Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Lithuania: The validity of the Card of the Pole can be extended up to 3 months before the deadline.

The Consular Department of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Vilnius informs that pursuant to Article 17.2 of the Act on the Card of the Pole, the validity of the Card of the Pole may be extended no later than 3 months before the expiry of the validity period of this document.

In the case of persons applying after this date, i.e. both with the still valid Card of the Pole and the invalid document, it is necessary to submit another application for granting the Card of the Pole, and thus also to present again all documents required by law when submitting such an application.

General information

Under the Act of 7 September 2007 on the Card of the Pole (Journal of Laws of 2014, item 1187, as amended), interested and entitled citizens of Lithuania may obtain the Card of the Pole.

Consul for the Card of the Pole

receives at the Consular Department of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Vilnius

Šv. Jono 3, LT-01123 Vilnius

after making an appointment in advance.

Monday to Friday 10:00-13:00 a.m.

online registration www.e-konsulat.gov.pl

tel. (+370) 5 2194 731

Who can be granted the Card of the Pole?

The Card of the Pole may be granted under the following three conditions in total:

1. Proving his/her relationship with Poland by at least basic knowledge of the Polish language, which he/she considers to be his/her mother tongue, as well as knowledge and practice of Polish traditions and customs.

2. Submitting written declaration of membership in the Polish Nation in the presence of the Consul of the Republic of Poland,.

3. Declaration that at least one of his/her parents or grandparents or two great grandparents was of Polish nationality or had Polish citizenship (original documents + photocopy).

If the applicant cannot present original documents confirming Polish nationality, he should present a certificate of authorized Polish organization in Lithuania, confirming active involvement in activities for the benefit of Polish language and culture or Polish national minority for at least 3 years.

The Card of the Pole may also be granted to a person who is a citizen of one of the former USSR countries, whose origin will be legally confirmed in accordance with the Act of 9.11.2000 on repatriation (Journal of Laws of 2004, No. 53, item 532, as amended).

Minors up to 18 years may receive the Card of the Pole only when parents who already have the Card of the Pole apply. If the Card of the Pole is in possession of only one parent, the other parent should, before the consul, grant consent to issue the Card of the Pole to a minor (consent is not required if the other parent is deprived of parental authority). The Card of the Pole may be granted to a minor over 16 years of age only with the minor’s consent.

The Card of the Pole may be granted only to a person who does not have Polish citizenship or a permit to settle in the territory of the Republic of Poland.

What to do to obtain the Card of the Pole?

Submitting an application for the Card of the Pole.

The application is available in every Polish consulate, in Polish organizations and on the website of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Vilnius: http://wilno.msz.gov.pl/pl/informacja_konsularne/karta_polaka/application_o_karte/  One up to date photo of the applicant, taken according to the requirements specified in the application, should be attached to the marked place in the application form.The completed application must be signed in the designated place; the signature must fit into the frame drawn in the application.

Collection of documents

Please collect documents confirming your Polish nationality; please select only those documents that confirm it in the most consistent way. If one of the parents of the applicant (or both of them) or the applicant has Polish nationality, it is enough to have the applicant’s birth certificate with an entry of his or her Polish nationality or that of one (or both of them) of the parents (in case of a change of surname, e.g. in case of a married couple, the original marriage certificate is also required); the document is also a Lithuanian passport (of an old type, also invalid) with an entry of the holder’s Polish nationality.You should also bring a valid identity document (passport or ID card) to the conversation with the consul.Please copy the original documents (documents certifying Polish nationality and identity document) – copies together with the originals should be presented to the consul (copies remain in the consulate and the originals will be returned to the owner).

For an appointed interview with the Consul please bring the following documents:

– a completed application with a photo;

– originals and photocopies of documents confirming Polish nationality;

– originals and photocopies of your passport or ID card.

Attention!The application must be prepared very carefully, without any corrections.

ATTENTION! The consul will only speak Polish. A person applying for the Card of the Pole should sign a declaration of membership of the Polish Nation in the presence of the consul.

What may be the reasons for refusing to grant the Card of the Pole?

The applicant does not meet the main conditions of the Card of the Pole (belonging to the Polish Nation, basic knowledge of the Polish language and knowledge and practice of Polish traditions and customs).The applicant submitted an application or attached documents with false personal data or false information.In the interview with the consul, the applicant testified untruthfully or concealed the truth, or used false documents.The applicant repatriated from Poland on the basis of contracts concluded by Poland in the years 1944-1957 with the Soviet republics of Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania or the former Soviet Union to one of these countries.The applicant is a Polish citizen or has a permit to settle in Poland (i.e. a permanent residence card).This is justified by reasons of defence, security or protection of public order of the Republic of Poland.The applicant is or has been operating against fundamental interests of the Republic of Poland.You can appeal against a negative decision of the Consul with the Council for Eastern Poles within 30 days of the date of delivery of the decision.

Prolongation of the Card of the Pole

If, at the latest 3 months before the expiry date of the Card of the Pole, the holder files an application for prolongation of its validity, the validity of the Card of the Pole is postponed for another 10 years.

Duplicate of the Card of the Pole.

In case of loss or destruction of the Card of the Pole, a duplicate of the Card of the Pole is issued at the request of the holder. The application for a duplicate of the Card of the Pole shall be submitted to the office which issued the original Card of the Pole, unless the place of residence of the Card of the Pole’s holder has changed. If the place of residence has changed, the applicant may apply for a duplicate document to be issued to the consul competent for the current place of residence.

The update of data.

If in the period of validity of the Card of the Pole the data on the Card of the Pole have been changed, at the request of the holder or statutory representative, the consul shall issue the Card of the Pole taking into account the changed data. Appropriate civil-status documents should be submitted to confirm the change of data.