Transcribing UK birth, marriage and death certificates in Poland

Transcription means entering a foreign civil status record (birth, marriage, death) in the Polish civil registers. Afterwards you receive a Polish certificate that you can use with Polish offices, banks and courts. You usually need it when you want to deal with a matter in Poland based on an event in the UK:

• a PESEL number for a child born in the UK, and a Polish passport or ID card for them,
• a wedding or divorce in Poland, or recognition of a UK divorce (see recognition of a UK divorce in Poland),
• inheritance matters - a Polish death certificate is often needed for a declaration of acquisition of an inheritance,
• a change of surname after marriage or divorce and aligning data across documents,
• benefits, insurance and other official matters in Poland.

1. A full certificate. A short certificate, which does not show the parents' details, is usually not enough. For a birth you need the full certificate with the parents' details.
2. An apostille. A UK-issued document normally has to carry an apostille, the international certification issued in the UK.
3. A sworn translation into Polish. It is usually made by a sworn translator on a Polish list, and the certificate and translation must agree on names.
4. The applicant's ID and, where relevant, Polish civil status records of parents or spouses.
5. The application for transcription with proof of payment of the state fee (currently PLN 50 per transcription).

We prepare a document list tailored to the record you want to transcribe and check that it is complete before it reaches the office, so your application is not sent back for supplements.

The application can be filed at a Polish consulate in the UK or directly at a registry office in Poland, also through a representative. The competent office depends on your situation (for example your last place of residence in Poland); if there is none, the case is usually handled by the registry office for Warsaw-Śródmieście. Waiting times vary from a few weeks to a few months, especially where the office asks for further documents. If time is short (a passport, a wedding, an inheritance), start as early as possible.

• Spelling of names. In the UK a child's name may be recorded differently from Poland (for example without Polish characters, or a girl's surname in masculine form, such as "Kowalski" instead of "Kowalska"). Such a discrepancy has to be addressed from the start because it may need a separate application.
• A short certificate instead of a full one, or a missing apostille.
• Inconsistent parents' data (date of birth, maiden name, marital status) between Polish and UK records.
• A child born outside marriage - how the father is entered depends on how paternity was recorded in the UK documents.
• A changed marital status - if you did not transcribe your marriage certificate and want, for example, to marry again in Poland, the order of transcriptions matters.

• Marriage certificate. Needed for changing your surname in Polish documents, a divorce in Poland and recognising a UK divorce.
• Death certificate. Needed for succession, and for dealing with banks and insurers in Poland.
• Certificate of legal capacity to marry. For a wedding in the UK, the English registrar may require a certificate from Poland confirming there is no impediment. It is issued by a Polish registry office or a consul.
• Change of first name or surname, and returning to a maiden name. These matters have their own rules and deadlines, especially after a divorce.
• Confirmation of Polish citizenship. Useful for people born abroad or without Polish identity documents; handled by the voivode.

• we establish which records need to be transcribed and in which order,
• we check that the UK documents are complete (full certificate, apostille, translation),
• we file the application on your behalf and deal with the office,
• we resolve problems with spelling of names and inconsistent data,
• we help with the next steps: PESEL, passport, change of surname, recognition of a divorce, inheritance.