Change of family name
The family name is the surname of the family (lineage) from which a given person comes. We are born with this surname and it is entered on the birth certificate. On the other hand, the actual surname is the one used by the given person. It may, in particular, be the surname adopted after the marriage.
In a case conducted by the Law Firm, a woman born abroad (not having a Polish birth certificate) changed her name abroad (through an administrative procedure). This change has not been recorded in Polish marital status registrations. The client then married abroad and changed her last name to her husband's surname again. As a result, both her family name and her name were different from those on the birth certificate. To obtain a Polish passport, it is always necessary to register foreign birth and marriage certificates.
In the present case, however, after the registration of the birth certificate and the marriage certificate, a gap appeared in the Polish registers, as no change of name was recorded abroad prior to entering into marriage. Therefore, after obtaining the certificate of Polish citizenship, registering foreign birth and marriage certificates, it became necessary to carry out additional proceedings - changing the family name.
Changing the family name will take into account the change of name abroad prior to marriage. The change of the family name will be noted on the birth certificate as a mention.
