komi
9 Jun 2018
History / Was it possible to be a dual Polish citizen in the 1930s? [8]
According to the Polish Citizenship Act of 1920, Article 1 states that "A Polish citizen cannot simultaneously be a citizen of another country." However I know that in these days, this sentence is interpreted to mean that if Poles have another passport it is tolerated, just that Poland doesn't recognise them as anything other than Polish citizens. However, was this also the case back in the pre-WW2 years, or was dual nationality prohibited under all circumstances?
If anyone knows of examples of Poles in the pre-WW2 years who were able to hold another country's citizenship simultaneously with their Polish one, I'd like to hear it.
For example, in Article 3 of the same Act it says that "Citizens of other countries who are of Polish descent and their progeny will be recognized as citizens of the Polish State if they submit proof of Polish provenance with a declaration that they wish to be Polish citizens and that they resign from the citizenship of another country".
On this website it says that "Persons who are born in America are Polish citizens if they became polish citizens in the way pointed out in article 3 or obtained polish citizenship in one of ways mentioned in subsections 2-5 of article 4 of the act dated 20th of January 1920 although the American citizenship serves them by birth. Under age children of people who obtained polish citizenship on above mentioned conditions are also polish citizens even if they are American citizens by birth regardless of if they were born before or after the act dated 20th of January 1920 came into force alternately before or after obtaining the polish citizenship on above mentioned titles grounds."
Does this mean that in the 1930s, underage children of returning ethnic Poles could get Polish citizenship without having to renounce their foreign (e.g. American) citizenship?
According to the Polish Citizenship Act of 1920, Article 1 states that "A Polish citizen cannot simultaneously be a citizen of another country." However I know that in these days, this sentence is interpreted to mean that if Poles have another passport it is tolerated, just that Poland doesn't recognise them as anything other than Polish citizens. However, was this also the case back in the pre-WW2 years, or was dual nationality prohibited under all circumstances?
If anyone knows of examples of Poles in the pre-WW2 years who were able to hold another country's citizenship simultaneously with their Polish one, I'd like to hear it.
For example, in Article 3 of the same Act it says that "Citizens of other countries who are of Polish descent and their progeny will be recognized as citizens of the Polish State if they submit proof of Polish provenance with a declaration that they wish to be Polish citizens and that they resign from the citizenship of another country".
On this website it says that "Persons who are born in America are Polish citizens if they became polish citizens in the way pointed out in article 3 or obtained polish citizenship in one of ways mentioned in subsections 2-5 of article 4 of the act dated 20th of January 1920 although the American citizenship serves them by birth. Under age children of people who obtained polish citizenship on above mentioned conditions are also polish citizens even if they are American citizens by birth regardless of if they were born before or after the act dated 20th of January 1920 came into force alternately before or after obtaining the polish citizenship on above mentioned titles grounds."
Does this mean that in the 1930s, underage children of returning ethnic Poles could get Polish citizenship without having to renounce their foreign (e.g. American) citizenship?