From your request to the document in your hand
A fixed, transparent process for obtaining official Polish documents from abroad. You see the price before you pay, you know exactly what we need from you, and every step is handled in English.
- One price, official fees included
- Feasibility check within 3 business days
- Written search report if a record does not exist
Three stages to plan for
Your service page shows its own estimate. We confirm a case-specific schedule where the work cannot be priced or timed in advance.
1. Confirmation and authority
Within 3 business days of payment confirmation, we send your confirmation and any required power of attorney. Reply with the requested details and signed documents.
2. The office or archive
Processing depends on the document, office and record availability. Service estimates and statutory deadlines describe different stages; neither includes every possible delay.
3. Preparation and delivery
Any agreed apostille or translation takes additional time. Digital copies arrive by e-mail; postal and courier timings depend on the destination and delivery option.
Six steps, and who does what
Most of the work is ours. You provide the information and any signatures required for your service. Personal appointments, such as passport applications, remain your responsibility.
- 1
Choose the document
Prices start from €145 and vary by case. Each service page explains the scope, available add-ons, usual timeline and information we need. We confirm the full price and included official costs before payment.
- 2
Place your order
You enter the details of the record and the person it concerns, choose any add-ons and pay. For cases priced on application, such as citizenship confirmation or inheritance, you send the form first and receive a fixed quote with a payment link.
- 3
Sign the power of attorney
Polish offices deal with a representative only on the basis of a written authorisation. It covers the one document named in it and nothing else. A few offices require the signature to be notarised or apostilled; the service page tells you in advance when that is the case.
- 4
Feasibility check
Before we file anything we review your case. If the record is unlikely to exist, if you do not appear to be entitled to receive it, or if the details are not enough to identify it, we tell you. You then choose a full refund or ask us to search anyway.
- 5
We apply in Polish
We file the application with the office that holds the record, whether a civil registry, a state archive, a court register, the land register or ZUS. We pay the official fees on your behalf, answer the office’s questions and follow up until the document is issued. You receive an update at each stage.
- 6
Apostille, translation and delivery
If you ordered them, we have the document apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and translated by a sworn translator, in that order, so the translation covers the apostille. Digital copies are delivered by e-mail; paper documents are sent by tracked delivery where included in your agreed service.
How long it usually takes
These are PoloniaHub service estimates for the stated route, once the required information and documents are available. Official deadlines have their own starting conditions. The service page explains the scope; delivery, authentication and translation may affect the total time.
| Document | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Birth, marriage or death certificate held by a civil registry office | 2–4 weeks |
| Older civil records requiring an archive search | 4–8 weeks |
| CEIDG extract, current | 3–7 business days |
| KRS paper certificate | Confirmed per case |
| NIP confirmation for an existing number | 5–10 business days |
| Land register extract | Confirmed per case |
| Cadastral extract and map | Confirmed per case |
| PESEL number application | 3–6 weeks |
| ZUS contribution history | 3–6 weeks; older employer files 6–12 weeks |
| Citizenship confirmation | 2–4 months to gather documents, then the Voivode’s decision (statutory six months) |
What we need from you
We ask only for what the Polish office requires. The service page lists the exact items for each document.
Details of the record
Full names including earlier spellings, the approximate date and place of the event and, for older records, the names of parents. Partial details are often enough to start.
Proof of entitlement
Polish law limits who may receive certain records, for example civil status records of other people. Where that applies, we ask for proof of your relationship, such as your own birth certificate.
Signed power of attorney
A short document we prepare for you. It authorises us to apply for and collect the named document, pay official fees on your behalf and correspond with the office. It does not allow us to act in any other matter.
Identity document, only if required
Some offices ask for a copy of your ID. We request it only in those cases, and only through the channel we indicate. Please do not send identity documents by ordinary e-mail unless we ask.
What you pay, and when
- Our fee is shown on the service page or in your individual quote. Checkout shows the exact currency and amount before payment. Delivery follows your agreed document format.
- Official fees charged by Polish offices are already included in our price.
- Add-ons such as apostille, sworn translation or express courier are charged only if you choose them.
- No surprises. If an office asks for an extra fee or step, we ask for your approval before incurring it.
- Card payments are processed by Stripe. We never see or store your card details. You receive an invoice for every payment.
What happens then
- Some records no longer exist, in particular where registers were destroyed during the wars. The feasibility check is there to catch the obvious cases before any work starts, with a full refund if you choose it.
- If a diligent search still finds nothing, you receive a written search report listing the offices, archives and periods checked and what each of them answered. Many authorities accept it as evidence of a diligent search.
- We refund any add-on not performed and any official fee not incurred. Our fee covers the search itself and is not refunded. The full rules are in section 10 of our Terms of Service.
Clear terms and real safeguards
14 days to withdraw
Consumers can withdraw within 14 days of ordering. If we have already started at your request, you pay only for the part already done. Details in the Terms of Service.
Complaints answered in 14 days
Write to info@poloniahub.com with your order number. We reply to a consumer’s complaint within 14 days, as Polish law requires.
Your data, handled carefully
We use personal data only to obtain the document you ordered and delete relatives’ details after the case is closed. See the Privacy Policy.
Practical questions
Do I ever have to contact a Polish office myself?
No. We deal with the office in Polish from start to finish. The only exception is a procedure that requires you in person, such as a passport appointment; the service page says so where that applies.
Will I receive an original document?
You receive an official certified copy (odpis) issued by the Polish office. That is the form in which Polish civil and register records are issued and accepted; the original entry stays in the register.
Can I order a record of a deceased relative?
Usually yes, if you are a descendant or otherwise entitled under Polish law. Tell us your relationship to the person; we check entitlement during the feasibility check, before any work is done.
How do I know where my case stands?
You receive an update by e-mail at each stage: when the application is filed, when the office responds, when the document is issued and when it is dispatched. You can reply to any update with a question.
Can you speed things up?
We file promptly and follow up, but each office sets its own timetable and we cannot shorten it. What you can speed up is delivery: express courier is available as an add-on.
Do you work with lawyers and genealogists?
Yes. A large share of our work comes from professionals who need Polish records for their clients. Tell us the reference you need and we will handle it directly.
PoloniaHub in numbers
39 countries
Polish birth certificates sent to clients from 39 countries
48 countries
Clients from 48 countries have worked with us on their Polish documents
Figures from our own orders.
Start with the document you need
Choose your document to see the price or price range, expected timing and the details we need. You can also read about PoloniaHub and the scope of our service.