filipzkonopii
07.08.05, 19:55
www.cyberexpres.com/display.asp?id=1452
So you want to resign your Polish citizenship, mate? Sure, Luke. No problem.
The relevant Polish law is: Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej
Polskiej z dnia 14 marca 2000 r. w sprawie szczegółowego trybu postępowania w
sprawach o nadanie lub wyrażenie zgody na zrzeczenie się obywatelstwa
polskiego oraz wzorów zaświadczeń i wniosków. (Dz. U. 2000, Nr 18, poz. 231),
downloadable from www.abc.com.pl/serwis/du/2000/0231.htm Sorry, old son, in
Polish only.
So learn Polish, like a good Polish citizen should, or pay someone for a
specialised legal translation - not cheap at all, I am afraid.
Briefly put, you will be required to supply the same documents as for the
issue of a Polish passport, with the same shenanigans to get them from
Poland, because, you see, Australian legal documents are not good enough for
this purpose.
Then, on top of these, you will be required to write a detailed CV, in
Polish, in your own handwriting. You don’t read Polish, let alone write it?
Stiff s**t.
Then you will complete an enormously detailed 8-page application form (also
in Polish only, also downlodadable at www.abc.com.pl/serwis/du/2000/0231.htm).
You must attach about 15 accompanying documents to that form.
Any documents not in the Polish language will have to be professionally
translated (the Consulate will give you the name of their preferred
translator, and that chap ain’t gonna be cheap).
Then the originals and the translations will need to be notarised.
Then checked for correctness of the translation by the Consulate. Then
certified by the Consul-General. Needless to say, none of these steps will
come cheaply either. There will be some very creative fees and charges to
pay.
Then the Consul-General will append to your petition his own recommendation
for the authorities in Warsaw as to whether you deserve to be released from
Polish citizenship. No, I am not joking, that is his duty under the
legislation. He doesn’t know you from a brick? So what? And no, you will not
be able to read what he had to say about you. Confidential, you see.
In Poland, your set of papers will be minutely scrutinised by two very
serious and utterly humourless Polish Government Departments (Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration) and one
statutory authority (National Office of Repatriation and Foreigners).
Then the Chairman of NORF will add his wise personal recommendation, but you
will never see it either: it’s confidential too.
After all this, the papers will advance, without undue haste, to the Office
of the President of the Republic of Poland, Mr Alexander Kwaśniewski, and
will commence a long wait until he finds time to look at your case. By law,
he must do it personally. This function of the Presidency has not been
delegated to officials, because it is too important, you see. Aren’t you
flattered? Unfortunately, at this leisurely tempo, all this work may take up
to two years. The President of the Republic of Poland, while reportedly a
very nice bloke, is also a very busy man, as you will surely understand, so
he will not jump to it themoment your papers reach his office. One day, the
President will eventually make his decision on your voluntary renunciation of
the Polish citizenship - aye or nay. Or perhaps not, as the case may be. Why
not? Because the legislation does not say that he HAS TO make any decision at
all. He MAY, but he DOES NOT HAVE TO, as there is no time limit for this
decision, get it?
The Presidential decision, if and when he makes it, is final, non-reviewable,
and not appealable to any courts anywhere. Assuming the Polish President
agrees to release you from your Polish citizenship, they will send you a
letter to that effect, by very slow mail.
When it arrives, they will charge you another $350 or so before you are
actually given the actual document.
For the rest of your days, you will have to have that letter on your person
at all times when travelling to, through, or in Poland. Why? Because the onus
will remain on you forever to prove to any Polish official, at any time, on
demand, that you are no longer a Polish citizen.
If you cannot prove that you had formally surrendered your Polish citizenship
in the way described above, you will be treated as if you still held it.
ALTOGETHER, YOUR VOLUNTARY RESIGNATION of your Polish citizenship will take
between one and two years. It will cost you anything between approx. $750 if
you are very lucky, and infinity, depending on the relative complexity of
your personal legal situation as seen through the eyes of some very
imaginative Polish officials. As I said, no problem. Welcome to the
Motherland, mate! Do they have your heart and mind yet?"
