[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"advice-en-umiejscowienie-dokumentow":3},{"slug":4,"title":5,"excerpt":6,"body":7,"datePublished":8,"dateModified":8},"umiejscowienie-dokumentow","Transcription of a foreign birth or marriage record in Poland","Transcribing a foreign birth or marriage record: when it is needed, how to file at the civil registry, PLN 50 fee, translation and spelling of names.","\u003Cp>Transcription (in the language of the Act, \"umiejscowienie\") is the transfer of a foreign birth, marriage or death record into the Polish register of civil status. After transcription, the civil registry office issues a Polish full copy of the record, which is accepted by offices, courts and voivodes without further translations. The stamp duty is PLN 50 for each record, and the application can be filed at any civil registry office in Poland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>Why a foreigner needs a Polish civil-status record\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>A foreign record with a sworn translation is a valid document, but in each case it must be presented anew, and offices may question whether it is up to date. A Polish record solves this problem, because it sits in the register of civil status and a further copy can be obtained from any office. In practice, transcription is particularly useful:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>when applying for \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002Fadvice\u002Fobywatelstwo-polskie-overview\">recognition as or grant of Polish citizenship\u003C\u002Fa>,\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>in residence cases where the voivode examines family ties, e.g. residence with a family member or \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002Fadvice\u002Fkarta-pobytu-stalego\">permanent residence\u003C\u002Fa>,\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>for a wedding in Poland of a person divorced abroad, or when drawing up the birth record of a child born in Poland where the parents were married abroad,\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>in inheritance, divorce and maintenance cases before a Polish court.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>For a Polish citizen who already has a record drawn up in Poland, transcription is mandatory where they want to perform an act at the civil registry office, obtain a Polish ID document or be given a PESEL number. A foreigner files voluntarily, but in many procedures, without a Polish record, the case takes longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>What may be transcribed and what the office will not accept\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The rules are set out in Articles 104–107 of the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.sejm.gov.pl\u002Feli\u002Facts\u002FDU\u002F2026\u002F393\u002Ftext.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Civil Status Records Act\u003C\u002Fa>. A document can be transferred if, in the issuing country, it is recognised as a civil-status record, has the force of an official document, comes from the competent authority and does not raise doubts as to authenticity. The head of the office will refuse transcription where:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>the document concerns an event other than birth, marriage or death (e.g. a certificate of marital status or a divorce judgment),\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>it is the result of transcription made in a third country, not in the country in which the event occurred,\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>the transfer would be contrary to fundamental principles of the Polish legal order.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>A foreign divorce judgment is not transcribed. If it is subject to recognition in Poland, the office adds an annotation on the divorce to the Polish marriage record. Where obtaining a copy from the country of origin is impossible or very difficult (e.g. because of war), the Act provides for a separate procedure: \u003Cstrong>recreation of the content of a foreign document\u003C\u002Fstrong> on the basis of a document in hand or its certified copy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>Procedure step by step\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Obtain a current copy of the foreign record.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Preferably the full version, containing the parents' data and any annotations. Obtaining a document abroad is often the longest stage.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Order a sworn translation.\u003C\u002Fstrong> The Act requires an official translation into Polish, made by a sworn translator from the list of the Minister of Justice, a translator authorised in another EU or EEA country, or a consul.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Choose a civil registry office.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Local competence does not apply — the application may be filed at any office, and from abroad through a Polish consul.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>File the application.\u003C\u002Fstrong> It may be filed by the person to whom the record refers, or by another person with a legal interest (e.g. a parent in the matter of the child's record). For a marriage record, declarations on the surname worn after the wedding and the children's surname may be filed at once, if the foreign record does not contain them.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Pay the stamp duty\u003C\u002Fstrong> — PLN 50 for the full copy issued after transcription, to the account of the city or commune office in which the civil registry office operates.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Collect the Polish full copy\u003C\u002Fstrong> in paper or electronic form. The waiting time depends on the office's workload, so the application should be filed well before any residence or citizenship case.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\n\n\u003Ch2>Spelling of first and last names\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>This is the most frequent source of later problems. Transcription consists in a faithful, literal transfer of the content of the document, without interference with the spelling of first and last names. Adapting the entry to Polish spelling rules is available only to Polish citizens who also have Polish records, and only on an application filed together with the application for transcription. Names of foreign localities are entered in the spelling set by the Commission on Standardisation of Geographical Names.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before filing the application, it is worth comparing the entry of the data in the record, the translation, the passport and the residence card (karta pobytu). If the translator applied a different transliteration than the one in the passport, it is easier to clarify this at the translation stage than later to correct the Polish record in separate proceedings, for which another fee is charged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Ch2>Original, copies and validity of documents\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>The original stays in the files.\u003C\u002Fstrong> The foreign document goes into the office's collective files. Its return is possible only on application and only where the applicant cannot obtain the document again; the office then keeps a certified copy.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Further copies\u003C\u002Fstrong> are issued by any civil registry office, including electronically. A full copy costs PLN 33, and entitled persons may file the application via an electronic service after authentication, e.g. with the trusted profile.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Validity:\u003C\u002Fstrong> the law does not set a validity period for a copy of a record; the 6-month period concerns certificates of marital status. Still, before a visit it is worth checking whether a specific body expects a copy issued within a given time.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Changes after transcription\u003C\u002Fstrong> (divorce, change of surname) are added to the Polish record as annotations, so that the next copy shows the current status.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\n\u003Ch2>Most common mistakes\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Presenting a foreign abridged copy without the parents' data — the office may request a completion.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Translation made by a person without sworn-translator qualifications.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Discrepancies in transliteration between identity documents and the record.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Leaving transcription for the last minute before filing an application for citizenship or a residence card.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Attempting to transcribe a foreign divorce judgment instead of applying for an annotation to the marriage record.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\n\u003Ch2>How Good Balance can help\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>We will prepare a list of documents, check translations and the match of the data with the passport, and guide the application through the civil registry office. We combine transcription with the whole family and residence case under the service of \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002Fservices\u002Flegalization\u002Fliving-with-country-citizen\">legalisation of residence with a family member\u003C\u002Fa>, and for unusual documents we offer a \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002Fservices\u002Flegal\u002Fconsultation\">legal consultation\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>","2026-10-09"]