Poland in Canada

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.
 

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You can make an appointment to file a passport application through the e-konsulat system.

IMPORTANT! Parents no longer fill out a handwritten application.
You can file an application to issue a passport or temporary passport to a child with a consul in electronic form during a passport visit. A consular employee will file your application using an electronic form and the parents need to confirm that the child’s details are correct by placing their signatures on a dedicated device (signature pad).

• A colour biometric photograph of the child – check what does the photograph have to look like.
  Filing the photograph together with the application is mandatory. You cannot replace the photograph or send it later. If no photograph was attached to your application or the photograph does not comply with requirements, the passport authority will notify you that your application has been rejected.
• Valid passport documents or valid identity cards of the parents.
• A valid passport document or valid identity card of the child, if such documents have been issued.
• A full or abbreviated copy of the Polish birth certificate, if the child does not have a PESEL number assigned.

If the application is filed by a legal caretaker or court-appointed guardian, court-issued documents that confirm an entitlement to make an application on behalf of the child should be produced. 

NOTE: if you apply for a passport and there are justified doubts as to the child’s identity, citizenship or other details required to file a passport application, the consul may ask you to submit additional necessary documents.
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• The fee for issuing a passport for a child over 12 years of age is 113 CAD.
• Fees are collected at the cash desk of the consular office when you file the application.
• The Consular and Polish Diaspora Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ottawa and the Consulates General of the Republic of Poland in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver kindly remind applicants that consular fees are accepted only in the form of cash, money order or certified bank check issued to: Embassy of Republic of Poland in Ottawa, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Montreal, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Toronto or Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Vancouver. Personal checks are not accepted. Additionally, Consulates General in Montreal and Toronto accept debit and credit cards (in Toronto, except American Express).

Producing a school ID card or a similar document confirming that the child attends a school is not necessary.

You will not pay less if you file an application to issue a new passport for a child before the validity of the current passport has expired, in the following cases:

• the child’s details found in the passport, such as their name(s) or surname, have changed (passport replacement is then mandatory), the child’s appearance has changed to a degree that makes determining their identity difficult,
• there is no space in the child’s passport for new visas or stamps confirming that they crossed a border.

When you file your application, the consular employee will tell you the anticipated date of collecting the passport. You will also receive a written confirmation of filing the application. The confirmation will feature the number of the child’s passport application which you can use to check the progress of the case online.

If your child needs a travel document at short notice, for example when they have to travel urgently, file an additional application for a temporary passport while you are waiting for a biometric passport to be issued. You will receive a temporary passport faster than a biometric one. 

IMPORTANT! If you plan to travel abroad using a temporary passport, check the current regulations defining the rules of entrance and stay on the territory of that country. Make sure that you can cross the border using a temporary passport and for how long it remains valid (when entering and leaving).

A child’s passport can be collected by either parent (caretaker) personally in the office in which the application has been filed.

On the date of collecting the new document, bring the child’s previous passport (or temporary passport) to the consular office – the former passport document will be voided, except for pages containing valid visas, and returned to you.

IMPORTANT! If you receive a passport document by mail, YOU NEED TO ACTIVATE THE PASSPORT ON YOUR OWN using a dedicated electronic service. In order to activate the passport, you need Internet access, the number of your new passport and the application number (which can be found in the confirmation of filing a passport application).
Consider that you can no longer change the method of collecting the passport from personal to courier once the application has been approved during your visit to the consulate.

Does not apply.

How can I obtain the first passport for a child born abroad?
First you must transcribe the child’s foreign birth certificate so that you can obtain a full or abbreviated copy of a Polish birth certificate. The (biometric) passport includes the PESEL number which cannot be assigned without a copy of the Polish birth certificate.

How to obtain a PESEL number?
If a passport application is filed for a child who does not yet have a PESEL number, the consul applies for assignment of the PESEL number.

Remember that the consul will not apply for assignment of the PESEL number otherwise than in connection with issuing a passport or temporary passport.

What should be done if one of the parents cannot be present to file a passport application for a child?
The parent who cannot be present to file a passport application for a child may grant consent for the document to be issued to the child by filling out a relevant statement in written form. The parent’s signature on such statement should be confirmed by a notary or passport authority (consul, regional governor). It is also permitted for a parent to grant consent by means of a letter in electronic form signed with a qualified electronic signature, trusted signature or personal signature. The letter should be sent to the consular office’s Electronic Inbox [insert the inbox address here].

What should be done if either or both parents have invalid passports or identity cards or do not have an identity document at all and they want to file an application to issue a passport or temporary passport to a child?
Lack of a valid identity documents prevents a person from being identified. In such case, the consul cannot accept the parent’s consent to issue a passport document to the child. The parents need to obtain passports or identity cards first.