Family immigrated 1880's from Galacia: Polish Citizenship - A few Questions

Okay...so, I was wondering how one gets Polish citizenship (I can't get it by ancestry, since my Poles immigrated in the 1880's/1890's). Or could I, anyone know? Family immigrated 1880's from Galacia, and in 1890's from Poznan area, if that helps?

I read somewhere it's 5 years of living there. A couple questions about it...if there is a death or something in family in America, would you be penalized for leaving Poland for a short time?

Marriage to a Pole...3 years of marriage and 2 years in Poland, right?

What of military service? Would one get a lowered time of required residency within Poland? At any rate...how would you go about joining the Polish armed forces and how long would you be enlisted in them?

Once you'd get Polish citizenship, can you leave the country and re-settle in another nation if you decided to after the X number of years?

Polish drivers licenses...would you be able to keep/use the enhanced American one (that is legal for one year, meaning, you'd have to go back to America and get it renewed...don't think you can do it any other way). Or, how would one go about getting a permanent Polish drivers license?

I f you can prove that a least one of your ancestors was Polish, you should have no trouble getting Polish citizenship

how about calling a polish embassy or consulate and asking these questions?

US DL ain't worth a damn in PL..

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_nationality_law


U.S. driver's license is not valid in Poland. However, its holder can obtain a Polish driver's license after passing the theory test. To register for the exam it is necessary to have the U.S. license translated by a sworn translator. Such translation must include information on what types of vehicles the person is permitted to drive.

Not so easy.
This principle applies, in most cases, only to Poles who left Poland AFTER 1918. Also, there cannot be any break in the Polish citizenship through the generations. So (applied to ancestry) if grandparents were a Polish citizens but neither parent was, then the child won't be either.

in Polish.

Wrong. It's available in English in most cities - last I heard was that it was around 50 centres had the English and German versions available.

(and to prove it, I have the question CD in my computer)

what's the freaking point then? the signage is not in english but polish..

Mostly not though - 95% at least is pictorial.

how is a foreigner supposed to pay off a copper if they don't speak polish? ;)

Easy. Put money in the registration document of your car. They ask for your documents, you give everything over, you get it back minus a couple of pieces of paper. Job done.

Could be an advantage actually - if you speak Polish, they can tell you that you're nicked for attempting to bribe them. With a foreigner, it can easily just be a misunderstanding.

good points, you two. lol