Using a Polish criminal record certificate abroad: three people, three procedures

Karolina is starting a job working with children in France. Gintarė is applying for Portuguese citizenship, while Santiago is preparing documents for a move to Spain. All three need to present a Polish criminal record certificate abroad. Their starting point is similar, but the next steps differ: Karolina can benefit from simplified EU rules, while Gintarė and Santiago need an apostille and a translation. Why?

To learn what a certificate from Poland’s National Criminal Register (Krajowy Rejestr Karny, or KRK) contains, how to obtain one and when you may need it, read our article: Poland’s National Criminal Register: what does it contain, and when do you need a criminal record certificate?.

Apostilles, translations and simplified EU rules: what do they mean?

When you present a Polish document abroad, the recipient may require confirmation that it is authentic. An apostille serves this purpose: it certifies the document’s official status and its signature or seal. It does not translate the document, but makes it easier to have the document accepted in countries that apply the Hague Apostille Convention.

Apostilles are not required for every criminal record certificate used in the EU. Under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, a document confirming the absence of a criminal record that is issued to an EU citizen by their own country is exempt from legalisation and similar formalities, including an apostille. A Polish citizen presenting a Polish KRK certificate to a public authority in another EU country can therefore benefit from this exemption.

Translation is a separate step that allows the recipient to understand the document. If an official translation is required, it is usually prepared by a sworn translator, also called a certified translator in some contexts.

Case 1: Karolina takes a job working with children in France

Karolina is starting work at a public childcare and education institution in France. She presents her certificate to the French public authority handling the employment procedure. She is a Polish citizen presenting a Polish document in another EU country, so she meets the conditions set out in the regulation and does not need an apostille.

Karolina can also request a multilingual standard form containing the key information in the recipient’s language. As Poland’s Ministry of Justice explains, the form is only a translation aid. It does not replace the certificate, so the two documents must be submitted together.

If the French public authority considers the information on the form sufficient, it should not request a translation of the certificate. A translation may still be needed if the form does not allow the authority to fully understand the document. The simplified rules, including the apostille exemption, apply when documents are presented to public authorities. They may therefore not cover a private employer, which can set its own requirements for apostilles and translations. If a translation is needed, a sworn translator of French can help.

Case 2: Gintarė applies for citizenship in Portugal

Gintarė is a Lithuanian citizen who lived in Poland before moving to Portugal. For her Portuguese citizenship application, she has been asked to provide a Polish KRK certificate with an apostille and a translation.

Why do the simplified rules not apply? Poland is issuing the document to a Lithuanian citizen, so it is not being issued by her country of citizenship. The exemption under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 therefore does not apply. This does not mean an apostille is mandatory in every similar case: the need for one depends on the rules of the procedure and the recipient’s requirements. In Gintarė’s case, the Portuguese authority requires it.

Because Gintarė is a Lithuanian citizen, Poland’s National Criminal Register must also request information from the Lithuanian register. This check cannot be waived, and the response will be attached to the Polish document. Lithuania has up to 20 business days to respond, which can extend the process. Poland’s Ministry of Justice explains this rule.

Once Gintarė has received the information from both registers, she must obtain an apostille for the Polish KRK document. A sworn translator of Portuguese will then translate the complete set of documents.

Case 3: Santiago prepares documents for Spain

Santiago is a Colombian citizen who has lived in Poland and nowhere else in Europe. After receiving a job offer in Spain, he was asked by a Spanish authority to provide a Polish KRK certificate.

Santiago is not an EU citizen, so the simplified rules under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 do not apply to his document. The Spanish recipient requires an apostille on the Polish KRK document and a translation into Spanish.

Because Santiago is a citizen of a country outside the EU, Poland’s National Criminal Register does not contact the register in his country of citizenship. He has also lived nowhere else in Europe, and the Spanish recipient requires only a Polish certificate, so he does not need documents from any other European country.

Santiago obtains a paper KRK document and an apostille, then submits the complete set for translation into Spanish. Depending on the Spanish recipient’s requirements, the translation may need to be prepared by a sworn translator authorised in Spain.

How do you prepare a Polish KRK certificate for use abroad?

There is no single procedure that applies to everyone. Your citizenship, the country issuing the document, the destination country and the recipient’s requirements all matter.

Before starting, ask the recipient how recent the document must be, which format they accept, whether an apostille is needed and what type of translation they require.

The timeframes above are estimates. If the information from Poland’s National Criminal Register includes entries or the authority needs to carry out additional checks, issuing the document may take longer.

If you need to combine obtaining a Polish criminal record certificate, an apostille and a translation, MT Translation Agency can coordinate these steps and prepare the documents according to the recipient’s requirements.

These stories are examples. Always confirm the specific requirements with the institution that will receive your documents.