For a person born abroad who has never lived in Poland, the transcription of the foreign birth certificate into the Polish civil register is the step that makes everything else possible. It is what produces a Polish birth certificate, and it is a precondition for being assigned a national identification number and for obtaining a passport.
Quick facts
One point is easy to miss: the identification number is not requested separately. The application for it is made at the passport appointment, once the Polish birth certificate exists.
Fees breakdown
| Service | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Transcription of a foreign birth or marriage certificate | Consular tariff | Paid at the consulate |
| Certified translation | Consular tariff or translator’s fee | Consul may certify it |
| U.S. certificate and apostille | $15–$50 plus $3–$25 | Where required |
| Correction or adaptation of spelling | Consular tariff | Requested at transcription |
| Identification number | Free | Applied for at the passport appointment |
Where one parent has no Polish birth certificate and the parents’ marriage was never registered in Poland, the consulate recommends filing that parent’s original birth certificate too. Without it the transcription can still be done, but the resulting record will be incomplete — and an incomplete record can block both the identification number and the passport.
How to file
- Order the U.S. birth or marriage certificate, and check whether an apostille is required.
- Arrange the Polish translation, or plan to have the consul certify it.
- Book the appointment through the consular booking system.
- Submit the application with the foreign certificate, the translation and the parents’ documents.
- Ask at the same time for the spelling to be adapted to Polish rules, if the foreign record omits diacritics.
- Collect the Polish certificate, then book the passport appointment.
Required documents
- Foreign birth or marriage certificate, original.
- Translation certified by a sworn translator or by the consul.
- Parents’ documents, including a Polish birth certificate where one exists.
- Original birth certificate of a parent who has no Polish record, with apostille and translation.
- Identity documents of the person applying.
- Completed transcription application.
Where to file
At a Polish consulate in the United States, which forwards the file to the civil registry office in Poland that will hold the record.
Consulate Of Poland Honorary
View details →DetroitConsulate of the Republic of Poland in Detroit
View details →HonoluluHonorary Consulate of Poland in Honolulu
View details →HoustonConsulate General of the Republic of Poland in Houston
View details →Las VegasConsulate of Poland in Las Vegas
View details →Los AngelesConsulate General of the Republic of Poland
View details →New YorkConsulate General of the Republic of Poland
View details →North Bay VillageConsulate General of Poland
View details →WashingtonEmbassy of the Republic of Poland
View details →WashingtonConsulate of Poland
View details →Additional notes
Citizenship cases have an extra condition
Where the transcription is done as part of a citizenship confirmation case, the passport application will only be accepted once the provincial governor has issued a positive decision on citizenship.
Fix the spelling early
Adapting the spelling to Polish rules at transcription is far simpler than correcting records afterwards, and it prevents mismatches between the Polish and American documents.
Marriages
Transcribing a marriage celebrated in the United States matters for surnames, inheritance and any later passport in a married name.
Keep several copies
The Polish certificate is requested again and again. Order more than one copy when it is issued.