Poland in New Zealand

You can file a passport application in any Republic of Poland consular office. Remember that you will collect your passport in the same office in which you filed the application.

Yes, you need to file a passport application in person.

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

Your passport application will be done electronically during your passport appointment. A consular employee will file your application using an electronic form and you will be required to confirm the data accuracy by placing your signature on a dedicated device (signature pad).

You need to submit:

• a colour biometric photograph – check what the photograph should 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.
• a valid passport document or valid identity card (if issued) confirming your identity and your Polish citizenship.
• if applicable, a document that confirms your right to pay a reduced fee for issuing a passport or be exempted from it entirely (such as a student ID card, Polish pensioner ID card, Large Family Card, etc.).

NOTE: in case of reasonable doubts as to your identity, citizenship or other crucial details, the consul may ask you to submit additional documents.​​​​

• The fee for issuing a passport is 286 NZD .
• Fees are collected at the cash desk of the consular office during your appointment. 
• The acceptable form of payment: EFTPOS card, bank transfer or cash.

You are eligible for a reduced fee for issuing a passport if you are, e.g.:

• a school or university student aged between 18 and 26;
• an old age pensioner, disability pensioner or person with disability; 
• a holder of a Large Family Card.

IMPORTANT! In order to be eligible for a reduced consular fee, you must present a document confirming your right to take advantage of the reduced fee when you file the application. 

You are entitled to receive a passport free of charge, if e.g.:

• you are 70 years old or over when filing the application;
• your passport has a technical defect;
• you have filed your passport application prior to the expiry date of your current passport to remove a discrepancy (for example in your name, surname, date of birth, place of birth or PESEL number).

IMPORTANT! If you want to take advantage of being exempted from the passport fee, bring documents that confirm meeting one of the above conditions with you.

You will NOT pay less if you file an application to issue a new passport in the following cases:

• your details found in the passport, such as your name(s) or surname, have changed as a result of contracting marriage (passport replacement is then mandatory), or your appearance has changed to a degree that makes determining your identity difficult;
• there is no space left  in your passport for new visas or stamps 

IMPORTANT! If you have changed your surname due to marriage, you will be required to submit a Polish marriage certificate when applying for a new passport (check here how to get the transcription).

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

If you need the ID document urgently, for example because of an urgent travel, you should additionally 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. 

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

• You will collect your new passport in person in the same office where you submitted the application. When collecting your new document, bring your previous valid passport (or temporary passport) to the consulate - the previous passport will be annulled and cancelled, except for pages with valid visas, and returned.

or

• In justified cases, the consul may depart from the requirement to collect the passport in person and you can request to have it posted. You will be required to provide a pre-paid registred envelope (with signature-required option to ensure secured delivery - example below). The consul will send the passport to the indicated address via postal or courier service operator, ensuring the security of the document. When you know that your biometric passport is ready for collection at the consulate, send your current passport (or temporary passport) to the consul for cancellation. The consul will return the cancelled document together with the new one. 

NOTE: 

1. If you receive your passport document by mail, YOU NEED TO ACTIVATE THE PASSPORT ON YOUR OWN using a dedicated electronic service here. In order to activate the passport, you need Internet access, the number of your new passport and the application number (which can be found on the receipt confirming the submission of your passport application).

2. Remember that the consul does not send passports to citizens staying outside the consular district in which the application was filed. Neither is it possible to send a passport issued by a domestic passport authority (province governor) to a person staying outside Poland.

3. You can no longer change the method of collecting the passport from personal to courier once you made a visit to the consulate to file the application.

Do I have to apply for a replacement passport if my personal data have changed?

Yes, you must replace your passport if your personal data have changed or need to be corrected: surname(s), name(s), date and place of birth, sex, PESEL number. 
If this is the case you must apply for a replacement passport without delay. Your current passport will automatically become invalid 120 days after the date when your data were amended in the PESEL register. 

• IMPORTANT! You need to get a Polish transcription of your foreign marriage certificate before applying for a new passport (check how to do it here). The registration of foreign civil status events in Poland is mandatory if you apply for a Polish identity document or the PESEL number to be issued for you or your child. If you live abroad permanently, it is in the best interest of you and your loved ones to ensure that the personal data in your Polish and foreign documents are consistent.  

My passport ran out of space for visas and border crossing stamps, but it expires in a few years' time. Does it need to be replaced?

The replacement is not obligatory. However, if your passport lacks space for visas or border crossing stamps and you are planning a trip abroad, you should apply for a new passport. 
Please consider applying for a new passport even if you are not planning a trip abroad to avoid difficulties when a sudden trip becomes necessary. 

Can I apply for a passport if I lost my personal ID and my new 10-year passport is waiting to be collected in Poland?

You can apply for a temporary passport at a consulate. Remember to take with you the temporary passport issued by the consul as you return to Poland to collect the new one.​​​

Is it possible to have the passport sent from another consulate or from Poland?

No, you should collect your new passport in the same office in which you applied for it.

How do I get a passport if I was born abroad, I have never had a Polish passport or personal ID, I have never lived in Poland but one of my parents used to have a Polish passport?

You should submit a request to confirm your Polish citizenship. After the receipt of a province governor's decision confirming your Polish citizenship, you will have to register your foreign birth certificate and marriage certificate in Poland. This way you will get a copy of a Polish birth certificate and a Polish marriage certificate.

You need to bring the following documents: completed passport application form, a photo, abridged or unabridged copy of a Polish birth certificate, abridged or unabridged copy of your Polish marriage certificate, decision confirming your Polish citizenship. Also, present a valid ID card with a photograph.

Can the consul refuse to issue a passport?

The consul may refuse to issue a passport when:

• based on the submitted documents and available registers, the consul could not confirm the authenticity of your personal data in the passport application or your nationality; 
• you have not paid the required passport fee.
• at the request of the court conducting criminal proceedings or proceedings relating to a fiscal offence, priminal proceedings concerning a minor, or civil proceedings against you; 
• at the request of the authority conducting preliminary investigation or enforcement proceedings in a criminal case, including those relating to fiscal offences against you.

If the consul refuses to issue a passport, you can appeal against the decision to the Minister for Internal Affairs through the consul. You have 14 days to lodge an appeal from the date of the delivery of the decision. However, if the refusal was at the request of national authorities, such as a court or public prosecution service, you will need to appeal to the Regional Administrative Court instead. 

Can the consul refuse to accept a passport application?

The consul may refuse to accept a passport application when:

• you have not submitted a photograph meeting the necessary requirements set out in the Act on Passports;
• you refused to provide your fingerprints if required;
• you refused to provide your signature if required;
• a document confirming the authority to submit the application on behalf of a person who lacks legal capacity or has limited capacity to act in law in the case of an application filed by a legal guardian or an attorney ad litem has not been submitted.