Poland in Australia

You can apply for a child’s passport at any Polish consular post. Please remember that you apply for and collect the child's new passport at the same consular post.

The passport application for a child can be submitted in person by:

•    the child’s mother and father or legal guardian or attorney ad litem

or
•    one of the parents if they present: 

- a written consent of the other parent to issue a passport to the child with the signature authenticated by a notary;

- a final and non-appealable court ruling terminating, restricting or suspending parental rights under which the other parent (guardian) has no right to make decisions about issuing a passport to the child, or

- a final and non-appealable family court ruling in which the court consents to the issue of a passport for a child without the other parent's consent.

Furthermore, the consent is not required if: 

- the full copy of a Polish birth certificate states that the father of the child is unknown (there was no recognition of fatherhood or judicial establishment of paternity);  

- the other parent is deceased.

If the other parent’s death was registered in Poland, you do not need to submit a copy of the death certificate (a consular officer will confirm the details contained in the certificate in a Polish register of births, marriages and deaths). 

If the other parent’s death was not registered in Poland, you must submit a copy of the foreign death certificate.

PLEASE NOTE: The other parent who cannot be present when submitting the application can give their consent to issue a passport for a child by:

- sending a letter with their consent to the consular post, signed with a qualified electronic signature, trusted signature, or personal signature

-using the e-service:  Consent to the issue of a passport for a child;

- registering their consent electronically with any passport authority in or outside Poland (consul).

A child under 5 does not need to be present when you submit the application.

You can book your appointment to apply for a passport via the e-konsulat.

During your appointment at the consular post, you will make an electronic application for a child’s passport to be issued by a Polish consul. A consular employee will fill in the electronic form, while the parents confirm the child’s details and consent to issue the passport by signing on the designated device (Signature Pad).

•    The child’s biometric colour photo read what the photo should look like. 

PLEASE NOTE: You must attach a photo to the application. If you do not attach the photo or if it does not meet the requirements, the consul will not accept your application.

•    A valid passport or ID card (if issued) confirming the child’s identity and Polish nationality.
•    The parents’ valid passports or ID cards. 
If the child does not have the PESEL number, before applying for a passport you must transcribe (register) their foreign birth certificate.  The child cannot receive a passport without the PESEL number.
NOTE: In case of reasonable doubts as to the identity or the nationality of the child or other details necessary to file the passport application, the consul may request that you submit additional documents.  

The issuance fee is :

76 AUD for a Child under 12 years

117 AUD for a child from 12 yeras 

The fees must be paid at the consular post when submitting the application. 

Accepted forms of payment: 
• at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Sydney – in cash, payment card or contactless device when submitting the application,
• at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Canberra - only in cash when submitting the application.
It is also possible to make a bank transfer to the bank account. In this case, please contact in advance the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Canberra or the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Sydney, depending on where the case is to be processed.

When you apply for a passport, a consular employee will give you an estimated collection date. You will also receive a written confirmation of application receipt. On the receipt you will find the child's passport application number, which is useful if you want to track the application online.

If you need an ID document for the child urgently, for example because of a coming trip, you should also apply for a temporary passport that will cover the waiting time for the delivery of the biometric passport. You will get it sooner than the biometric one.

Remember! If you are planning to take the child abroad with the temporary passport, check current rules of entry and stay of foreigners in the country of destination. Make sure that the child can cross the border with the temporary passport and check the required validity period (at entry and departure).

The child's passport can be collected by either of the parents (guardians) personally in the same office where the application was submitted.

On the collection day of the new document, bring the child's previous passport (or temporary passport) to the consulate - current passport will be cancelled, except for pages with valid visas, and returned.

Please note, in justified cases, especially if the travel to the consulate is particularly difficult, the consul may depart from the requirement to collect a passport in person. Discuss this point as you submit the application.

Remember that you will have to submit a reasoned written request to the consul to depart from the requirement to collect a passport in person (the form is available at a consular office) and pay the postage. 

The consul will send the passport to the indicated address via postal or messenger service operator, ensuring the security of the document, if possible.

The consul will cancel the current passport or temporary passport before the new one is sent. 

If you know that your child's passport is ready for collection at the consulate, send your child's current or temporary passport  to the consul for cancellation. The consul will return the cancelled document together with the new one.

Remember that the consul will not send passports to citizens staying in Poland.

It is also not possible to send a passport issued by a domestic authority (province governor) to a person staying abroad.

Does not apply.

How to obtain the first passport for a child born abroad?

First, you need to register a foreign child birth certificate in Poland to obtain an abridged or unabridged copy of a Polish birth certificate. The Polish birth certificate is necessary to obtain the PESEL number which is then entered in a biometric passport.

How to obtain the PESEL number?

The consul applies for the PESEL number to be issued in connection with a passport application for a child who is not yet a PESEL holder. 
Please remember that the consul does not apply for the PESEL number to be issued under any other circumstances besides the issue of a passport or temporary passport.

What if one parent cannot apply in person?

The parent who cannot apply in person may consent to the issue of the document by writing a statement of consent. Authenticity of the signature on the statement should be confirmed by a notary or a passport authority (consul, province governor). 

What if one or both of the parents have invalid passports, personal IDs or do not have any ID documents and want to apply for a passport or a temporary passport for a child?

If a parent has no ID document, it is impossible to identify him/her. In this case, the consul cannot take a parent's consent to issue a passport to a child. The parents will have to obtain passports or personal IDs first.