Restitution of citizenship is another form of acquiring Polish citizenship. It is rather new and was only introduced in the Act on Polish Citizenship of 2 April 2009, which came into force on 15 August 2012. It is available for people who have held but lost their Polish citizenship, often against their will in the context of political changes in Poland.
Several conditions must be met in order for a citizenship to be restored this way:
- This procedure applies only to those people who have held but who lost their Polish citizenship before 1 January 1999.
- The person must still be alive and must file the application themselves.
- The person must provide clear evidence of loss of their Polish citizenship, for example through military service in a foreign state or marriage.
Applications for restitution of Polish citizenship for persons living abroad are filed via the Polish consulate. The Minister of Interior and Administration then assesses these applications through an administrative process. Before making a decision, the Minister consults a number of authorities responsible for state security. The citizenship certificate is then delivered to the consulate and given to the applicant.
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