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PASSPORT

Passport Information

Pursuant to the provisions of the Regulation of the European Union's Council dated December 2004 whose aim was to improve the security of passports and travel documents against falsification and to ensure a reliable link between the document and its genuine owner, the Republic of Poland introduced new passport procedures. Additional information is available on the website of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration.

By the power of this law, passports that are now issued contain biometric data of the holder that are stored in an electronic format.

The passports that have been issued so far retain their validity until their expiry date. The validity of passports will not be extended, new documents will be issued to replace documents that have expired.

The Polish passport is a document that authorizes you to pass the border and stay abroad, it confirms the Polish citizenship and the identity of the holder within the scope of the data that this document contains.

Passports are printed in Poland, regardless of the residence of the applicant. A Polish citizen who is applying for a Polish passport abroad should take into account the fact that the process will last longer due to the fact that the document has to be produced in Poland. It is recommended that an application for a new passport is submitted minimum 6 months before the expiry date of the current passport.

A passport is valid for 10 years from the date it is issued. While waiting for a 10-year passport, you can apply for a temporary passport, issued for a period of 1 year.

A minor who has not turned 13, will obtain a passport that is valid 5 years. It is also possible to issue a temporary passport during the waiting period.

You have to submit an application for the document and pick it up in person (art. 15 of the Statute about passport documents). It is not possible to use a third party, travel agencies or to send documents by mail.

In justified cased, especially when a trip to a consular office is particularly difficult, Consul may waiver the requirement to pick up the passport in person, at the written request of the person who is applying for it and then the passport can be sent by mail to residence address in Canada.

Passports are issued based on Polish civil registration documents exclusively. It means that holders of birth or marriage certificates issued by a foreign registrar's office, for example, a Canadian one, should register this certificate in the Polish registrar's office and obtain a Polish document (an information about registering civil registration documents is available on the website).

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

1. A person applying for a new 10-year passport (or for a 5-year passport for a minor) submits the following documents:

 passport application, signed and filled out legibly (the letters should be printed and Polish character should be used). NOTE: it is not possible to use a passport application form printed from the internet website.  the presently held passport - this document can be returned when you submit your documents at the consulate, it is necessary, however, to present it at the moment you pick up a new passport so that it can be annulled.  PESEL number, this number needs to be obtained in advance and verified by calling Polish Consulate: (416) 252-5471, ext. 310. IMPORTANT: Without PESEL number the passport application may not be accepted.  1 recent colour photograph measuring 3.5 x 4.5 cm, taken during the previous 6 months, against a plain white background, sharp, clearly featuring the eyes and the face from the front. A photograph has to show the person without a head covering and without dark glasses, looking ahead with open eyes, with a natural face expression and with a closed mouth.  when you apply for a passport for the first time - a birth certificate issued by a Polish registrar's office,  in the situation when you submit an application for a new passport due to the fact that you changed your surname, you should enclose a marriage certificate or a decision of the relevant Polish authorities in this matter.

Format of the photograph: colour photograph - width 35 mm, height 45 mm. The image on the photo must show the full head and the upper part of the neck, the right and left side of the face must be clearly visible. The length of the head must occupy 70-80% of the photo, that is 31-36 mm. When the volume of hair is large, make sure that the head is clearly shown and that the head measurements are not made smaller (part of the hair can be outside the film frame). The vertical length of the face cannot be smaller than 31 mm. The eyes should be at the level of 20-30 mm from the lower edge of the photo, in case of children (11 years old and younger), the level can be shifted to 15 mm. The face must be centered on the vertical axis of the photograph.

If a person applying for a passport does not have or does not remember his/her PESEL number, he/she should fill out an application with a request for assigning the PESEL register number and attach a birth certificate to this application, and in case of persons who changed their surname as a result of marriage, a marriage certificate issued by a Polish registrar's office.

When a person applies for a new passport due to the loss of the old one, it is necessary to submit a statement concerning the circumstances and the date when the passport has been lost (sample) and valid government issued photo ID.  Prepaid, self-returned envelope with your name and residential address from Xpresspost National only, available at the Canada Post offices, with the label "Signature Required".  Money Order written to the "Polish Consulate General in Toronto" for the exact amount of consular fee or exact cash amount.

If an application is submitted by a person who reached the age of majority and who has never held a Polish passport in the past (and that person refers to the fact that one or both of her parents are Polish citizens), it is necessary to confirm that he/she is a Polish citizen.

PASSPORT FOR THE CHILD:

Minors who have not turned 13 years are issued passports (biometric) that are valid for 5 years.

An application for a passport is submitted jointly by both parents on behalf of their child, unless one of the parents has been deprived, by the decision of a Polish court, of his/her parental authority or this authority has been limited. In case there is no consent between the parents or when it is not possible to obtain a consent from one of them, a Polish family court's decision replaces that consent for issuing a passport. Judgments of foreign courts that settle the above issues can only be considered when they have been recognized by relevant Polish courts. In the event of the death of one of the parents, it is necessary to provide an original death certificate. An application submitted by one of the parents together with a written consent of the other parent with his/her signature that have been confirmed by a Notary Public or by a passport organ is considered as if it had been submitted jointly by both parents. The child's parent who is submitting a passport application should show his/her valid Polish passport. When parents submit a passport application for their child 5 year old and older, the child's presence is required. Children who have turned 13 pick up their passport in person, in the presence of one of the parents.

If the child has been entered in the passport of one of the parents, this document should be submitted with the application, in order to delete the child from the passport of his/her parent.

TEMPORARY PASSPORT

A person who applies, in addition to the biometric passport, for a temporary passport issued while waiting for a passport printed in Poland submits in addition the following:

 1 passport application, signed and legibly filled out,  1 recent photograph (see the description above).

A temporary passport should be submitted/sent back for annulment when you pick up a 10- year (or 5-year) passport.

The waiting period for a passport that is printed in Poland is about 2 months, from the moment you submit a complete set of documents. A consular office cannot guarantee that you will receive it at any specific date.

CONSULAR FEES

Passport fee is collected in full at the moment you submit your documents (for the passport + a possible delivery by mail). Consulate accepts the fees in cash, a money order or a certified cheque. Personal cheques and credit or debit cards are not accepted. The passport fee is 162 CAD. If you apply for a temporary passport in addition to the biometric one the fee is 185 CAD.

In justified cased, especially when a trip to a consular office is particularly difficult, a Consul may waiver the requirement to pick up the passport in person, at the written request of the person who is applying for it. In this situation the passport is sent to the address indicated by the applicant at the applicant's cost (fee in advance - 15 CAD-registered mail, 30 CAD- courier).

50% discount is granted to:

 persons who are retired, on disability, handicapped as defined in the provisions of the Statute of 27 August 1997 about a vocational and social rehabilitation and the employment of handicapped persons, and also the spouses of these persons who are exclusively supported by them - proof of disability, retired status needs to be presented.  persons residing in public nursing homes and institutions or using regular welfare and disability benefits,  combatants and other persons that are subject to the provisions of the Statute of 24 January 1991 about combatants and other persons who are victims of the repressions during a war or post-war period.  students up to 26 years old - valid student ID is required

In case you are eligible to a discount for a passport due to several factors, you receive only one deduction.

We do not collect a passport fee from:

 persons who are 70 years old or older on the day they submit a passport application,  persons who submitted an application for a replacement of a passport due to its technical defect,  soldiers assigned to perform the military service outside the state's borders, with the exception of professional soldiers.

Contact information: Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Toronto 2603 Lake Shore Blvd. W. M8V 1G5 Toronto, Canada http://toronto.msz.gov.pl/pl/

Tel +1(416) 252-5471, ext. 310, 680, 320 or 390 (Legal Section) Fax +1(416) 252-0509