Polish and Portuguese citizenship by descent

These two are paired here because applicants often research them together, but the processes are not the same and it is worth being precise. Portuguese nationality by descent, handled through the Instituto dos Registos e Notariado and the consular network, generally requires Canadian birth, marriage and death certificates to carry an apostille and a certified Portuguese translation before they will be accepted.

Poland runs its citizenship-confirmation process (potwierdzenie posiadania obywatelstwa) through a Polish consulate. It centres on originals or certified copies of vital records plus documents establishing your ancestor’s Polish citizenship, with translations by a sworn translator or the consul. Because Canada joined the Hague Apostille Convention in January 2024, Canadian documents in these applications now generally take an apostille too — but the consulate’s certified-copy and sworn-translation rules still govern how the paperwork is assembled.

We authenticate the Ontario-issued records for either country and coordinate certified translation. What we cannot do is tell you which historical documents prove your ancestor’s citizenship — that is genealogical and legal work specific to your family, and the consulate is the authority on what it will accept.