Apostille on a Polish Birth Certificate 2026: MSZ, Fee, Order

The advice to take a birth or marriage certificate to the wojewoda for an apostille is all over the internet. It is wrong, and it costs people days. Documents from the USC (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego, the civil registry), like every other Polish official document, are apostilled by the MSZ - the Referat ds. Legalizacji at ul. Krucza 38/42 in Warsaw. The fee is 60 PLN per document. Below: which odpis you need, when the multilingual form saves you, and in what order to do everything for use abroad.

Who apostilles a Polish birth certificate - the short answer

On Polish civil-status records (akt urodzenia, małżeństwa, zgonu, an odpis of divorce) the apostille is affixed by the MSZ. The wojewoda has nothing to do with apostilles - that is a widely repeated myth. The fee is 60 PLN per document. You need a current odpis (extract) from the USC. Within the EU the apostille is often replaced by a multilingual odpis. The order for abroad: odpis, apostille at the MSZ, sworn translation.

Which documents and where they go

You most often go through an apostille on USC certificates when a Polish document is needed abroad:

If the document stays in Poland or goes to an EU country, an apostille is often not needed at all - see the multilingual-form block below.

The key point: the MSZ affixes the apostille, not the wojewoda

This is where the confusion lies. The MSZ affixes apostilles on notarial deeds, court documents, the KRK, and on odpisy from the USC alike. There is no separate "voivodeship" apostille: urzędy wojewódzkie handle residence legalisation for foreigners, not the Hague clause.

Authorities other than the MSZ appear only for education documents: university diplomas are apostilled by NAWA, school certificates by the kurator oświaty, and maturity certificates by the head of the OKE.

In practice:

1. You get a current odpis of the record from the USC. It has to be the paper original with a round seal and the clerk's signature - no apostille goes on an ePUAP printout.
2. You book a slot at legalizacja.msz.gov.pl and file the document at ul. Krucza 38/42.
3. The fee is 60 PLN per document, paid in advance to Centrum Obsługi Podatnika.

Odpis skrócony or zupełny, and how fresh

The USC issues two kinds of extracts. The odpis skrócony (abridged) - basic data, fine for most purposes. The odpis zupełny (full) - with all annotations and changes, needed when the receiving side wants the record's full history (for instance after a name change or corrections).

On freshness: the odpis itself has no validity term under Polish law, but many foreign bodies want an extract no older than 3-6 months. So you take a fresh odpis for the filing date and apostille it right away - not an extract from three years ago.

The multilingual odpis - when apostille and translation are unnecessary

For use within the EU there is a convenient exception. Under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, a multilingual standard form can be obtained free of charge alongside a Polish USC certificate. With it, in another EU country you need neither an apostille nor a sworn translation - the form is already understood by the authorities there.

When this helps:

• A marriage, birth or divorce must be confirmed in another EU country.
• The document goes to a German, French or Italian office.

Important: the exception works only within the EU. For the USA, Canada, the UAE, the UK and the CIS the multilingual form will not do - there you need an apostille and a translation.

The order for abroad: odpis - apostille - translation

For a non-European country the sequence is strict:

1. A fresh odpis from the USC for the filing date.
2. Apostille at the MSZ - 60 PLN per document.
3. A sworn translation of the finished document together with the text of the apostille.

The translation always comes after the apostille, otherwise the stamp text is left untranslated and you will translate again. A general guide to apostille - see apostille in Poland. Apostille on a certificate of no criminal record - see apostille on a certificate of no criminal record.

The most common mistakes

1. Going to the wojewoda instead of the MSZ. The most common mistake, and the internet keeps suggesting it. USC certificates are apostilled by the MSZ at ul. Krucza 38/42; the voivodeship office does not handle this at all.

2. Apostille on an old odpis. Many countries look at the "age" of the extract. Take a fresh odpis for the filing date.

3. Translation before the apostille. First the apostille, then the translation together with the stamp text.

4. Apostille for an EU country instead of the multilingual form. Extra money and time - within the EU a multilingual odpis is enough.

5. The wrong type of odpis. Sometimes the receiving side wants the odpis zupełny specifically. Check in advance so you do not apostille the "wrong" document.

When you need a lawyer

One odpis with an apostille for one country you can realistically arrange yourself. A lawyer makes sense when:

• you live outside Warsaw and travelling to the MSZ in person is inconvenient (we then work by power of attorney or by post);
• you need a package of several USC records with apostilles and translations (family immigration, inheritance);
• the record had changes (name change, corrections) and you need the right odpis zupełny;
• the document goes to a country with consular legalisation on top of the apostille;
• deadlines are tight and you must align the freshness of the odpis, apostille and translation.

At LegalWin the apostille and legalisation service covers the apostille at the MSZ and the sworn translation, and the civil status records (USC) service covers obtaining and preparing the certificates themselves, including multilingual ones.

Order an apostille on a USC certificate →

This article is an overview. Requirements on the type of odpis, legalisation and validity depend on the destination country and the specific procedure. For an individual case, consult a lawyer.

Related materials:

• Apostille in Poland: where to get it and what it costs
• Apostille on a certificate of no criminal record (KRK)
• Registering a marriage with a Pole in Poland
• Service: apostille and legalisation