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Will it be accepted?

Documents from Poland used in the UK

The rules that change because your document comes from Poland, and the ones that do not, each with the rule that governs it.

Every fact below links to its official source. Last checked 17 August 2026.

The short answer

An apostille has existed for Polish documents since 2005, and yet none of the UK organisations we checked asks for one on incoming paperwork. What their rules set out is how the English translation must be done.

In force since 2005

The apostille position, answered

  • Poland joined the Apostille Convention, in force since 14 August 2005, so its public documents can carry an apostille obtained in the issuing country
  • The UK's own Legalisation Office states: "You cannot get documents issued outside the UK legalised using this service - get them legalised in the country they were issued"
  • None of the official guidance we checked for the organisations below asks for an apostille or legalisation of the incoming document

Sources: HCCH status table; GOV.UK, Get your document legalised

What the rules actually ask for

The translation, done to each organisation's spec

  • For degree documents, UK ENIC's Translation Waiver names Polish in its paid group, so for a Statement of Comparability you may not need a full certified translation
  • ENIC's page prices that route at a £49.20 waiver fee inside a £118.80 total for the Statement of Comparability service
  • Everywhere else, and for languages ENIC does not cover, its page says it "accepts certified translations from professional translators"

Sources: the linked official pages on each case page

Your case, organisation by organisation

These pages quote the exact published requirement for each receiving organisation. All of them apply to Polish documents.

Polish civil records: three kinds of copy, and who adds the apostille

Any civil status office (USC) in Poland can issue a copy of a birth, marriage or death record, in three kinds, and the apostille comes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or, for degrees, from NAWA. What the Polish government says:

  • A short copy (odpis skrócony) shows the record's current content, with any changes; a full copy (odpis zupełny) repeats the record exactly as first drawn up, with every later entry, so it holds more information.
  • The multilingual short copy (odpis wielojęzyczny) is issued only on paper, under the 1976 Vienna Convention No. 16, in force for Poland since 1 November 2003. The UK is not a party to that convention.
  • Short and full copies can also be issued as electronic documents with a qualified electronic signature. gov.pl warns not to print them: a printout has no legal force and the recipient may not accept it.
  • Records have been kept in the electronic central register since 1 March 2015. Older paper records have to be transferred to it first, which can take longer.
  • Apostilles on most Polish documents come from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MSZ) as a printed sticker with an official's handwritten signature, an official seal and a hologram, with stamp duty of PLN 60 per document. University diplomas are apostilled by NAWA, and school certificates by the school superintendent or the regional exam board.
  • Notarial deeds and court documents first need authentication by the president of the competent regional court, before the MSZ apostille.

Applying from the UK by post: MSZ returns apostilled documents by registered mail only to addresses in Poland, the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. If you live elsewhere, including the UK, and have no proxy in Poland, the application must name a proxy for delivery in Poland.

Sources: gov.pl, copy of a civil status record; Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Certification of documents; CIEC, Convention No. 16 status table. Checked 11 October 2026.

Your Polish driving licence

EU licences use their own route in DVLA's tools, separate from the designated-country list. The official outcome states:

"You can drive in Great Britain on a full, valid driving licence from an EU country."

"You can drive in Great Britain until you're 70. If you're 67 or over when you become resident, you can drive for 3 years." After this time you must exchange your licence, and the official wording adds: "You do not have to retake your test."

One caveat from the same tools: "If you got your EU licence by exchanging a non-EU licence, you can only drive in Great Britain for 12 months."

Wording from GOV.UK's licence tools, EU outcome pages, checked 22 July 2026. Exchange uses a D1 form and the £43 fee, and the licence usually arrives within 3 weeks.

The embassy will not translate it

A common assumption is that the British Embassy can translate or handle your paperwork. The official guidance says otherwise: "British embassies, high commissions and consulates cannot translate documents."

For certified copies, the same guidance says: "If you're abroad and need a certified copy of a document for a reason other than legalisation, you should find a local notary to do it." Going the other way, with a UK document for use abroad? That is a different process: see our UK document legalisation guide.

  • 2005

    The Apostille Convention has been in force for Poland since 14 August 2005

  • Age 70

    How long most EU licence holders can drive in Great Britain before exchanging

  • £49.20

    ENIC's Translation Waiver fee for Polish, inside its £118.80 Statement total

Sources for this page

We only publish what an official source says, and we re-check these pages on a schedule. If a source changes, this page is reviewed before we rely on it again.

What it confirmsOfficial sourceChecked
Poland and the Apostille ConventionHCCH status table22 Jul 2026
The UK cannot legalise foreign-issued documentsGOV.UK, Get your document legalised22 Jul 2026
Designated-country exchange listGOV.UK, Exchange a foreign driving licence22 Jul 2026
EU licence rulesGOV.UK, exchange tool, EU outcome22 Jul 2026
ENIC's Translation Waiver languages and feesUK ENIC, Translation Waiver Service22 Jul 2026
What British embassies cannot doGOV.UK, Documents for British people abroad22 Jul 2026
Full, short, multilingual and electronic copies; the central register since 2015gov.pl, copy of a civil status record (in Polish)11 Oct 2026
Who issues Polish apostilles, the stamp duty and postal applications from abroadPoland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Certification of documents11 Oct 2026
Convention No. 16 in force for PolandCIEC, Convention No. 16 status table (in French)11 Oct 2026

This page is general information based on the official guidance linked above, as it stood on the date shown. It is not legal or immigration advice, and requirements can change. The decision on any application always rests with the receiving organisation, so confirm the current requirements with them before you apply. Lingo Service is not responsible for decisions made by third parties.

More guides like this

More pages in this series, each quoting the receiving organisation's own published wording.

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Common questions

Do I need an apostille on my Polish document for use in the UK?

Poland is a contracting party to the Apostille Convention, in force since 14 August 2005, so its public documents can carry an apostille obtained there. None of the official guidance we checked for the organisations covered by these pages asks for one on incoming documents, so confirm with the receiving organisation before paying for anything. The UK cannot add an apostille to a foreign document, so where one is wanted it comes from the issuing country.

Can I exchange my Polish driving licence for a UK one?

Poland is not on the designated-country list; EU licences use their own route. The official outcome states you can drive in Great Britain on a full, valid EU licence until you are 70, or for 3 years if you were 67 or over when you became resident, and when you do exchange, you do not have to retake your test. If your EU licence came from exchanging a non-EU licence, only 12 months. The decision is always DVLA's.

Does my Polish degree need a certified English translation?

For UK ENIC's Statement of Comparability, Polish is in the Translation Waiver's paid group, priced on ENIC's page at a £49.20 waiver fee inside a £118.80 total, so you may not need a separate certified translation for ENIC. For most other organisations, the published rules ask for a certified English translation. Our dedicated pages show the exact wording each organisation uses.

Will my document definitely be accepted?

No page can honestly promise that, and you should be cautious of any that does. What we can tell you is what the official guidance requires, with the source, so you can prepare your application exactly as the organisation asks. The decision always rests with the receiving organisation.