Documents for Poland: Apostille and Sworn Polish Translation for the Ukrainian Diaspora
If you are a Ukrainian in Poland preparing Ukrainian documents for work, a residence card, marriage, study or family reunification, in most cases you need not an apostille but a sworn translation into Polish (tłumaczenie przysięgłe). Ukraine and Poland have a legal-assistance treaty, so for official use Polish authorities often accept Ukrainian documents WITHOUT an apostille – but they almost always require a translation done by a Polish sworn translator (tłumacz przysięgły).
Etalon covers both parts: where needed we apostille your Ukrainian document in Ukraine, and the sworn Polish translation is done by the bureau's OWN sworn translators – no intermediaries, no double markup. A notarized translation starts from UAH 250 per document; sworn translation and apostille are quoted individually, and the apostille state fee is already inside that price.
- Ukraine–Poland legal-assistance treaty: an apostille for official use is often NOT required – but a sworn Polish translation almost always is
- Sworn translation (tłumaczenie przysięgłe) is done by Etalon's OWN sworn translators – no intermediaries, no double markup
- Typical diaspora set: criminal-record certificate, diploma, birth/marriage certificates, documents for the residence card and PESEL
- Remote from anywhere in Poland: scans online, originals and finished translations via Nova Poshta, apostille submitted on your behalf in Ukraine
Apostille or sworn translation: what Poland really requires
Ukraine and Poland have a bilateral legal-assistance treaty, so for official use many Ukrainian documents are accepted by Polish authorities without an apostille – unlike Germany, for example, where an apostille on a Ukrainian document is almost always mandatory. This means the key service for Poland is not legalization but translation: a Polish institution almost always requires the document to be translated by a sworn translator (tłumacz przysięgły) entered in the register of the Polish Ministry of Justice.
At the same time, "no apostille" does not mean "nothing is needed". For some procedures – especially when a document falls outside the treaty's scope or the institution follows its own rules – an apostille is still requested. So we do not guess for you: we will check the requirements for your specific situation for free (urząd, ZUS, employer, USC, university) and tell you honestly whether an apostille is needed or a sworn translation is enough.
Which Ukrainian documents are most often prepared for Poland
Because of the large labour and study migration, the set of documents for Poland is fairly consistent. Most often it is: a criminal-record certificate (for work and the residence card), a diploma with supplement and a school certificate (for employment and study), birth, marriage and divorce certificates (for the residence card, marriage in Poland, family reunification), and documents accompanying a PESEL application and legalisation of stay.
For the residence card (karta pobytu) the list depends on the grounds: work, study, marriage to a Polish citizen or family reunification – and a sworn translation is needed for almost every document in the set. We unify the spelling of your first and last name to match your international passport across all translations, so the urząd does not reject the file over a transliteration discrepancy – a typical reason documents are returned.
How long documents stay valid for Poland, and the order to prepare them in
Sequence matters more than it looks, because some documents expire. A criminal-record certificate has a limited shelf life – Polish institutions normally accept it within three to six months of issue, and some count that window to the submission date rather than the date of the record. Ordering it first is therefore a classic mistake: it ages while the rest of the pack is being prepared. The right order is: first the documents that never expire (certificates, diploma and its supplement), then their sworn translations, and only last the criminal-record certificate together with its translation, close to your submission date. Certificates and diplomas have no expiry, but if the form is laminated or Soviet-era, allow time for a re-issue. We build the schedule around your submission date so that nothing expires while waiting in the queue.
Why a sworn Polish translation, not a Ukrainian notarized one
To submit to a Polish institution you need a sworn translation (tłumaczenie przysięgłe) – a translation made and stamped by a tłumacz przysięgły, a translator entered in the register of the Polish Ministry of Justice. A Ukrainian notarized translation (where a notary certifies only the translator's signature) is usually not accepted by Polish authorities for official procedures. This is the opposite of submitting documents IN UKRAINE, where a notarized – not sworn – translation is required.
An honest clarification: the sworn Polish translation is our own service, performed by Etalon's OWN sworn translators. We pass the document to our own sworn translator for Poland – no intermediaries, no double markup. If your institution strictly requires the signature of a specific translator from its own list, we will tell you so honestly before you pay.
How we work with you in Poland remotely
The whole engagement is online: you send scans or photos of your Ukrainian documents, we agree the list, the translation type and whether an apostille is needed, and quote the exact price and deadline. The apostille (if it is required after all) we submit on your behalf to the relevant ministries in Ukraine – you travel nowhere.
When an original is needed for the sworn translation or apostille, you post it via Nova Poshta within Ukraine (for example through family), and we return the finished set the same way or however suits you. Etalon has operated since 2010: HQ in Kharkiv, plus one office in Kyiv – but for the diaspora in Poland the format is fully remote.
What the apostille answer rests on: article 15 of the treaty
Poland's exemption from legalisation is a rule, not a custom. Article 15 of the 1993 Poland-Ukraine legal assistance agreement of 24 May 1993 (published as Dz.U. 1994 no. 96 item 465) provides that public documents issued by one party are accepted on the territory of the other without legalisation. The same Polish MFA page on documents for Ukraine (gov.pl, read 12.10.2026) also states the second half: an apostille is enough as well.
So the correct answer to "is an apostille needed for Poland" is this: under the treaty it is not, but an individual office may still ask for one, and we check that before you order rather than after. None of this removes the sworn translation into Polish: the translator must be entered in the register kept by Poland's Ministry of Justice, and that register is public.
How we work
- 1Send scans and your purposeSend scans or photos of your Ukrainian documents and state the purpose: work, residence card, marriage, study, family reunification or PESEL – and the Polish institution you are filing with.
- 2We check requirements and quoteWe check for free whether an apostille is needed for your situation or a sworn translation is enough, and quote the exact price and deadline.
- 3Apostille (if needed) and sworn translationIf needed, we submit your document for apostille in Ukraine on your behalf, and the sworn Polish translation is done by Etalon's own sworn translators.
- 4Receive the finished setWe send the finished translations via Nova Poshta inside Ukraine, or to Poland via Nova Poshta Global or courier; we return the originals too if needed.
Prices
- Notarized translation of a document per document; when notarial certification is enoughfrom UAH 250
- Sworn Polish translation (tłumaczenie przysięgłe) prepared to Poland's requirements by Etalon's own sworn translatorson assessment
- Apostille on a Ukrainian document state fee already included; submitted on your behalf in Ukraineon assessment
Prices are indicative. A notarized translation starts from UAH 250 per document. Sworn Polish translation and apostille are quoted individually on assessment – the cost depends on the document type and length. The apostille state fee is already inside the quoted price. The exact quote follows a review of your scans.
FAQ
Does a Ukrainian document need an apostille for Poland?
Often no - and that is worth money to you, because the apostille is the slow half of the job: the translation can start the same day, while a stamp means a filing with a ministry and a wait. So do not order one pre-emptively. Send us what the institution asks for in writing; if an apostille really is on that list, we add it, and if it is not, you keep both the fee and the days.
What is a sworn translation (tłumaczenie przysięgłe) and why is it needed?
In short: it is the only format a Polish institution treats as official, and only a translator from the register of the Polish Ministry of Justice can produce it. The practical consequence for you is single: do not order a Ukrainian notarized translation for Poland - it is not a cheaper version of the same thing but a different document, and it will not be counted there. If your institution keeps its own list of translators and insists on a particular signature, we say so before you pay.
Who at Etalon does the sworn Polish translation?
The bureau's own sworn translators, not a subcontractor. In practice that means one party for the whole order: one deadline, one invoice, and one place to come back to if a line has to be corrected. Where an institution keeps its own list of translators and will take no other signature, we say so before you pay.
Which documents are needed for the residence card (karta pobytu)?
It depends on the grounds. For work it is usually a criminal-record certificate and employment documents; for marriage, a marriage and birth certificate; for study, a diploma or school certificate. Almost every document in the set needs a sworn Polish translation. Send the list and the grounds and we will quote the whole package.
How much does it cost to prepare documents for Poland?
A notarized translation starts from UAH 250 per document. Sworn Polish translation and apostille are quoted individually on assessment, because the price depends on the document type and length. The apostille state fee is already inside the quoted price. We give the exact amount after reviewing your scans.
Can everything be arranged remotely from Poland?
Yes. Send scans online, we produce the sworn translation and, if needed, submit your document for apostille in Ukraine on your behalf. Originals are posted via Nova Poshta within Ukraine, and we return the finished set whichever way suits you – no travel to Ukraine required.
Updated: 2026-10-13
