A foreign birth or marriage certificate does not work everywhere in Poland. Some procedures accept it with a sworn translation; others require a Polish record - an entry in the Polish registry created from the foreign document. That procedure is called transkrypcja, colloquially umiejscowienie aktu.
Below: when it is unavoidable, what it costs, and what to do about a surname spelled differently across your documents.
When transcription is compulsory
The statute makes it mandatory in a few situations:
- a Polish citizen applies for an identity document or for a PESEL number;
- a Polish record must be created from a foreign event - registering a marriage concluded abroad so the surname appears in Polish documents, for instance;
- the foreign record needs supplementing or correcting through the Polish registry.
It is done voluntarily far more often, for practical reasons: with a Polish record you can pull an extract in Poland at any time instead of writing to a foreign office.
Where it is genuinely needed
| Situation | Transcription |
|---|---|
| Getting married in Poland | often yes, for birth and divorce records |
| Changing your surname on the residence card after a foreign wedding | yes |
| Obtaining a PESEL for a child born abroad | usually yes |
| Applying for recognition as a Polish citizen | yes, for the applicant's and parents' records |
| Karta Polaka, permanent residence through Polish origin | usually yes |
| Applying for a residence card | a translation is normally enough |
| Enrolling a child in school | a translation is normally enough |
| Inheritance matters before a notary | usually yes |
The rule we give clients: if the document is needed once, a sworn translation is enough; if it will be needed again and again, transcribe it.
What it takes and what it costs
The pack is short:
- the original foreign record or a full extract issued by the authority (not a photocopy);
- a sworn translation into Polish by a translator on the Polish register;
- an application to any civil registry office in Poland;
- identity documents.
Cost: PLN 50 stamp duty for the full extract issued after transcription, plus the translation, usually PLN 60-150 per document.
Timeline: from a few days to a month, depending on the office's workload.
On apostilles: documents from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia are exempt under bilateral treaties. Most other countries need one - how to identify your case.
Transliteration: the real headache
The most common problem is not the transcription itself but how the name is written. The Ukrainian "Олександр" can become Oleksandr, Aleksandr or Ołeksandr depending on who translated it and under which system.
Three things to know:
- The registry enters the name as written in the foreign document, applying transliteration rules.
- Any mismatch against earlier Polish documents is fixed through an application to correct the record or change the spelling.
- A procedure exists for adapting the spelling of names to Polish rules, available in defined circumstances.
Practical advice: before transcribing, gather every document bearing your name - passport, residence card, diploma, marriage certificate, your children's papers - and settle on one spelling. Changing it later costs more.
Spelling discrepancies are a standard cause of delay in citizenship and permanent residence cases - we wrote about the citizenship reform here.
Foreign divorces are a separate matter
Transcribing a divorce record and recognising a foreign judgment are two different things.
Divorce in an EU country. Judgments are recognised in Poland automatically, with no separate court proceedings. The registry receives the judgment with a translation and the relevant court certificate.
Divorce outside the EU. Two routes exist: administrative recognition at the registry, or court proceedings. Which applies depends on the country, the date of the judgment and whether a bilateral treaty exists.
Until the divorce is recognised in Poland you remain formally married - with consequences for a new marriage, for inheritance, and for residence applications based on family.
What we do
- Assessing whether it is needed. Sometimes it is not, and we say so.
- Obtaining originals from foreign registry offices under a power of attorney, without you travelling.
- Sworn translation and, where required, the apostille.
- Filing at the registry and running the procedure, including supplementing and correcting records.
- A single transliteration agreed across all your documents in advance.
- Recognition of a foreign divorce, through the courts if necessary.
Scope and pricing sit on the service page.
Frequently asked questions
Can the application be filed remotely? Through a consul, yes. Inside Poland it is normally filed in person or by a representative under a power of attorney.
How long is a Polish registry extract valid? Formally indefinitely, though recipients often want one issued within three to six months.
Our child was born in Poland to foreign parents. Is transcription needed? No. A Polish record is created at registration of the birth.
I hold a Soviet-era certificate. What now? Usually a fresh document must be issued by the archive of the country holding the original record; transcription follows from there.
Can I change my surname to a Polish form during transcription? Transcription transfers data rather than changing it. Changing a name is a separate procedure with its own conditions.
Is transcription required before a wedding in Poland? Registry offices usually ask for both parties' birth records and, on a second marriage, proof that the previous one ended. The exact list depends on the office and is worth confirming before filing.
Transcription costs 50 zloty and one application, yet it usually decides whether Polish authorities can see your surname, your marriage and your divorce. Do it before a permanent residence or citizenship case, not during one.
Send us the list of documents - we will say what needs transcribing and where a translation suffices.
This material is informational. Registry practice varies - consult a lawyer about your situation.