Birth Registration

For a hospital birth the process starts automatically:

What does the hospital do?

1. The hospital prepares a birth card for the child
2. The card is sent electronically to the civil registry responsible for the place of birth within 3 days of delivery
3. The hospital informs the parents that the card has been sent

What must the parents do?

• Provide the child's name — within 21 days of the birth. If no name is provided in time, the head of the civil registry will enter a name ex officio
• Appear at the civil registry — at least one parent (in person or online via gov.pl)

Birth outside a hospital

If the child was born outside a hospital (home birth), the birth card is issued by the doctor or midwife who attended the birth. Parents deliver it to the civil registry themselves.

You have 21 days to register the birth at the civil registry.

Report the birth at the civil registry office for the place of birth (not the parents' place of residence).

Who registers?

• Mother or father of the child
• Authorised representative with a special power of attorney
• Hospital representative — in special cases

How to register?

• In person at the civil registry — with an ID card
• Online via gov.pl — with a Trusted Profile (service "Report a child's birth")

What must you provide?

• Child's name (one or two)
• Declaration on the choice of name

Unmarried parents

If the parents are not married, the father can acknowledge paternity before the head of the civil registry (before or after the birth). Both parents must be present.

The head of the civil registry draws up a birth certificate and issues one free abridged transcript.

If the child was born abroad, you can transcribe (transfer) the foreign birth certificate into the Polish civil registry.

How to do it?

1. Obtain the foreign birth certificate in the country of birth
2. Have the certificate translated into Polish by a sworn translator
3. Submit an application for transcription of the foreign birth certificate at any civil registry in Poland or at a Polish consulate
4. The head of the civil registry will enter the record into the Polish register

Documents

• Foreign birth certificate (original or certified copy)
• Sworn translation into Polish
• ID card or passport of the applicant

Transcription fee: 50 PLN (stamp duty).

The PESEL number is assigned automatically upon registration of the birth at the civil registry.

For a child born in Poland

• PESEL is assigned ex officio when the birth certificate is drawn up
• The PESEL number can be found on the birth certificate transcript

For a child born abroad

• PESEL is assigned after transcription of the foreign birth certificate into the Polish register
• If the child is a Polish citizen, PESEL will be assigned automatically

Where to check the PESEL?

• On the birth certificate transcript
• In the mObywatel app (after adding the child's document)
• On gov.pl — service "Check your PESEL number"

PESEL is needed for address registration, GP registration, social benefits and obtaining documents.

After registration the head of the civil registry draws up a birth certificate and issues one free abridged transcript.

Types of transcripts

• Abridged transcript — contains basic data (name, surname, date and place of birth, parents' data)
• Full transcript — contains all entries and additional notations

Fees for additional transcripts

• Abridged transcript: 22 PLN
• Full transcript: 33 PLN
• Multilingual abridged transcript: 22 PLN

How to order additional transcripts?

• At the civil registry — in person or by post
• Online — via gov.pl with a Trusted Profile
• At any civil registry in Poland — you do not have to return to the one where the birth was registered

Birth certificate transcripts are needed for many purposes: address registration, passport, 800+, nursery.

The 800+ child benefit is available for every child up to the age of 18, regardless of income.

How to apply?

1. Log in to ZUS PUE or via online banking
2. Select the application SW-1 (Family 800+)
3. Enter the child's details (first name, surname, PESEL)
4. Sign and submit the application electronically

Deadline

• You can submit the application from the day of birth
• If submitted within 3 months of birth — the benefit is payable from the date of birth
• If submitted later — the benefit is payable from the month of submission

Amount

• 800 PLN per month for every child up to the age of 18
• Paid to the bank account indicated in the application

The child must be registered for health insurance in order to receive free medical care under the National Health Fund (NFZ).

Who registers?

• Parent employed under a contract of employment — registers the child through the employer (ZUS ZCZNA form)
• Self-employed parent — registers the child directly (ZUS ZCZNA form via ZUS PUE)
• Unemployed parent registered at the employment office — registers the child through the employment office

Deadline

• 7 days from the date of birth (or obtaining PESEL)

What is needed?

• Child's PESEL
• Parent's data (the insured person)
• ZUS ZCZNA form

The child is insured under a parent until the age of 18 (or longer if studying — up to 26).