A national visa for repatriation may be issued to a person who meets all of the following conditions:

• is of Polish origin;
• prior to the date of entry into force of the Law, resided permanently in the territory of the present Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan or the Asian part of the Russian Federation.

A national visa for the purpose of repatriation may be issued to the spouse and descendants up to the fourth degree of the person referred to above, if they intend to come to the Republic of Poland with the person referred to above with the intention of settling permanently.

A national visa for repatriation may be issued to the spouse of the descendant of the person referred to above if he/she intends to come to the Republic of Poland with him/her with the intention of settling permanently.

A person applying for a national visa for the purpose of repatriation shall personally apply to the consul for its issuance.

In special cases, justified by the personal situation of the person, the consul may waive the requirement to submit the application in person.

The application shall be submitted on the form attached to the Ordinance of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of May 15, 2017 on the form of application for a national visa for the purpose of repatriation and photographs attached to the application.

If the application contains formal deficiencies, the consul shall summon the applicant to supplement it within 30 days from the date of delivery of the summons, under pain of leaving the application unprocessed.

Pursuant to Article 6 of the Repatriation Law, evidence of Polish ancestry may include documents issued by Polish state or church authorities, as well as by the authorities of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, relating to the applicant or his parents, grandparents or great-grandparents, in particular:

1. polish identity documents;
2. civil status certificates or copies thereof or baptismal certificates attesting to a connection with Polishness;
3. documents confirming military service in the Polish Army, containing an entry indicating Polish nationality;
4. documents confirming the fact of deportation or imprisonment, containing an entry indicating Polish nationality;
5. identity documents or other official documents containing an entry indicating Polish nationality.

Evidence of Polish ancestry may also be other documents, in particular:

1. on the rehabilitation of a deported person, containing an entry informing about his Polish nationality;
2. confirming the persecution of a person because of his Polish origin.

The consul returns to the applicant the originals of the documents provided by him, with the exception of foreign documents enabling the preparation of a Polish civil status certificate.

The consul shall issue a national visa for the purpose of repatriation upon presentation of proof of possession or provision of housing and sources of livelihood in the Republic of Poland or provision of a place in a center, hereinafter referred to as “conditions for settlement.”

Proof of possession of conditions for settlement shall be a document confirming the legal title to housing for a period of not less than 12 months and a statement of employment or an employment contract for a period of not less than 12 months.

Evidence of provision of conditions for settlement is:

• the Plenipotentiary’s decision to allocate a place in the center;
• a resolution of the municipal council containing a commitment to provide conditions for settlement for a period of not less than 2 years;
• a declaration by a Polish citizen, legal entity or organizational unit without legal personality, having its seat on the territory of the Republic of Poland, containing a commitment to provide conditions for settlement for a period of not less than 2 years.

The decision, resolution and statement referred to above shall include, in particular, the designation of the center or dwelling and the form of provision of such premises.

The statement of a Polish citizen, referred to above, may concern only ascendants, descendants or siblings of that person.

Proof of possession or provision of sources of livelihood in the Republic of Poland is not required in the case of minors and persons with pension rights in the territory of the Republic of Poland.

A person who does not have housing and sustenance or a place in a center provided in the Republic of Poland, and meets the other conditions for obtaining a national visa for repatriation, the consul shall issue a decision on qualification for the issuance of a national visa for repatriation.

A person arriving in the Republic of Poland on the basis of a national visa for the purpose of repatriation acquires Polish citizenship by operation of law as of the date of crossing the border of the Republic of Poland (the fact of crossing the border is confirmed by a border control stamp).

Upon arrival at the place of settlement, repatriates are obliged to: register at the local Registry Office their civil status certificates (birth, marriage, etc.) with their translation by a sworn translator into Polish, then report to the provincial office competent for the place of residence to receive confirmation of Polish citizenship from the provincial governor (confirmation is issued on the basis of a passport with a repatriation national visa pasted on it and upon presentation of copies of civil status certificates drawn up in a Polish registry office), apply for an identity card at a city or municipal office, register for permanent residence and apply for a PESEL number.