Polish Marriage Certificate Translation

**Oświadczenie o nazwisku (naming declaration):** At the time of marriage, each spouse declares whether to retain their birth surname (nazwisko rodowe), adopt the other’s surname, or create a hyphenated combination (maximum two elements). This declaration is recorded on the marriage certificate and determines the legal surname going forward.

We translate the naming declaration section clearly, labeling the pre-marriage birth surname (nazwisko rodowe), chosen married surname (nazwisko po zawarciu małżeństwa), and any hyphenated combinations for each spouse. This naming trail is critical for USCIS, which needs to trace name changes from birth certificate through marriage certificate to passport.

**Ślub konkordatowy (concordat marriage):** A Catholic church ceremony that has civil legal effect under the 1993 Polish Concordat with the Holy See. The priest sends a marriage notification to the USC, which registers it as a civil marriage. The Akt Małżeństwa may reference the parish, diocese, and concordat notification procedure.

**Ślub cywilny (civil marriage):** Performed at the USC by the Kierownik USC (head of civil registry). The translation must identify which type of marriage was performed, as concordat marriages include ecclesiastical references that civil marriages do not. We preserve all church and parish references on concordat certificates for complete documentation.

As with birth certificates, Polish marriage certificates come in Odpis Zupełny (complete copy, with all Adnotacje and amendment history) and Odpis Skrócony (abbreviated copy, core facts only). For USCIS spouse petitions, the complete copy provides stronger documentation because it shows the full registry entry.

We identify which copy type is being translated and process it accordingly. On Odpis Zupełny copies, we translate every Adnotacja — these may record divorce (rozwód), annulment (unieważnienie małżeństwa), death of a spouse (zgon małżonka), or corrections (sprostowanie).

Marriage certificates in Odpis Zupełny form carry Adnotacje that reference subsequent events: divorce (“małżeństwo rozwiązane przez rozwód” with court case number), death of a spouse, or corrections. These annotations are legally significant and may affect immigration filings.

We translate every Adnotacja with full context, preserving the court reference (e.g., Sąd Okręgowy, sygnatura akt), the date of the event, and the USC registration details. Omitting a divorce annotation, for example, could create a discrepancy with a separate divorce decree in the filing packet.

Polish marriage certificates include the USC name, numer aktu (registry number), Kierownik USC signature, and witness names and details. Post-2015 records also include SRP (System Rejestrów Państwowych) reference numbers.

We reproduce all registry references, witness names with diacritics, and administrative details exactly as printed. Witness details may be relevant for legal proceedings or authenticity verification, especially when filing in U.S. courts.