Two countries
Apostille from Poland to United States
At a glance
Can a document from Poland be used in the United States?
| Result | Apostille applies. |
|---|---|
| Poland | Uses apostilles member since 1 |
| United States | Uses apostilles member since 1 |
| Apostille issued by | Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Legalisation Section (Referat ds. Legalizacji)2 National Agency for Academic Exchange (Narodowa Agencja Wymiany Akademickiej, NAWA)2 Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Department of Art Education (Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego)2 Ministry of National Education (Ministerstwo Edukacji Narodowej), school superintendents (kurator oświaty) and directors of regional examination boards2 |
| Fee in Poland | PLN 60 (per certified document (stamp duty))2 |
| Processing time in Poland | In person, the request is handled during the visit when no extra certification from another office is needed, with a limit of 10 documents per person per day; by post, requests are handled within 30 days of arrival at the ministry2 |
| Last checked |
Step by step
How to get a document from Poland ready for the United States
- Check whether your type of document needs another office to certify it first, for example the regional court for notarial and court documents or the National Chamber of Commerce for commercial documents.2
- Prepare the original document and the application form; a photocopy or a printout from the ePUAP platform cannot get an apostille.2
- Pay the stamp duty of 60 PLN per document by bank transfer, at a post office or at the cashier of the Warsaw city office, and keep the confirmation, because payment at the ministry is not possible.2
- To apply in person, book a visit in the e-Konsulat system and bring the printed visit confirmation, the documents, the form and the payment confirmation.2
- To apply by post, send the originals, the form and the payment confirmation to the Legalisation Section at al. Szucha 23 in Warsaw, and do not send cash.2
- If you live outside Poland, the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, name a delivery agent in Poland, because documents are returned by registered letter only to addresses in those places.2
- Give the document, with its apostille or legalisation, to the office in the United States that asked for it.
Situations
When the answer changes
- Private documents.A private document, such as a power of attorney or a contract, is first signed in front of a notary public, and the apostille then goes on the notary’s certificate. A copy of a public document from another country is first certified by a notary public, then apostilled.
- The other direction. For a document from the United States used in Poland, the apostille or legalisation starts in the United States. Check United States to Poland
Note: What the apostille confirms
An apostille only confirms the signature, the role of the person who signed and any seal or stamp on the document. It does not confirm what the document says. The office that receives the document decides what it accepts.
Questions
Questions about documents from Poland for the United States
Is an apostille from Poland accepted in the United States?
Yes. An apostille from Poland is enough for the United States: both are members of the Apostille Convention (Poland since 14 August 2005, the United States since 15 October 1981). The apostille is issued in Poland by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Legalisation Section (Referat ds. Legalizacji) and 3 other offices. The published fee in Poland is PLN 60. Last checked 18 October 2026 against the HCCH status table.
Who issues the apostille for a document from Poland?
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Legalisation Section (Referat ds. Legalizacji), National Agency for Academic Exchange (Narodowa Agencja Wymiany Akademickiej, NAWA), Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Department of Art Education (Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego) and Ministry of National Education (Ministerstwo Edukacji Narodowej), school superintendents (kurator oświaty) and directors of regional examination boards. The apostille is always issued in the country the document comes from, not in the United States.
How much does the apostille cost in Poland?
The published fee in Poland is PLN 60. Fees can change, so check the office's own page before you apply.
Do I need to notarise a private document first?
Yes. A private document, such as a power of attorney or a contract, is first signed in front of a notary public in Poland. The apostille then goes on the notary's certificate.
Does the United States also need a translation?
The office in the United States that receives the document decides. Ask it before you start whether it needs a translation, and whether the translation needs its own certification.
Sources and verification
Sources
- HCCH status table: Apostille Convention (1961)
- Apostille - Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych - Portal Gov.pl
- United States of America - Competent Authority (Art. 6)
- Requesting Authentication Services
- Request for Authentications Service (DS-4194)
- Status
- Last verified: (18 October 2026)
- How it was checked
- Checked by our team against the sources above
- Next review
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