Pesel in doubt, can anyone tell me if this delay is normal ?

Hey everyone,

Just wondering if anyone could provide me with info on the Pesel situation.

I have received confirmation of my Polish citizenship about 6 months ago, through my grandfather who was a Polish Citizen. I also got my polish certificate of birth

Now, as far as the Pesel goes, I ve been having trouble getting it. I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina, therefore it s the polish embassy in Buenos Aires that s handling my Pesel.

I ve been asked to request my Pesel by sending an email provided by the embassy in Buenos Aires, attaching my scanned certificate of polish citizenship and my certificate of birth . The polish embassy website in Argentina specifically says that it takes about a month and half to submit the Pesel number once they ve been requested. However, I m still waiting for it even though I requested it 4 months ago.

What they tell me at the embassy is that the system is down in Poland and because of the new passports ( biometric ) it s taking more than normal to deliver those pesel numbers

I m interested in obtaining my polish passport but, the Pesel number is necessary before you can apply for a passport. ( I ve been offered a temporary passport that expires in 9 months if I m in a rush but I want to get my Pesel so I can apply for my permanent passport )

Can anyone tell me if this delay is normal ???

Thanks in advance

Cheers all

Nothing in Poland is NORMAL.

Normal when applying for a PESEL through an embassy, I'm afraid.

It's worth noting that if you want to come to Poland, a temporary passport is enough - you'll have to get a Polish ID card once you come here, which is good enough for intra-EU travel.

Thanks a lot for your reply. In any case, is there anyway I can apply for my Pesel Number without going throguh the embassy if I live abroad which is my case ? Who am I supposed to contact ? Any email ? Any english speaking end to go through all this ?

Do you think I should cancel my Pesel request at the embassy ( not sure if I can as I ve already requested it from the embassy in Buenos Aires) and apply for it on my own ?

I now the temporary passport works fine within the european community but I may also be travelling to Canada where a temporary ( non biometric ) passport is not accepted, therefore I d have to apply for a visa ( unless I carry my biometric passport ).

Thanks again
P