Poland in Ireland

You can submit the application directly to the registry office in Poland or to the territorially competent Polish consular office, which will send it to the selected registry office in Poland.

You can also submit the application to the registry office in Poland through a plenipotentiary (e.g. a family member).

Documents can be submitted in person or sent by post. 

If you decide to submit an application via the consular office by post, in order to avoid errors and shorten the time of handling the matter, we recommend contacting the consular office in advance by e-mail at: dublin.legal@msz.gov.pl to verify the correctness and completion of the documents.

You can book your appointment via the e-konsulat system.

1. A valid passport or ID (to be presented at the consular office - when submitting the application in person).
2. Application form (available at the consular office and below).
3. Original of the foreign death certificate.
4. Translation of the foreign death certificate by a sworn translator or a consul.

Documents issued outside European Union countries may require legalisation or an apostille (unless otherwise stated in separate regulations).

Remember! Documents drawn up in a foreign language must be submitted with the official translation into Polish by:

1. A sworn translator entered on a list kept by the Minister of Justice,
2. A sworn translator authorised to make such translations in the member states of the European Union or the European Economic Area (EEA),
3. A consul.

Due to the fact that there is no institution of a sworn translator in Ireland, we recommend contacting a Polish sworn translator registered on the list conducted by the Minister of Justice. Below is a link to the website of the Ministry of Justice with a list of Polish sworn translators: https://www.gov.pl/web/sprawiedliwosc/tlumacze-przysiegli. The list also includes several translators with the offices in Ireland.

Therefore, make sure that the person performing the translation has the qualifications to perform a sworn translation.

A translation performed by a consul is a separate and paid consular procedure (50 EUR). It is also not available immediately, so in order to speed up the process, bring/send a prepared sworn translation.

In the Member States of the European Union, pursuant to Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2016 on promoting the free movement of citizens by simplifying the requirements for presenting certain public documents in the European Union and amending Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012, Multilingual Standard Forms - Translation Aid are issued, which can also be used for transcription, as an official translation of a foreign civil status document into Polish. Such a form can be obtained at the registry office of a Member State of the European Union (in Ireland: General Register Office).

Civil status records issued in multilingual form, issued on the basis of Convention No. 16 on the issue of multilingual extracts from civil status records, signed in Vienna on 8 September 1976, do not require translation.

The fee is 50 Euro.

The consul will immediately forward your application to the head of the Register Office of your choice. 

A Polish copy of the death certificate can be collected in person at the consulate or it can be sent by post.

The head of the Register Office will refuse to transcribe a foreign civil status document if:

• A document is not considered as a civil status document or is not a valid official document or has not been issued by the competent authority in the issuing state, or raises doubts as to its authenticity, or confirms an occurrence other than birth, marriage or death.
• A foreign document was created as a result of transcription in a state other than the state of occurrence.
• It would be contrary to basic principles of Poland’s legal order.

A refusal to transcribe a foreign civil status certificate will take the form of an administrative decision which may be appealed with the competent provincial governor for the territory in question.

Do I have to submit an application to transcribe a death certificate to be able to receive a certificate allowing the repatriation of body or ashes?

No, transcribing a death certificate is not a necessary condition for issuing a certificate allowing the repatriation of body or ashes.