Poland's Citizenship - My sister was born in Poland, I wasn't and need help with records

agawin 1 | -

8 Mar 2014 / #1

Hello -

My sister and I are interested in obtaining Polish citizenship. Both of my parents and my sister (when she was a minor) emigrated to the US from Poland in the late 1960's. I'm the only person in my family born in the US. However, I was told that they "gave up" their Polish passports - I don't know if that means they renounced their citizenship? My sister has a copy of her Polish birth certificate, not an original document. Neither of us have our parents' birth certificates.

1 - Is my sister eligible for repatriation?
2 - Am I eligible to apply for citizenship if "giving up" their passports means they renounced their citizenship?
3 - If I am eligible to apply, should I contact the Polish Consul in the US or an attorney in Poland first? Will one or both of those parties be able to help me obtain my parents' records/documentation that they were born in Poland?

Thank you in advance for sharing information and insights from your experience.
A

argen - | 33

9 Mar 2014 / #2

Hi,
I have probably good news for you ;). If your parents didn't renounce their and yours Polish citizenship, you already have it. In Polish law there is a rule according to which if even one of the parents have Polish citizenship, theire children gets Polish citizenship. It's automaticly and in Polish law it's called "ius sanguinis" - right of blood. Even if your parents return their passports they did't lose their citizenship. Unless their applied for renonced their citizenship.

In this situation you need to applied for polish passport and others documents. More information you get in polish embassy and on this site polish-citizenship.

Remember first of all you must get all documents and then applied to the polish Consul.