Poland: Information on permanent resident status; including the rights associated with it, the procedure by which a child of a Polish national and a Cuban spouse could acquire permanent residence status, and whether this status would be retained when leaving the country
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1993 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | POL12776 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Poland: Information on permanent resident status; including the rights associated with it, the procedure by which a child of a Polish national and a Cuban spouse could acquire permanent residence status, and whether this status would be retained when leaving the country, 1 January 1993, POL12776, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab2f5c.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A consular official at the Embassy of Poland in Ottawa provided the following information in a telephone interview on
19 January 1993.
Poland grants permanent resident status in accordance with the Aliens Act of 29 March 1963. The text currently available to the Embassy is amended to 28 January 1992. According to the Act, aliens may receive permission for permanent residence in Poland. An alien applies for permission for permanent residence to the chief of the province (voivod) in which he/she is residing. Applications for permanent residence are handled by the citizenship section of the appropriate province. There is no requisite period of residence before application can be made for permanent resident status. An individual may also apply at consular offices abroad, although the process may then take eight or nine months to complete. Permission for permanent residence status is granted in the form of a document or "chart" of permanent residence. After receiving this document, the alien is also issued an identification card. The alien is obliged to return this identification card if he/she leaves the country. It is not clear from the law, however, whether "leaving the country" means leaving Poland permanently or only for a short period. The consular official indicated that he presumed it meant leaving Poland permanently for residence abroad.
A permanent resident may work in Poland; a work permit is normally granted without difficulty by the provincial (voivod) office of employment. A permanent resident may move freely within the country, although there are some exceptions for those aliens who are in special camps for refugees. Only Polish citizens may vote in elections.
In reference to whether the child of a Polish citizen and a foreign citizen may acquire permanent residence status, the consular official stated the following. According to the Act on Polish Citizenship of 1962, a person born of parents at least one of whom is a Polish citizen acquires Polish citizenship by birth. Such a person may apply for a Polish passport. Even if he/she had another citizenship, Polish citizenship and a passport would be granted. The individual would, however, have to write a statement that he/she is aware of the citizenship regulations of his/her country of residence. If the individual has a Polish passport, he/she can go to Poland at any time and stay there but must register his/her place of residence with local authorities, as is the case with every Polish citizen. An individual must also register when he/she moves his/her residence from the area. A Polish citizen may enter and leave the country at any time.
The consular official noted further that, according to a Polish newspaper article of 12 October 1992, the number of permanent resident documents issued in Poland was 22,000. The article also indicates that there has been public discussion of implementing a requisite period of stay before applying for permanent resident status, but the consular official stated that this is not current law or practice. There has also been discussion of establishing one central office to deal with matters of aliens and immigration policy, but currently there is no central agency for such matters. Immigration matters are handled primarily by the provinces and border guards.
Additional and/or corroborating information on permanent residence in Poland is not currently available to the DIRB.
Reference
Embassy of Poland, Ottawa. 19 January 1993. Telephone Interview with Consular Official.
