Civil Records

This page is designed to help you locate the vital record documents you need. The Embassy cannot obtain documents on your behalf, and cannot provide translations of documents issued in Polish. Other records, such as birth certificates for people born in the U.S., are stored in the state of origin.

Jump ahead to information on obtaining vital documents from ...

- The Department of State
- Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Certificates from Poland
- Police Clearances and Records


BIRTH, MARRIAGE, DIVORCE AND DEATH CERTIFICATES

A copy of the record must be obtained from the Vital Statistics Office of the appropriate locality. If the birth, marriage or death occurred in a village or other place in which no vital statistics office is maintained, the record can be obtained from the Communal Vital Statistics Office (lokalny Urzad Stanu Cywilnego) established for the community. Copies of the records can also be obtained from the district court having jurisdiction over the area, as duplicate copies of vital statistic records must be maintained as a part of such courts.

Polish legislation provides for the issuance of the three types of certificates pertaining to birth, marriage and death:

a complete and true copy (odpis zupelny),

an abbreviated copy (odpis skrocony), and

an excerpt from the original records (wyciag).

The complete and true copy is generally preferable because of the meager data furnished in the abbreviated copy and excerpts.

A copy of a divorce decree may be obtained from the District Court where the decree was rendered.


POLICE CLEARANCES AND RECORDS

If the Applicant is in Poland

Application should be made directly to the National Criminal Register (Krajowy Rejestr Karny) ul. Zwyciezcow 34, 03-938 Warsaw. Applicant should furnish full name, any name previously used (i.e., maiden name), full names of parents, applicant's current address, profession, and period of residence in Poland. It usually takes from two to four weeks for the Ministry of Justice to process good conduct certificate requests, although someone who appears personally at the Ministry can often obtain a certificate on the same day.

If the Applicant is in the United States

Application should be sent to one of the four Polish diplomatic missions in the U.S.: Washington, DC, New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles. Applications may also be sent directly from overseas to the Ministry of Justice address listed above. The processed certificates are mailed to the applicant's address in the U.S.

If the Applicant is in a Third Country

Application should be sent to the Polish Embassy in that country, or may be mailed directly to the Ministry of Justice address listed above. Processed certificates are mailed to the applicant’s address.