If you have Polish ancestry, there is a strong possibility that Polish citizenship was passed to you at birth under the principle of citizenship by descent.
Jeśli wiesz, że masz polskie pochodzenie i płynie w tobie polska krew, prawdopodobnie jesteś obywatelem Polski, ponieważ została ci ona przekazana przy urodzeniu. Teraz trzeba to tylko potwierdzić. Proces Potwierdzenie polskiego obywatelstwa requires some effort from your side but it’s worth it!
Once your Polish citizenship is confirmed, you obtain full rights not only as a Polish citizen but also as a citizen of the European Union.
Once you receive your Polish citizenship, you not only become a Polish citizen but in addition to that, you also become a European citizen. Why do we mention it? Being able to call yourself a European citizen and having easy access to the EU is the major benefit of Polish citizenship. You get the right to live and work in Poland and the European Union, get access to the best European universities and you can pass your Polish citizenship legacy to your children and future generation.
These rights apply without the need for visas, residence permits, or work authorizations.
Obywatelstwo polskie - co oznacza?
One of the best Polish citizenship benefits is the fact that you can live anywhere in Europe without worrying about visa and time constraints connected to it. Polish citizenship grants freedom of movement within the European Union and the European Economic Area. Europe is such a diverse place when it comes to languages, cultures, landscapes, and food. Everyone can find a perfect spot to settle down. Whether it is famous for food and culture Italy, Portugal with its amazing beaches and surfing spots or beautifully landscaped Norway.
The only thing you need to do is to take your Polish passport, pack your bags and you are ready to move. No long-term visa or residence permit is required to relocate within the EU. There are some formalities that each European citizen needs to complete while moving to another EU country for more than 3 months, but it is a simple process of registration and nothing compared to the bureaucracy related to the long-stay visa application. Being able to call yourself a Polish citizen gives you the opportunity to live anywhere within the European Union.
Członkowie Twojej rodziny otrzymują prawa obywateli europejskich, mimo że nie są Polakami
What’s more, once you apply for Polish citizenship and get a Polish passport, you can bring your family on board with you.
Family members of a Polish citizen benefit from EU family reunification rules.
As a family of a Polish citizen, your relatives get many rights along with you.
Your spouse, despite not holding Polish citizenship, gets equal rights to yours to live and work in Europe.
It is just a matter of registering her/his presence in the country of your choice or obtaining a free spouse visa, depending on country regulations.
These procedures are significantly simplified compared to standard immigration processes.
When it comes to your children, they can either go through the process of Polish citizenship confirmation and get their own Polish passports – as simple as that.
As descendants of a Polish citizen, children are usually eligible for citizenship by descent.The other option is they can be treated as family members of European citizens if they depend on you and join you with much fewer formalities. So, once you are Polish, członkowie rodziny będą mogli z niego skorzystać.
Studiuj za darmo na wielu publicznych uniwersytetach
If you are at university age, once you hold Polish citizenship, you get access to lots of public universities across Europe. Polish citizens are treated as EU students and may study under the same conditions as local citizens. You can study at many of them free of charge or at a minor cost and once you are a Polish citizen the entry requirements may vary compared to these for US or Canadian citizens. You have a wide choice of famous and world class European universities in France, Italy, and Poland. Many of them offer tuition in English so you do not need to worry about not knowing the language. You can pick it up after a couple of years of living and studying abroad – how great is that?
Możesz pracować w dowolnym miejscu w Unii Europejskiej
The list of Polish citizenship benefits does not end here. Another great one is that you can work anywhere in Europe.
Polish citizenship gives you unrestricted access to the European labour market. Imagine you receive a job opportunity in Germany, Sweden, or any other member country of the European Union. If you are an American or Australian citizen, you need to apply for a working visa or find a company who will sponsor you in Europe. In many cases that would mean that your visa will tie you up with one employer and if you need or decide to change jobs, you need to apply for another working visa. This limitation does not apply to Polish citizens.
What’s important, before even applying for a working visa, you will need to upfront find an employer who would be interested in hiring you and sponsoring your visa. With a Polish passport and Polish citizenship, there is no need for that. Once you hold a Polish citizenship, you get access to the whole European job market, including countries such as Norway, Switzerland, or Iceland, which are not members of the European Union. This access is based on EU and EEA freedom of movement regulations. You can change jobs at any point of time, you just simply respond to a job application or offering, and you don’t need to worry about a work permit or working visa. Once you are a Polish passport holder, the whole European job market is widely open for you.
Możesz przekazać polskie obywatelstwo swoim potomkom
Polish citizenship is passed via the right of blood. This means citizenship is inherited from parent to child, regardless of the place of birth. What that means is that it was passed to you at your birth and so you pass it to your children at their birth and it will be passed to your future descendants despite the fact they are born abroad. There is no limit in the case of the number of generations, it is enough to prove that Polish citizenship was once held by one of your Polish ancestors and that it was not lost or renounced at any point of time. So, Polish citizenship will stay in your family for future generations. Confirming your citizenship today significantly simplifies the process for your descendants in the future. If you decide to confirm your Polish citizenship and get a Polish passport, that will make it much easier for your descendants in the future to get their Polish citizenship confirmed.
It is also worth mentioning that if your child gets born while you are a Polish citizen with a valid Polish document, he/she will automatically become Polish. In such cases, registration of the child’s birth in Poland is sufficient. It is enough to register your child’s birth in Poland and with a Polish duplicate of his/her birth certificate, you can straight away apply for a Polish passport for your new-born.
Polski paszport is a great document to have and along with it you can enjoy the benefits of being dual citizen. It combines national rights in Poland with full access to the European Union. If someone in your family was Polish, think about confirming your Polish citizenship and passing your Polish citizenship legacy to your future generations.
FAQ – The benefits of Polish citizenship
Can I lose Polish citizenship after confirming it?
Under current Polish law, Polish citizenship cannot be lost automatically. It can only be lost through an official and voluntary renunciation before Polish authorities.
Does Polish citizenship automatically give me EU citizenship rights?
Yes. Polish citizenship grants full European Union citizenship, including the right to live, work, and study in all EU and EEA countries without visas or work permits.
Do my children automatically become Polish citizens if I am Polish?
Yes. Polish citizenship is passed by descent, meaning your children acquire Polish citizenship at birth, even if they are born outside Poland, provided citizenship was not lost or renounced.
Is it worth confirming Polish citizenship if I do not plan to live in Poland?
Yes. Even if you do not plan to live in Poland, confirming Polish citizenship gives you long-term benefits such as EU mobility, access to education and employment across Europe, and the ability to pass citizenship on to future generations.
