Polish transcription of a UK birth certificate: PESEL, passport (2026)

In short

• Transcription of a UK birth certificate means entering your child's UK certificate in the Polish civil register. You apply to a civil registry office (USC, urząd stanu cywilnego) in Poland or through a Polish consulate. Without transcription your child cannot get a PESEL (the Polish national identification number) or a Polish passport.
• You need the original certificate showing both parents' full names and a sworn translation. The consular fee for transcription is £53 (as of November 2026, gov.pl).
• A child's PESEL is free and is assigned when the passport application is made (gov.pl).
• A child's passport costs £40 (under 12) or £62 (ages 12 to 18) (as of November 2026, gov.pl). You book the appointment in e-Konsulat, the consulates' online booking system. If one parent applies, the other normally needs to consent; the forms of consent and exceptions are explained below.
• An application made abroad takes about 6 to 8 weeks (as of November 2026, gov.pl).
• A Polish ID card is not compulsory for a child, and you cannot apply for one at a consulate.

Who this guide is for

This guide concerns a child who holds Polish citizenship. If you are unsure about your child's citizenship or the documents required, contact the consulate before the passport appointment. We cover your child's British citizenship in Child born in the UK: British citizenship and passport.

Which UK birth certificate should you order?

Transcription needs the original foreign birth certificate showing both parents' full names (gov.pl, as of November 2026). We cover registering a birth in the UK in Dentist, vaccinations and pregnancy on the NHS, in the section on registering a birth.

• England and Wales: there are two versions of the certificate. The full version also contains the parents' details; the short version has only the baby's details, so you need the full one. After registration you can buy it for £12.50 (as of November 2026, GOV.UK). Later you can order a copy through the General Register Office (GRO): £12.50, sent 4 days after you order. Without a GRO index reference number, each search costs an extra £3.50 and the certificate is sent 15 working days after you apply (GOV.UK). You can also order a copy from the local register office where the birth was registered.
• Scotland and Northern Ireland: see the section "Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland" below.

Apostille. The consulate's page on transcription says that civil-status documents issued outside the EU may require legalisation or an apostille, but it does not settle this for your child's certificate, so ask the consulate or the USC. For a UK document used in Poland an apostille is enough (no consular legalisation), because Poland and the UK are both parties to the Hague Convention. The consul does not help you obtain it (gov.pl).

Transcription step by step

1. Prepare your documents (gov.pl):
   • the transcription application form: each consular district (London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Belfast) has its own form; fill it in legibly, without crossings out, and with Polish diacritics;
   • the original birth certificate showing both parents' full names;
   • a sworn translation of the certificate: by a sworn translator from the Polish Minister of Justice's list or one authorised in an EU or EEA state. A translation by the consul is a paid service and is not available on the spot;
   • if one spouse has no Polish birth certificate and the parents' marriage is not registered in Poland, the consulate recommends attaching that parent's original birth certificate with a sworn or consular translation; an apostille or legalisation may be required. Without it, the Polish certificate may lack some details, and a PESEL and a passport may be impossible.
2. Submit the application to a USC in Poland, or to the consulate responsible for your area, which will forward it to the USC. You book the consulate visit in e-Konsulat, choosing legal matters. You can submit documents in person or by post, and both parents do not have to be present.
3. Pay the £53 consular fee (as of November 2026). The sources do not give a fee for applying directly to a USC in Poland.
4. Collect the Polish copy in person at the consulate (discuss postal delivery with the consulate). The consul forwards the application to the USC promptly, but the consulate's page does not say how long the transcription itself takes.

A refusal of transcription is an administrative decision, which can be appealed to the relevant voivode.

PESEL for a child born in the UK

• For a person born abroad with no registered address in Poland, the Polish birth certificate produced by transcription is a necessary condition for assigning a PESEL (gov.pl, as of November 2026).
• Transcription alone does not give a number: the PESEL application for a child is made during the passport appointment, and the consul requests the number. The consul does not request a PESEL in matters other than a passport or temporary passport (gov.pl).
• Assigning a PESEL is free (gov.pl).

A child's passport at a consulate in the UK

Book the passport appointment through e-Konsulat; see Polish passport at a consulate in the UK for consulates and booking rules.

Who applies. Both parents in person (or a legal guardian or curator). One parent is enough if they present the other parent's written consent with a notarised signature. A child under 5 does not have to be present; from the age of 5 the child must be (gov.pl).

The other parent's consent (gov.pl):

• in the UK the signature on a paper consent is certified by a notary public; scans of consents sent to the consul by email are not accepted, and the other parent passes the original to the consulate, for example by post;
• the consent can also be given through the e-service "Wyraź zgodę na wydanie paszportu" (give consent to issue a passport) or in person before a consul, or before a voivode in Poland;
• the consent states the child's PESEL or, if the child does not have one yet, the date of birth. You do not need the consent when you submit the application, but the application will not be processed until it is given (gov.pl).

What to bring. A current colour biometric photo of the child (taken no earlier than 6 months before the application; without a photo, or with a wrong one, the consul will not accept the application) and the parents' valid passports or ID cards. If there are doubts about the child's identity or citizenship, the official may ask for additional documents.

Fee. A passport costs £40 for a child under 12 and £62 for a child aged 12 to 18 (as of November 2026). You pay when you apply, in cash or by card. With a valid Large Family Card (Karta Dużej Rodziny) you pay less, but the consulate does not give the amount of the discount. You cannot submit the first passport application after transcription online (gov.pl).

Waiting and collection. The consulate will give you the expected collection date. An application made abroad takes about 6 to 8 weeks (as of November 2026, gov.pl), because passports are prepared in Poland. One parent collects the passport in person at the office where the application was made. The consulate's page on the online application requires a child aged 5 to 12 to be present at collection, so check your own consulate's requirements before the visit.

A child's ID card

Children under 18 do not have to have an ID card. You cannot apply for one at a consulate or collect it there: a person abroad applies after returning to Poland. A child without a Polish birth certificate must first be entered in the Polish civil-status registers. An ID card for a child is free (gov.pl, as of November 2026).

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The same rules apply in Wales as in England. Certificates work differently in the other countries:

• Scotland: at registration you receive an abbreviated certificate, and you can buy a full one (National Records of Scotland). Copies are ordered through ScotlandsPeople, which is the cheapest and quickest way. If you order by post or email (form SU3), the first copy costs £15 and each additional copy £10, plus postage (National Records of Scotland, as of November 2026).
• Northern Ireland: the parents' details are on the long certificate. A copy from the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) costs £15.00, and additional copies ordered together cost £8.00 each. The fee includes a £7 search fee that is kept even if the record is not found (nidirect, as of November 2026).

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to do the transcription for my child to get a Polish passport?

Yes. Your child cannot get a passport without a PESEL, and the number can be assigned only after transcription. You can do it yourself at a USC in Poland or through the consulate by booking a legal appointment (gov.pl, as of November 2026).

Do both parents have to attend when applying for transcription?

No, both parents do not have to be present (gov.pl, as of November 2026). Different rules apply to the passport application (see above).

What if the other parent does not agree to the passport, or cannot be asked?

If consent cannot be obtained and no exception applies, provide the original final family court order replacing that consent (gov.pl, as of November 2026). This may be a British Specific Issue Order permitting an application without the other parent's consent; an order about whom the child lives with is not enough. Consent is not required, among other cases, from a parent deprived of parental authority or whose authority is suspended or restricted for passport consent, where the full birth certificate records the father as unknown, or where a parent has died. If the death is not registered in Poland, provide a copy of the foreign death certificate.

Where to get help

• Consular Information Centre (Centrum Informacji Konsularnej): +44 (0) 203 0789 618, for matters including passports, citizenship and civil status, open on working days in Poland, 9:00 to 17:00 (as of November 2026, gov.pl).
• General Register Office (GRO): 0300 123 1837, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm (as of November 2026, GOV.UK).
• We cover British benefits for children in Child Benefit and Universal Credit, and the Polish 800 plus benefit for people working in the UK in 800 plus and working in the UK.