 this 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.
In case you wonder why someone might want to renounce Polish citizenship, the answer is related to allegiance to one country. In some countries to be able to hold a public office position, it is permissible to hold citizenship only of that country.
02
Do I have to meet any formal requirement 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.
It should also be emphasized that renunciation of Polish citizenship itself is a declaration of will made by a Polish citizen wishing to lose his/her citizenship and is an obligatory element of the application for granting consent for such renunciation submitted to the President of the Republic of Poland.
03
How the application for renunciation of Polish citizenship can be lodged?
The application for renunciation of Polish citizenship is subject to the same procedure as the application for 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. From the time the application is received by the President’s Office. The process should take approximately 2 months.
04
Who can apply for renunciation of Polish citizenship?
Any Polish citizen that wishes to renounce Polish citizenship can apply for Polish citizenship renunciation. It is important to mention that applicants of Polish descent who are Polish citizens but never had their Polish citizenship confirmed, first need to go through the process of Polish citizenship confirmation. As a result, they will be issued with a Polish citizenship certificate proving they are Polish citizens. After that step, they can renounce their citizenship. An applicant needs to also register his or her vital records in Poland such as birth and marriage certificates. We support our clients with both, Polish citizenship confirmation and renunciation of Polish citizenship.
In case you plan to be involved in any political activity in your country of origin, become a politician or hold any public position but you do have Polish ancestry, please do check if having double citizenship would not be an obstacle. We can first assess if you are eligible to confirm your Polish citizenship and then renounce it. From our experience, we can tell you that such a procedure is extremely rare and is usually linked to holding public office in another country.
Speak to our consultants about Your Polish Citizenship.
Live in Europe with no limits.
- Send us a query
Fill in a simple contact form with your and your family details and we will get back to you to book a FREE consultation.
- We guide and advise
We will help you pick the best strategy and manage your application on your behalf. You will be informed about every step in the process. You do not need to speak Polish. You do not need to travel to Poland.
- Enjoy Polish passport
Once you are a confirmed Polish citizen, you can apply for your Polish passport on your own! Do that at the nearest Polish Consulate General or Polish Embassy with Consular services, we’ll show you how.