Polish Divorce Decree Translation

**Orzeczenie o winie (fault ruling):** Polish divorce law (Art. 57 KRiO) requires the court to determine which spouse bears fault for the marriage breakdown, unless both spouses jointly request the court to skip the fault determination. The three outcomes are: **z wyłącznej winy** (exclusive fault of one spouse), **z winy obu stron** (mutual fault of both spouses), or **bez orzekania o winie** (without ruling on fault, by mutual agreement).

This distinction matters for immigration and legal purposes because the fault ruling affects spousal maintenance (alimenty między małżonkami) obligations and may be relevant in U.S. court proceedings. We translate the fault determination clearly, preserving the exact legal phrasing from the sentencja wyroku.

**Sentencja wyroku (operative part/dispositif):** The binding portion of the judgment that states the court’s decisions — dissolution of marriage, fault determination, custody, support amounts, and property division if applicable. **Uzasadnienie (reasoning/justification):** The court’s detailed explanation of its findings and legal basis, which may run many pages.

For USCIS, the sentencja is the critical portion — it proves the marriage was dissolved and the judgment is final. We translate both sections when provided, but clearly label which portion is the operative ruling and which is the court’s reasoning, so the receiving authority can locate the key determinations immediately.

**Klauzula prawomocności (finality clause):** A stamp or annotation added to the judgment confirming that no appeal was filed within the statutory period (typically 21 days) and the judgment is now legally binding (prawomocny). Without this clause, the divorce is not considered final under Polish law.

USCIS requires proof that a divorce is final before accepting a new spouse petition. We translate the klauzula prawomocności with its date and court stamp exactly as it appears, and we flag cases where the clause is missing so you can obtain it from the issuing court before filing.

When minor children are involved, the sentencja wyroku includes rulings on **władza rodzicielska** (parental authority — sole or joint), **alimenty** (child support amounts and payment schedule), **kontakty z dzieckiem** (child contact/visitation rights), and sometimes **miejsce zamieszkania dziecka** (child’s place of residence).

We translate each custody and support provision with the exact amounts, schedules, and conditions stated by the court. These details may be relevant for U.S. family court proceedings, child support enforcement, or immigration filings that require documentation of parental responsibilities.

**Sygnatura akt (case file reference number):** Every Polish court judgment carries a unique case reference (e.g., "I C 1234/25") that identifies the court division (I C = first civil division), case number, and year. The Sąd Okręgowy (regional court) is the court of first instance for divorce cases in Poland.

We reproduce the sygnatura akt exactly as printed, along with the full court name, division, and presiding judge. This reference is critical because the Adnotacja on the marriage certificate at the USC will cite the same sygnatura akt — and both documents must match in a filing packet.