The Pole's Card (Karta Polaka) is a certificate of belonging to the Polish nation for citizens of 15 former USSR countries. It provides benefits for entry, work, education, and healthcare in Poland, and simplifies obtaining citizenship. The procedure is currently completely free by law — but the government is preparing changes that could alter this as early as 2026. The main challenge: proving Polish ancestry and passing the interview with a consul.
We book your interview — through a consulate (abroad) or with a voivode (if you're from Ukraine, Belarus, or Russia and already in Poland). Wait time depends on how busy the specific office is — from a few weeks to a few months.
Locating proof of Polish origin, sworn translation, completing the application form, photo, certificates. Average timeline — 1–2 months, depending on the complexity of the archival search.
A1 level: basic language comprehension and the ability to answer the consul's or voivode's questions. We cover history, culture, and your personal connection to Polish heritage.
Usually takes 2–3 hours: document verification and an oral interview on knowledge of the language, history, and culture of Poland.
Consuls abroad usually decide faster. If the application is filed with a voivode in Poland (for citizens of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia), the standard review period is 4–6 months from filing.
After a positive decision, the plastic card is produced and delivered to the consulate or voivode — roughly 2.5–3.5 months from the decision being approved.
A parent, grandparent, or two great-grandparents of Polish nationality. Documents can often be recovered through archives.
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, or Uzbekistan — or stateless status in one of these countries. We verify your eligibility at the consultation.
Since early 2026, the application can be filed not only through a consul abroad, but also through a voivode directly in Poland — without having to travel back to your country of origin.
The Pole's Card speeds up the path to citizenship: once you hold it, you obtain permanent residence, wait the formal one-year period on that ground, then apply for recognition as a citizen. The whole path together takes about 3 years in total. If you have Polish roots, this is the logical first step.
We collect surnames, first names, dates and places of birth, death, or marriage of your ancestors. We explore possible connections to Poland: place of residence, nationality, involvement in Polish organisations. We review everything you already have — a family tree, birth and marriage certificates, archive records, family photos, or letters.
Based on the information gathered, we draft a plan: which archives and sources are most promising in your specific case.
The Polish National Archives (Archiwum Państwowe), local archives in the regions where ancestors may have lived, and civil registry archives for birth, marriage, and death records.
Baptism, confirmation, and marriage records from Catholic or Orthodox churches, and certificates of religious affiliation if ancestors were Catholic.
If ancestors emigrated — for example, left Poland in the early 20th century — we send requests to archives in the countries they moved to.
Village councils, population censuses, land registries, membership lists of Polish organisations.
We check all the data found for consistency — dates, surnames, other details. We prepare a structured report: a description of the findings, copies of supporting documents, and sworn translations.
Honestly: search timelines depend on the number of sources, archive accessibility, and how complex your family history is. We can't guarantee a positive result in advance — but in most cases we find a workable ground.
We review family history, available documents, and potential archival sources.
Archive requests, document collection, translations.
A1 language, history, culture, personal narrative. Rehearsal with typical questions.
Filing the full package — at a consulate (abroad, decisions are usually faster) or with a voivode (if you're from Ukraine, Belarus, or Russia and already in Poland — the decision takes 4–6 months). Plus 2.5–3.5 months for card production and delivery after the decision.
The procedure for obtaining or renewing the Pole's Card is completely free by law — there's no consular fee and no government fee. Our fee depends on the scope of archival work and additional requests involved. We provide an estimate at the consultation. There are no add-on charges along the way — your quote doesn't change until the decision is issued.
No surprise charges — your quote is fixed until the decision is issued.
Visa-free entry to Poland, the right to work without a permit, discounts on education and healthcare, museum discounts. Most importantly — a simplified path to citizenship.
It varies. Minor children receive the Pole's Card automatically, without an interview, if their parent holds one. A spouse does not — a separate, simpler procedure applies to them (visa, permanent residence, citizenship), but they don't automatically receive the card itself.
Both figures are correct — they just refer to different stages of the same path. If you already hold permanent residence obtained on the ground of Polish origin or the Pole's Card, the formal waiting period before applying for recognition as a citizen is 1 year. But counting the entire path from scratch — getting the Pole's Card itself, the interview, obtaining permanent residence, the one-year wait, and the recognition procedure — it adds up to about 3 years in total, compared with 8–9 years on the general path without Polish roots.
Yes. One parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent of Polish nationality is sufficient ground. The key is documentary proof.
Archive requests often yield results even several generations back. Indirect evidence — family photos, letters, relatives' testimonies — can sometimes support the case.
A2 level — understanding basic phrases and being able to answer the consul's or voivode's simple questions. We prepare you specifically for typical interview questions.
The Pole's Card is valid for 10 years, with renewal possible. An important nuance: if you reside in Poland continuously for more than 3 years, the card automatically loses validity by law — this is normal, since by that point you've usually already obtained permanent residence or citizenship, and the Pole's Card has simply served its purpose as a transitional step.
As of today, yes — the law explicitly exempts you from all fees, including consular ones, both for obtaining and renewing the card. But in 2026 the government is preparing amendments that could introduce a paid fee for reviewing applications, and remove some simplified grounds (such as confirmation via a certificate from a Polish community organisation without documentary proof of origin). If you have grounds and are planning to apply, it makes sense not to delay while the current, more lenient conditions are still in effect.
Describe your situation — the first consultation is free. Reply within 24 hours, usually faster.