Polish Birth Certificate Translation

**Imię/imiona (given name/names):** Polish law (Prawo o aktach stanu cywilnego) allows up to two given names on a birth certificate. **Nazwisko (surname):** The child’s surname as registered. **Nazwisko rodowe (birth surname/maiden name):** The mother’s pre-marriage surname, recorded separately. This three-part naming structure must be preserved clearly in the translation.

We label each name field with both the Polish term and its English equivalent — "Given Name(s) (Imię/Imiona)," "Surname (Nazwisko)," "Birth Surname (Nazwisko rodowe)" — so a USCIS officer or consular official can match the birth certificate names to passport, visa, and I-94 spellings without confusion.

**Odpis Zupełny aktu urodzenia (complete copy):** Contains the full registry entry including all fields, Adnotacje (marginal annotations), and any corrections or amendments made since the original registration. **Odpis Skrócony (abbreviated copy):** Contains only the core facts (names, dates, places) without annotations or amendment history.

USCIS generally accepts either format, but the Odpis Zupełny provides more complete documentation. We identify which copy type is being translated (the header states it) and translate it in full. If the document is an Odpis Zupełny, we translate every Adnotacja (annotation) because these may reference marriage, divorce, name changes, or nationality updates.

**Numer aktu (registry number):** The unique identifier assigned by the Urząd Stanu Cywilnego that ties the birth certificate to the exact registry entry. Combined with the USC name and year, this reference allows verification of the record’s authenticity by any receiving authority.

We reproduce the USC name, numer aktu, and registrar’s details exactly as printed. Post-2015 Polish records use the System Rejestrów Państwowych (SRP) — a centralized electronic registry — and may include SRP reference numbers that we preserve in the translation.

Polish birth certificates in Odpis Zupełny form may carry Adnotacje (annotations) that reference subsequent civil events: marriage (zawarcie małżeństwa), divorce (rozwód), name changes (zmiana nazwiska/imienia), adoption (przysposobienie), or corrections (sprostowanie). These annotations link the birth record to the individual’s broader civil-registry history.

We translate every Adnotacja with full context, preserving the referenced USC office, registry number, and event date. Omitting annotations can create gaps in the documentary chain that USCIS or a court would need to fill with supplementary documents.

Birth records from before 1945 may be in Latin (Catholic parish records), bilingual Polish/Russian (Russian partition), bilingual Polish/German (Prussian partition), or bilingual Polish/German with Austrian administrative language (Austrian partition). These historical records require knowledge of partition-era administrative terminology and Latin ecclesiastical vocabulary.

We handle partition-era and Latin-language records using specialists familiar with historical Polish civil registration. When the source combines multiple languages, we translate all content and note the original language of each section so the receiving authority understands the document’s historical context.