Documents for Poland: Apostille and Sworn Polish Translation for the Ukrainian Diaspora

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.

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 2008: HQ in Kharkiv, plus one office in Kyiv — but for the diaspora in Poland the format is fully remote.

How we work

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 4Receive the finished setWe send the finished translations via Nova Poshta or hand them over whichever way suits you; 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 paid separately; 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 paid separately and is not included in the translation price. The exact quote follows a review of your scans.

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