by Poland boast as having the best civil registration system of vital records (births, marriages, divorces and deaths) in Europe. In fact, their system beats most of those found in a number of states in the United States. Poland began the registration of vital records in 1808 and quite a number of the records are still available today. This guide is aimed at assisting you on how to find birth records in Poland.
Poland is a country located in central Europe. The country has 16 administrative provinces which are referred to as voivodeships. The population of Poland is above 38 million. Its national capital, Warsaw, has the largest metropolis. Poland is bordered by the Baltic Sea (north), Slovakia and the Czech Republic (south), Belarus and Ukraine (east) and Lithuania and Russia (northeast).
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Poland Birth Records
Poland birth records are known to be comprehensive. A birth record search will normally reveal such details as the name and age both parents, time and place of birth, date of birth, the father’s occupation and at most times the given names of both grandfathers.
In early March 2015, Poland introduced a new electronic system in the registry offices. The system made it possible for all birth, marriage and death certificates that were registered in the country to be made available, not in the office of registration only, but in every registry office. The registry offices are also hard at work adding older documents to the system as well.
How to lookup Birth Records in Poland
Vital records in Poland are kept with registry offices for 100 years (birth records) and 80 years (marriage and death records). The records are then sent to the local national archives once that times has elapsed. If the birth records you are after falls within the stipulated time, then you might consider getting in contact with the registry office.
Finding Ancestral Birth Records in Poland
Most of the records that are archived are microfilmed. This makes then accessible to anyone all over the world. Records which are 100 years and older are maintained at the numerous branches of the Polish State Archives. A new system was introduced by the Polish State Archives in 2000, which required that requests for are to be sent to the specific branch holding those records rather than Warsaw, which is the main archive.
If you are not familiar with the town that holds the birth records you are after, you can consult the Polish Archives Holdings of Jewish Vital Records list.
For ancestral birth records in Poland, it is essential to know where the birth took place. There are a number of records that might give you a clue of the location. Knowing more about your ancestor can help you determine if the person you locate, who has the same name as your ancestor, is actually your ancestor.
The following documents can be quite helpful in narrowing down your search to the most probable location:
- Birth certificates
- Marriage certificates or licenses
- Death certificates
- Obituaries
- Funeral cards
- Journals
- Photographs
- Letters
- Family Bible
- Naturalization papers
- Citizenship papers
- Military service records
Finding Recent Birth Records in Poland
As mentioned before, finding the right registry office (Urzard Stanu Cywilnego) is crucial. It a norm in the country for every municipality (gmina) to have registry office. Big municipalities may have several of them. If the records you are after are in a city, then you need to find the address of the registry office. This will give you the email addresses and contact phone numbers of the registry office. You can try looking it up from here by typing the name of the town on the search bar.
For searches on small village that do not have their own registry office, you can first locate the municipality (gmina) it belonged to. You can view current gminas found Poland from here to make your selection.
If the birth record you are looking for is less than 100 years, you can then send them an email to find out if they have the record you seek. You must include as much information on the record holder as possible as this might prove a difference maker. This is information like first and last name, date of birth, maiden name, place of birth and parents’ names.
Sources of Birth Records from Family Search
The following links will help you find birth records in Poland. They will link you to online databases and indexes that keep birth records in the country.
- Poland, Jewish Records Indexing – Poland Births (1550 – 1993)
- Poland, Evangelical Church Books (1700 – 2005)
- Eastern Prussian Provinces, Germany (Poland), Selected Civil Vitals (1874 – 1945)
- British Armed Forces Overseas Births and Baptisms
This guide on how to find birth records in Poland gives tips that can help you on your quest. It reveals that Polish birth records can be divided into two. There are those which are more than 100 years and those which are less than 100 years, basically. Records older than hundred years can be found on Polish State Archives and records less than 100 years are found on Civil Records Offices.
