A PESEL number for a child born in Cyprus. How to obtain it step by step?

A child of Polish parents was born in Cyprus. He already has a Cypriot birth certificate, and his parents had it transcribed and received a Polish certificate. Did the child automatically receive a PESEL number along with it?

No. For a child born abroad and living outside of Poland, obtaining a Polish birth certificate is a necessary condition for obtaining a PESEL number, but it does not grant one in itself. The most common route is as follows: first, transcription of the birth certificate, and then assignment of the PESEL number during the first passport visit to the Polish Consulate in Nicosia.

First, a Polish birth certificate

If a child was born in Cyprus, his or her first civil status document will be a Cypriot birth certificate.

For a child to receive a Polish passport and PESEL number through standard consular procedures, the foreign birth certificate must first be transferred to the Polish civil registry. This procedure is called transcription.

A transcription request can be submitted:

• at any registry office of your choice in Poland;
• through the Polish Consulate in Nicosia.

The consulate accepts applications in person or by mail. Transcription requires, among other things, the child's original foreign birth certificate, including the parents' details, and its official translation into Polish.

In some cases, additional documentation may also be required for the parents. This is particularly true if one of them does not have a Polish birth certificate and the parents' marriage has not been previously registered in the Polish registry.

How much does transcription cost?

For the acceptance and processing of a transcription request through the Polish Consulate in Nicosia, a fee is currently charged in the amount of 60 euro.

After completing the procedure, a Polish copy of the birth certificate can be collected at the consulate or received by post, if this option was selected when submitting the application.

This is only the first step, however. A Polish birth certificate paves the way for assigning a PESEL number, but it does not mean that the child has already received one.

A Polish birth certificate does not yet mean a PESEL number

And here comes the most common misunderstanding.

The Polish Consulate in Nicosia explains that in the case of a child born abroad, living outside Poland and not having a registered address in the country, the issuance of a Polish birth certificate does not automatically assign a PESEL number.

However, a Polish certificate is necessary so that the number can be assigned during the passport procedure.

So the order is as follows: Cypriot birth certificate → transcription → Polish birth certificate → PESEL number for the first passport application.

Not all of these activities take place simultaneously.

How does a child living in Cyprus receive a PESEL number?

In most cases, the PESEL number will be assigned in connection with the first application for a Polish passport.

If a child was born abroad and does not yet have a PESEL number, the consul applies for it when accepting the passport application.

Therefore, the parent does not need to submit a separate form to the Polish Consulate in advance requesting a number for the child.

First, however, a Polish birth certificate is required. The parent then reports in person to the consular office and submits the first passport application. As part of this procedure, the consul also applies for a PESEL number.

Can the first passport application be submitted online?

No, if the child does not yet have a PESEL number.

Children under 12 can submit passport applications online. However, this e-service is only available if the child already has a PESEL number.

If a child was born in Cyprus, obtained a Polish birth certificate through transcription, but still does not have a PESEL number, the first passport application cannot be submitted online.

The parent must visit the Polish Consulate in Nicosia. During the visit, the consul will request a number and accept the application for the first passport.

Only with subsequent documents, when the child already has a PESEL number, can you use the appropriate online services if the other requirements are met.

Is there a fee for assigning a PESEL number?

No. Assigning a PESEL number is free of charge.

However, certain activities preceding or following its posting are subject to fees:

• transcription of a Cypriot birth certificate via the consulate – currently €60;
• issuing a passport or temporary passport – in accordance with the current table of consular fees.

There is no additional fee for the PESEL number itself.

What if a child needs a PESEL number, but the parents do not want to apply for a passport yet?

There is also a second path.

You can apply for a PESEL number upon request if it is needed in a specific case and the obligation to have it results from a specific provision.

The application must indicate the actual legal basis. A general statement that the number may be useful in the future is not sufficient. If an office or other institution requires a PESEL number, it should cite the legal basis for this requirement.

Such an application is submitted in Poland to the appropriate municipal office. If the jurisdiction of the office cannot be determined based on the place of residence, employment, or employer's registered office, the application will be reviewed by the Śródmieście District Office of the Capital City of Warsaw.

However, in the case of a child living with their parents in Cyprus, a simpler route will be used much more often: assigning a PESEL number upon the first passport application at the consulate.

Do you need to go to Nicosia with your child?

The first passport application must be submitted in person at the Polish Consulate in Nicosia if the child does not yet have a PESEL number.

Whether a child must be present during the visit depends on their age and the type of document. Separate rules also apply to collecting a completed passport.

For example, a child under five years old does not need to be present to collect their passport. For children aged 5 to 12, personal presence is required.

Detailed rules regarding the child's presence, consent of the other parent, photo, fees and collection of the document are described in a separate passport guide.

First, check the data in the Polish act

Before your passport visit, please check your child's Polish birth certificate carefully.

If the transcribed certificate is missing some of the required data of the parents, this may prevent the assignment of a PESEL number and the issuance of a passport document.

A problem may arise, for example, when one of the parents does not have a Polish birth certificate and the parents' marriage has not been previously registered in Poland.

In such cases, the consulate recommends presenting additional documents from the parent when submitting the application for transcription of the child's birth certificate.

It is better to complete the information at this stage than to find out about the problem only during the passport visit.

What about Polish characters?

Data in Cypriot documents can be written without letters such as ą, ć, ę, ł, ń, ó, ś, ź or ż.

When transcribing, you can submit a request to adjust the spelling to the rules of the Polish language or to correct the data based on the parents' Polish civil status records.

The name and surname entered in the Polish birth certificate will later be used in the PESEL register and passport documents.

It is therefore worth checking the accuracy of the data before assigning the number and issuing the first passport.

PESEL is not proof of citizenship

The PESEL number does not grant the child Polish citizenship.

If at least one parent was a Polish citizen at the time of the child's birth, the child generally acquires Polish citizenship by operation of law by birth.

PESEL is an identification number used in Polish registers and contacts with the administration.

The child is therefore a Polish citizen even before receiving a PESEL number.

Is a PESEL number required for a child living in Cyprus?

Sooner or later it will most likely be needed.

The PESEL number is used when issuing Polish identity documents and in many matters dealt with in Polish offices.

For a family living permanently in Cyprus, the first practical moment when it becomes necessary is usually the issuance of the child's first Polish passport.

The PESEL number should not be confused with the Cypriot identification number, ARC, or the MEU1 document, also known as the Yellow Slip. These are separate numbers and documents issued by the administrations of two countries.

PESEL for a child born in Cyprus step by step

The fifth point is most often omitted.

Parents receive a Polish birth certificate and assume that a PESEL number has already been automatically assigned. This may not be the case for a child born abroad, living outside Poland, and not registered in the country.

A Polish birth certificate opens the way to obtaining a PESEL number, but does not assign it itself.

Sources: Consulate of the Republic of Poland in Nicosia, Ministry of Digital Affairs, Act on Population Registration, Act on Passport Documents.