Canadian of Polish descent travel to Poland with Canadian passport

Upvote:-1

Your kids have right to obtain citizenship, but until you complete a long process of applying for one they DO NOT have Polish citizenship. So they are going to enter Poland as Canadian citizens on Canadian passports. They will be allowed to stay in Schengen for 90 days without a need for any additional paperwork.

As far as I understand you have Polish passport. So you are supposed to present Polish passport at Polish border control. In practice I am not sure how much this is enforced.

Upvote:6

Michael's answer is spot-on and correct, but I'd like to provide a relevant personal experience.

I grew up in a similar situation, though one generation removed. My grandparents are Polish (born and raised in Poland), so my mother is Polish (born in the US, 1950s), so my siblings and I are Polish (born in the US, 1980s). My mother and I have been to Poland numerous times, but on our US passports. There was no issue, even with a very obviously Polish surname. I only finally got around to applying for a Polish passport last month, after at least a dozen separate visits to the country.

To follow the letter of the law, your children should get Polish passports or formally renounce their Polish citizenship. In practice, if you don't make a big deal about it, it (likely) won't matter. There is always a risk, of course, especially if you act suspicious or like you're unusually nervous about this; I personally would just travel on my Canadian passport, but it is a personal choice.

Upvote:10

According to the Wikipedia article on Polish nationality law, "a child born to a Polish parent is automatically a Polish citizen at birth. It is irrelevant where the child is born." So your children are Polish citizens.

This can potentially become a problem because, as the US State Department notes,

Polish citizens (including U.S.-Polish dual nationals or those with claims to Polish citizenship) must enter and depart Poland using a Polish passport. Dual nationals who entered Poland only with a U.S. passport, especially those who stayed in Poland over 90 days, may be unable to depart Poland until they obtain a Polish passport. Due to possible delays in obtaining a Polish passport while in Poland, Polish citizens may wish to obtain a valid Polish passport from the Polish Embassy or Consulates in the United States before traveling to Poland.

Presumably the same problems could apply to a Canadian-Polish dual national entering on a Canadian passport. (The equivalent Canadian page confirms that dual nationals must enter on a Polish passport, but does not discuss the possibility of being unable to leave.)

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