A written, document-driven process — from your first enquiry to a filing-ready case.
Every case begins with a written enquiry. Tell me what you know — names, approximate dates, towns, family stories, and any documents already in the family — and I will tell you, honestly, whether the case looks workable and what I would search for first.
The entire process runs over email, in writing. You receive research plans, findings, and document scans you can read, save, and share with your family — no phone calls required, unless you prefer them. For a process built on documents, a written record of every step is a feature, not a formality.
I review your family history against the Polish nationality laws — chiefly the Acts of 1920 and 1951 — to identify the ancestor your claim runs through, where the legal chain could have been broken, and which documents would prove each link.
The result is a written assessment: what you already have, what is missing, which archives are likely to hold it, and whether the case is worth pursuing at all. If it isn't, I will say so before any research begins.
Research runs in focused rounds. I direct a network of professional researchers stationed across Poland who physically search the state archives (Archiwum Państwowe) and local registry offices (USC) — including the handwritten registers in Russian, German, and Latin that never made it online.
A standard deep-search round typically takes several weeks to a couple of months, depending on the archive. Once the exact register is narrowed down, a targeted search can move much faster. After each round you receive a written report of what was found — including negative results, which are reported just as honestly.
When the key records are located, we obtain certified copies from the archive or registry office. I read the original documents myself — Polish, Yiddish, Hebrew, and Russian — and analyse what each one actually proves under the citizenship acts.
With the evidence assembled, your dossier is structured for the confirmation application: the document chain from your Polish ancestor down to you, the legal argument for why the chain never broke, and the supporting records for every claim.
Not applying for citizenship? The same process works for pure genealogy: family trees, heir and probate research, or simply holding your grandfather's birth record in your hands. See document retrieval from Poland.
Describe what you know of your Polish ancestry — even fragments are enough to begin.