Registration of death and recording of death in Poland

Registration of death and recording of death in Poland

The death of a Polish citizen must be registered immediately after receiving the death certificate from a doctor at the Civil Registry Office (USC) responsible for the place where the death occurred, or at the Civil Registry Office responsible for the place where the deceased lived before death in Poland, or in any other Civil Registry Office in Poland if the deceased did not reside permanently in Poland before death.

The death must be reported by submitting the death certificate to the head of the Civil Registry Office in Poland within 3 days from the date it was issued. If the death occurred due to an infectious disease, the death must be reported within 24 hours of the death.

The death certificate is issued on the day the death is reported.

The following persons are obliged to report the death, in the following order:
• the surviving spouse
• descendants/ascendants/relatives up to the 4th degree of kinship
• relatives by marriage in a direct line up to the 1st degree (i.e., siblings)
• the hospital or other institution if the death occurred in a hospital or other institution
• anyone who possesses the death certificate and power of attorney from persons entitled to receive copies of the civil status record
• an authorized employee of a public medical university or a public university conducting educational and research activities in the field of medical sciences.

The mandatory documents that must be presented at the Civil Registry Office are:
• Death certificate issued by a healthcare facility.
• The deceased’s ID card or passport.
• The ID card of the spouse for those who were married, if available.
• The ID card of the person reporting the death.
• The deceased’s passport or military booklet, if available.
• Power of attorney – if you hire our lawyer to handle your case.

IMPORTANT: If the person resides abroad and has not appointed an attorney residing in the country, they are required to designate an attorney for service of process in the country.