adam1986
17 Feb 2015
Law / Possible prospects of gaining Polish Citizenship (grandfather heritage)? [11]
Merged: Do I qualify for Polish citizenship?
Hi, I was hoping someone could give me some advice. I have a couple of questions.
1. Do I qualify for Polish citizenship? My paternal grandfather was born in Poland (as a Polish citizen) in 1916, and emigrated along with his wife to Australia in 1950. He wasn't naturalized as an Australian citizen until the late 1950s. To the best of my knowledge he never worked as a government official in Australia, nor was he in the Australian or any military other than the Polish military (in which he did serve for a few years). My father was born in Australia in the mid 1950s, prior to my grandfather's naturalization as an Australian citizen.
2. If yes, is it possible to get a Polish passport or some recognition of citizenship? The major roadblock I see here is re: documentation. I would presumably need to show that my father is the child of a Polish citizen, but - I'm mostly estranged from my father and he is unlikely to grant permission for access to his birth certificate - his permission is needed to access the certificate as long as he is still living. I can get an "uncertified" copy, but they're not intended for use for official purposes as they don't have the registrar signature etc on them.
I have and/or can obtain:
My own birth certificate
Both grandparents' birth certificates
Grandparents' marriage certificate
Copies of grandparents' immigration paperwork and naturalization documents in Australia
Copies of each grandparent's will and probate paperwork. I doubt the Polish authorities would care much about these but the wills do mention my father and me.
I also carry my grandfather's (fairly uncommon, and distinctively Polish) surname, if that helps at all.
For what it's worth, I have a genuine interest in my Polish heritage -my wife and I have have been learning the language, my wife really wants to study there and I am keen to try and find work and give living there a go, with a view to potentially staying long term. I think this will be easier if I can be acknowledged as a Polish citizen. Would really love any advice!
Merged: Do I qualify for Polish citizenship?
Hi, I was hoping someone could give me some advice. I have a couple of questions.
1. Do I qualify for Polish citizenship? My paternal grandfather was born in Poland (as a Polish citizen) in 1916, and emigrated along with his wife to Australia in 1950. He wasn't naturalized as an Australian citizen until the late 1950s. To the best of my knowledge he never worked as a government official in Australia, nor was he in the Australian or any military other than the Polish military (in which he did serve for a few years). My father was born in Australia in the mid 1950s, prior to my grandfather's naturalization as an Australian citizen.
2. If yes, is it possible to get a Polish passport or some recognition of citizenship? The major roadblock I see here is re: documentation. I would presumably need to show that my father is the child of a Polish citizen, but - I'm mostly estranged from my father and he is unlikely to grant permission for access to his birth certificate - his permission is needed to access the certificate as long as he is still living. I can get an "uncertified" copy, but they're not intended for use for official purposes as they don't have the registrar signature etc on them.
I have and/or can obtain:
My own birth certificate
Both grandparents' birth certificates
Grandparents' marriage certificate
Copies of grandparents' immigration paperwork and naturalization documents in Australia
Copies of each grandparent's will and probate paperwork. I doubt the Polish authorities would care much about these but the wills do mention my father and me.
I also carry my grandfather's (fairly uncommon, and distinctively Polish) surname, if that helps at all.
For what it's worth, I have a genuine interest in my Polish heritage -my wife and I have have been learning the language, my wife really wants to study there and I am keen to try and find work and give living there a go, with a view to potentially staying long term. I think this will be easier if I can be acknowledged as a Polish citizen. Would really love any advice!