A Pole's card is a document confirming that its owner is part of the Polish people. Speaking about how to get a Pole's Card in Belarus, you should understand what this document is, what is the procedure for obtaining it, what is required for its successful passage, and also find out how long it will take to process this document and whether it needs to be replaced for in order to continue to enjoy the privileges.
What is the Pole's Card and what rights does it give
A Pole's card is an official certificate that provides citizens of other countries, in particular, the CIS and the Baltic States, who have Polish roots, certain rights and privileges. It is issued on the basis of the Law "On the Card of a Pole", adopted in September 2007.
This document became the most popular among the residents of Ukraine and Belarus. This is confirmed by the fact that the Ukrainians received over 70 thousand of these cards, and the Belarusians - more than 60 thousand.
The conditions for obtaining the Pole's Card are as follows:
- the applicant has Polish relatives (by nationality or with Polish citizenship). It is necessary to have documents confirming that one of the parents or grandparents is a person of Polish nationality. If we are talking about great-grandfathers, then two people must be Poles;
- if the applicant has been involved in the development of Polish culture for more than three years. To do this, you need to join the Polish organization and provide a letter confirming active participation in its activities. This option is suitable for those people who have not found Poles in their family tree.
The Cardholder receives the following benefits:
- the opportunity to apply for a long-term Polish national visa;
- immigrate to Poland for permanent residence according to a simplified scheme;
- the right to work on the territory of Poland without special permission (with the exception of work in law enforcement and government agencies);
- study for free at Polish universities and receive a scholarship (if the university has a scholarship fund for foreigners). However, the Cardholder will apply for a budget place on a general basis based on the results of the competition;
- this document gives Belarusians the right to receive financial assistance intended to support Poles abroad;
- have discounts for travel on trains (in Poland);
- in urgent cases, get free medical assistance. However, you will have to pay for examination or systematic treatment;
- conduct business on the same grounds as Polish citizens.
Stages of registration of the Pole's card
The procedure for obtaining a Pole Card consists of the following steps:
- It is necessary to prove that you are part of the Polish people. Moreover, since 2021, the citizenship of one of the relatives is not enough - it is necessary that he be a Pole by nationality and this could be documented.
- Schedule an interview with the consul. There are three consulates in Belarus. Most often, they contact the diplomatic mission in Minsk (Kropotkina st., 91a). You can call there by phone +375 17 388-52-01 and +375 17 388-52-00. In addition, you can sign up for an interview in Brest (Kuibyshev st., 34) and Grodno (Budenny st., 48A). In this case, you need to speak in Polish.
- Collect the documents that will be needed for the interview (more on this below).
- Learn Polish at least at the everyday level, since the interview will be conducted in Polish. In addition, the applicant must have knowledge of the history and culture of the country, a little knowledge of Polish customs and traditions.
- Get an interview at the appointed time. During the interview, the applicant may be asked to retell the lyrics of the Polish national anthem or to talk about the weather. At the interview, it is advisable to convince the consul that you need the Card to study or work in Poland, and not to receive material benefits.
- Get an answer.
In this case, the order of the stages of drawing up the Pole's Card may vary. For example, if you are not sure that you can find papers confirming your relationship with your Polish ancestor, it is better to start collecting documents before you sign up for an interview at the consulate in Brest or Grodno.
Not everyone can learn everything they might ask in an interview. Therefore, to avoid possible failure, preparation should begin well in advance.
What documents may be required
To receive the Pole's Card, you must provide:
- Wniosek (application);
- internal passport of a citizen of Belarus and copies of its pages, where personal data and registration information are indicated. The passport must be no older than 10 years if you received the document before 2021; if the passport was issued after 2021, pay attention to the expiration date of the document - it must be at least 90 days;
- photo (3.5 x 4.5 cm), which should be glued to the application;
- documents (copies and originals) confirming your right to apply for the Pole's Card;
- if you changed your surname after marriage, it is advisable to provide the original and a copy of the marriage certificate.
In this case, special attention should be paid to filling out the application. Let's see how to do it right:
- The form is filled out in Polish. An exception is the name and surname, which must be entered in the Latin alphabet.
- In the first part of the questionnaire, you should indicate that you are filling out an application for a Pole Card (put a dash in front of “przyznanie Karty Polaka”).
- Block A - in this section you need to indicate your personal data (full name, date and place of birth, gender, current citizenship and nationality).
- Block B - the address of the applicant is indicated here according to the passport data.
- Block C - the data of the applicant's identity document are entered. As a rule, this is a passport.
- Block D - data on the applicant's ancestors (full name, degree of relationship, citizenship, nationality, etc.) are indicated here.
- Block E - it needs to be filled out by those people who submit documents from a Polish organization in the absence of relatives of Polish nationality.
- Block F - confirms the knowledge of the Polish language by the applicant. Here you need to check the box next to "Yes" (and attach a certificate) or "No".
- Block G - here the applicant confirms the veracity of all the information provided.
- Block H - the applicant puts his signature and indicates the place and date of the interview. Most often, the interview takes place in Minsk.
Paste your photo into the application, after which it can be submitted along with the rest of the documents.
The validity period of the Pole's Card and the possibility of its replacement
A Pole's card is issued for a period of 10 years. To extend its validity, the person who previously received this document must re-apply to the consulate, schedule an interview and re-collect all the papers. Moreover, this must be done no later than three months before the expiration of the document.
In case of renewal, the application will also have to be filled in, only a tick will need to be put in the “przedłużenie ważności Karty Polaka” section.
In addition, you will need to provide:
- the old Card of the Pole;
- a photocopy of the decision to issue it;
- foreign and domestic passport of Belarus (original and copies);
- a request for a new document.
The interview with the consul will be easier than with the initial receipt of the document, but in any case you will have to visit the consulate and maintain the conversation. The procedure will take about an hour, but it will take about 3 months to wait for a new document.
If the document is still far from the expiration date, but it was lost, it can be restored. In this case, you should call the consulate and schedule an interview.To restore the Card, you will need to bring the following documents (in addition to those described above):
- a statement with a tick in front of the item "wydanie dublikatu Karty Polaka";
- documents confirming the presence of Polish roots.
The restoration of documents can also take about three months.
In what cases can they refuse to issue a Pole Card?
Refusal can be obtained in such cases:
- The applicant does not know the Polish language and traditions of the country and does not meet the requirements set out in the Law "On the Pole's Card".
- The applicant has Polish citizenship or the right to permanent residence in Poland.
- There are errors in the documents provided, they contain deliberately false data.
- If the ancestors of Polish nationality, indicated by the applicant, emigrated to other countries, claiming that they are representatives of their nationality, and thus lost their belonging to the Polish people.
- If the applicant's receipt of the Pole's Card threatens the security of the country.
- If the applicant has acted or is acting against the interests of Poland.
Besides, there are other reasons as well.
What questions are often asked by applicants for the Card of Pole
In 2021, applicants are primarily interested in the following questions:
Is it possible to get a Pole's Card without having relatives of Polish nationality?
The answer is yes. First of all, you can buy a Pole's Card: for a certain fee, a person will simply "correct" the pedigree. But this is not a completely legal method, and if the deception is revealed, there will be trouble. But the legal way is more difficult: to obtain a written certificate from a Polish organization. However, you need to work in this organization for at least three years, working for the good of Poland.
How to confirm the presence of Polish roots?
If your parents are Poles and you were born before the collapse of the USSR, then the nationality data is entered in the birth certificate and passport. You can also bring your parents' birth certificate and marriage certificate (if you have Polish roots on the maternal side). In the case of great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers, most likely, you will have to contact the State Archives, including on the territory of Poland (there is such an archive in Bialystok).
Can a minor get a Pole's Card?
It is possible, provided that the parents also have such a document. If only one parent has the Pole's Card, the second must give permission to the child to issue it. At the same time, a child under 16 does not need his consent to draw up a document - parents do everything.
Finally
In theory, anyone can register for the Pole's Card. Moreover, the Belarusians, even without Polish roots, can get the desired document after working for the benefit of Poland for several years.
The procedure for obtaining a document, in principle, is simple, but only if you know Polish, since all documents are filled out in it. You also need to have at least basic knowledge of history and an idea of the traditions of the Polish people.
But even having received the Card, you should remember that it has a validity period. After 10 years, it must be renewed.
