Documents: Polish papers in Germany

No apostille inside the EU, multilingual forms, ID card, passport and Polish consular services.

Public documents from Poland

Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, applicable since 16 February 2019, abolishes the apostille and legalisation for covered public documents between EU states, and introduces multilingual standard forms that can be attached to birth, marriage, death, residence and similar documents instead of a certified translation (European e-Justice Portal). The regulation covers authenticity, not the legal effect of the document. A German authority with doubts can check authenticity with the issuing Polish authority.

• Not every state issues every form; ask your Polish registry office (USC) for the form.
• Documents not covered (for example school diplomas) can still need a certified translation: check with the receiving German office.

ID and passport

• A valid Polish dowód osobisty (ID card) or passport is enough to enter and stay as a Union citizen. Keep it valid: an expired document alone cannot end your stay (§ 6 (7) FreizügG/EU).
• Renewing documents: the consular department of the Polish Embassy in Berlin handles passports (appointments and e-konsulat on gov.pl). Other Polish consulates in Germany not listed.

Keep a file

Keep copies of ID, Polish diplomas, certificates, marriage and birth certificates, employment contracts, pay slips and registration confirmation.