When to submit an application?
You can apply for the Pole’s Card at any time if you are a citizen of Belarus, the Russian Federation, or Ukraine, declare your affiliation with the Polish Nation and meet all of the following conditions:
• demonstrate your connection with Polishness through at least a basic knowledge of the Polish language, which you consider your native language, and the knowledge and cultivation of Polish traditions and customs,
• submit a written declaration of belonging to the Polish Nation in the presence of an official,
• demonstrate that you are of Polish nationality or that at least one of your parents or grandparents or two great-grandparents were of Polish nationality, or you present a certificate from an authorized Polish organisation or Polish diaspora organisation confirming your active involvement in activities promoting the Polish language and culture or the Polish national minority for at least the last three years,
• you submit a statement (included in the application form) that neither you nor your ascendants have repatriated or have been repatriated from the territory of the Republic of Poland or the Polish People's Republic on the basis of repatriation agreements concluded between 1944 -1957 by the Republic of Poland or by the Polish People's Republic with the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, to one of the countries being a party to these agreements.
You can also apply for the Pole’s Card if your Polish origin has been confirmed in accordance with the provisions of the Act of November 9, 2000 on repatriation, provided that you demonstrate at least a basic knowledge of the Polish language.
How to submit the application?
For an appointment to submit an application for the Pole's Card for minor children, please book via the website https://bezkolejki.eu/ouw)
When booking via the online system, please arrive 10 minutes earlier than the agreed time to collect your ticket from the ticket machine.
Online appointment registration will be launched on January 20, 2025.
Submitting an application for the Pole's Card for adults:
Please be advised that registration for the Pole's Card will be open from the 15th to 17th of January 2025.
Applications will only be accepted at the following e-mail address: karta.polaka@opole.uw.gov.pl
Registration opens on January 15, 2025, at 8:00 a.m.
Registration closes on January 17, 2025, at 8:00 p.m.
Appointments will be scheduled from January 27, 2025.
If you want to make an appointment to submit your application for the Pole’s Card in person, please send your request to the following email address: karta.polaka@opole.uw.gov.pl
Please do not submit multiple requests.
It is not possible to change the data contained in the application or the scheduled appointment date.
If you wish to cancel your appointment, please send a reply email to karta.polaka@opole.uw.gov.pl with the subject line ‘cancellation of appointment’.
The application shall include exclusively the following information, under pain of nullity:
1. In the subject line of the email, please specify the purpose of your application – Granting of the Pole’s Card.
Note: applications without a relevant email subject line are automatically rejected.
2. In the email, please specify:
• the first and last name of the person to whom the application relates (spelling as in the passport);
• date of birth (day, month, year);
• citizenship(s);
• telephone number;
• current place of residence
You can register one person in a single email.
Please note: applications containing incomplete data or data other than that specified above, or containing attachments, will not be considered. Applications sent as attachments to emails will not be registered.
Once we receive your correctly completed application, you will receive a reply or a phone call from the Office with information about the date of your visit. The waiting time for a reply depends on the number of applications received.
The above e-mail address is used only for registration purposes. All other messages will remain unanswered.
If you have already submitted your application or applied for the Pole’s Card
to another authority, i.e., the Polish consul or provincial governor, please do not send your application.
What documents need to be submitted?
Submit the application form for the Pole’s Card or its extension, completed in accordance with the instructions, and attach:
• a current, clear photograph, 35 x 45 mm in size, taken within the last 6 months against a uniform light background with even lighting of the face, without a head covering or dark glasses,
• the original (for inspection) of a document confirming identity,
• the original (for inspection) of documents confirming that at least one of the foreigner's parents or grandparents or two great-grandparents were of Polish nationality,
• in the case of activity in Polish and Polish diaspora organisations – a certificate from a Polish or Polish diaspora organisation confirming active involvement in activities for the benefit of the Polish language and culture or the Polish national minority for at least the last three years.
A list of Polish organisations and institutions abroad and Polish diaspora organisations authorised to issue the certificates referred to in point 4 is specified in the announcement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of 3 January 2020 on the list of Polish or Polish diaspora organisations authorised to issue certificates confirming active involvement in activities promoting the Polish language and culture or the Polish national minority.
The applicant for the Pole’s Card demonstrates knowledge of the Polish language by submitting:
• a certificate of proficiency in Polish issued by the State Commission for the Certification of Proficiency in Polish as a Foreign Language,
• a certificate of graduation from a school or university in Poland or a certificate of graduation from a school abroad with Polish being the language of instruction.
In the absence of the above-mentioned documents, the knowledge of Polish will be assessed during the interview by the Provincial Governor.
Certificates, extracts from the state register and other documents issued by foreign archival resources (including certified copies of historical documents attached to such certificates) must be accompanied by a clause stating that they are certified copies – apostille. Failure to comply with this requirement renders the document insufficient for the recognition of the facts contained therein. In the course of the proceedings, it may be necessary to submit additional civil status documents, i.e. a full extract from the state register/full copy of the birth certificate – if a duplicate/copy of the civil status document containing an entry on the Polish nationality of the applicant or his/her ancestors is attached to the case.
When applying for the Pole's Card for a minor, please submit:
1. the original (for inspection) of the birth certificate of the minor,
2. identity documents of both parents or legal guardians, and in the event of the death of one of the parents – the death certificate,
3. the original Pole’s Card of one or both parents,
4. In cases where one of the parents does not have parental authority, it is necessary to submit a document confirming this legal status.
Both parents must be present to submit the application for a minor.
In case only one parent is present when submitting the application for the Pole’s Card for a minor child, the following must be submitted:
• a statement of consent to the granting of the Pole’s Card to a minor child, made before a consul, notary public or provincial governor by the parent who is unable to attend the appointment, unless the other parent does not have parental authority, and
• the original or a certified copy of the passport (3 pages – with personal details, place of birth, and place of residence) of the parent who is unable to attend the appointment.
The Pole’s Card may be granted to a minor who has reached the age of 16 only with the minor’s consent.
In the event of the death of one of the parents who met the conditions for Polish nationality, the Pole’s Card may be granted to a minor at the request of the surviving parent if it can be demonstrated that the minor meets the conditions for Polish nationality.
In the event of the death of both parents, at least one of whom met the conditions for Polish nationality, the Pole’s Card may be granted to a minor at the request of their legal representative if it is demonstrated that the minor meets the conditions for Polish nationality.
In case of the certified copy of the passport of an absent parent and providing a statement of consent to the granting of the Pole’s Card to a minor child by that parent before a notary public abroad, the documents must bear the following clause – apostille
All documents drawn up in a foreign language, serving as evidence in proceedings conducted under the Act, must be submitted together with their translations into Polish made by a sworn translator.
The foreigner is required to submit the original document for inspection and at the same time have a copy of it. This rule applies to all documents (including travel documents) with the exception of application forms.
No stamp duty is charged when applying for the Pole’s Card.
What should I know?
In the course of the proceedings for granting the Pole's Card, we are going to have a conversation with you in Polish, which will refer to your connections with Polishness, Polish traditions and customs.
The Pole's Card is a document confirming affiliation with the Polish Nation.
The holder of the Pole’s Card is exempt from:
• consular fees for accepting and processing applications for national visas for the purpose of exercising the rights arising from possession of the Pole’s Card
• consular fees for accepting applications and preparing documentation for the granting of Polish citizenship
• the work permit requirement.
The holder of the Pole’s Card has the right to:
• take up and perform work without a work permit,
• take up and perform economic activity on the same terms as Polish citizens,
• education at a doctoral school, undertaking and completing studies and other forms of education, as well as participating in scientific activities,
• undertake forms of education on the terms specified in the act – Education Law,
• use of emergency healthcare services,
• a 37% discount on public rail transport for passengers, fast and express trains,
• free admission to state museums,
• assistance from the consul, within the scope of his or her competence and in accordance with and respecting international customs and law, in situations threatening life or safety.
The Pole’s Card:
• does not mean acquisition of Polish citizenship or confirmation of Polish origin within the meaning of separate regulations,
• is not a document entitling you to cross the border or settle in the territory of the Republic of Poland.
The Pole’s Card is issued:
• outside Poland – by the consul competent for your place of residence in your country of origin,
• in Poland – by the Voivode competent for your place of residence in Poland.
The Pole’s Card is valid for 10 years from the date of issue. The Pole’s Card granted to a person over 65 years of age is valid for an indefinite period. The Pole’s Card granted to a minor is valid for 10 years from the date of issue, but no longer than one year after the minor reaches the age of majority.
I have received the decision – how to obtain the Pole’s Card?
The Pole’s Card is issued after a positive decision on its granting has been made.
The Pole’s Card shall be collected in person at the Foreigners’ Service Centre of the Opole Provincial Office.
The Pole’s Card for minors is collected by a parent/legal guardian.
You can book an appointment to collect your Pole’s Card in advance via the website https://bezkolejki.eu/ouw)
To collect your Pole’s Card, bring a valid travel document and your previous Pole’s Card if one was issued.
Check if your Pole’s Card is ready for collection by calling 77 45 24 305.