Birth, Marriage, Death Certificate Copy Poland 2026: 22 zł or 33 zł

A copy of a birth, marriage or death certificate (odpis aktu stanu cywilnego) is one of the documents expats most often need in Poland: for a PESEL application, a marriage, a residence case, a school or an inheritance. The Gov.pl service page explains who can ask for one, what it costs, how long it takes and the online route, which changed from 1 January 2026. This guide follows that page; it does not cover documents issued abroad.

What you get and what it costs

When the head of a civil registry office (USC) registers a birth, marriage or death, you receive one short copy (odpis skrócony) free of charge. For each further copy you usually pay stamp duty. A copy can be paper or electronic.

According to the page, the fees are:

• 22 zł for a short copy, also for a multilingual copy in paper form
• 33 zł for a full copy (odpis zupełny)
• 17 zł extra for a power of attorney, if you use an attorney

If you pay online, the payment operator's cost of 59 groszy is added. Before you go to the form, check that the office accepts online payments and that your bank offers them.

When the copy is free

You do not pay if you need the copy for certain purposes. The page lists, for example:

• getting an identity card or a passport
• a social benefit or social assistance
• ZUS matters (social and health insurance)
• maintenance (alimony)
• care, guardianship or adoption proceedings
• employment and pay

The page says that all free cases are set by the stamp duty act.

Who can get a copy

The person the record concerns, and:

• their spouse
• descendants, ascendants and siblings
• a legal representative (for example a parent) or a guardian
• a person who proves a legal interest, with the right documents (for example a court's obligation)
• a court or a prosecutor
• a social organisation, if its statutory aims and the public interest support it
• a public administration body, if necessary for its statutory tasks

You can apply in person or through an attorney. You do not have to attach a document proving a legal interest if the record concerns you, your spouse or sibling, or your ascendants or descendants. For a more distant relative or a person outside the family, you do.

What data you may need

For your own birth record: date and place of birth, and the series and number of your identity document. For your own marriage record: those details, the date and place of the marriage and the spouse's name (other details such as a PESEL number can replace some of these).

For another person's record: for a birth, the person's name, place and date of birth; for a marriage, also the date and place of the marriage and the spouse's name; for a death, the person's details plus the date and place of death. The page says you can also give the office that drew up the original record and the number of the record, which helps the clerk prepare the copy faster.

How to apply online

You need a trusted profile (profil zaufany), or an e-ID card with a reader and a confirmed trusted profile. The page carries a notice: from 1 January 2026, this matter can be handled online only through e-Doręczenia (electronic delivery). You need an e-Doręczenia address for it.

The steps:

1. Click "Wyślij wniosek" and log in with a trusted profile or e-ID. 2. Choose how to receive the copy: in person at any USC to which you send the application, by post to the address you give (no postage charge), or to your e-Doręczenia mailbox. The multilingual short copy is not available in the mailbox. 3. Fill in the application and attach documents. 4. Choose the purpose of the copy. In some situations you must justify it. 5. If a fee applies, choose how to pay: online, or by bank or postal transfer with an electronic proof of transfer attached. 6. Check the application and sign it with a trusted signature, or a qualified electronic signature. The qualified signature is not available if you pay online. 7. When the application is correctly sent, you receive an official proof of submission (UPP) in your e-Doręczenia mailbox. 8. Receive the copy in the way you selected.

A copy sent to the e-Doręczenia mailbox is an electronic XML or PDF document. The page says not to print it and to pass it on only in electronic form, because a printout has no legal force and the recipient may refuse it.

How long it takes

• If the record is in the electronic central civil registry: within 7 calendar days of filing. Records are created in the registry since 1 March 2015. Records made in paper books before that date must be transferred to it, so it can take longer.
• If you apply to a USC that holds the paper record, which has not yet been transferred: within 7 working days.
• If you apply to a USC that does not hold the paper record, and it has not been transferred: within 10 working days.

If the office refuses

The head of the USC can refuse a copy, for example if you ask for another person's record without the right to it. You then receive an administrative decision. You have 14 days to appeal to the voivode that supervises the USC, filing the appeal through the head of the USC who issued the decision.

* Photos: Maud Allan birth certificate, 1873 (Wikimedia Commons, public domain); Drouin birth certificates, 1887 (Wikimedia Commons, public domain). Both are historical and illustrative, not Polish documents.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a birth certificate copy cost in Poland?

22 zł for a short copy and 33 zł for a full copy, according to Gov.pl. The first short copy after a registration is free, and some purposes are exempt.

Can I order it online?

Yes, with a trusted profile or an e-ID card. From 1 January 2026 the online route goes through e-Doręczenia, so you need an e-Doręczenia address.

How long does it take?

Up to 7 calendar days if the record is in the electronic registry. Older paper records can take 7 to 10 working days or more.

Can I get a copy for a relative?

Yes, for a spouse, siblings, ascendants or descendants without proving a legal interest. For other people you need to prove a legal interest.

Sources

• Gov.pl - Uzyskaj odpis aktu stanu cywilnego