Polish Genealogy Services — Research & Citizenship Docs

Polish Thread is a one-person genealogy research studio based in Łódź. I work with Polish parish registers, state archive collections, and civil registry offices across all three historical partitions — mostly through the databases and official channels these institutions run, and on-site in the reading rooms when a case genuinely calls for it. If you’re looking to hire a Polish genealogist who works directly with Polish sources, you’re in the right place.

Polish Genealogy Research

Professional genealogy research in Poland, from a single surname to a fully documented family tree. I search parish registers, state archives, land records, and military files across all historical partitions — including regions now in Ukraine and Belarus. Every project ends with a written report and document scans.

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Citizenship Document Retrieval

I locate and obtain certified odpis zupełny copies from Polish archives and civil registry offices — the documents a Confirmation of Polish Citizenship application actually requires. Retrieved through official applications in Polish, certified by the issuing office, and prepared for legal use abroad.

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Genealogical Translations

Polish, Russian, German, and Latin — often in Kurrent, Cyrillic, or old Latin scripts that modern Polish speakers can’t read either. I translate genealogical records in a way that preserves their structure and meaning, suitable for both research and legal use, and coordinate sworn translations where an application requires them.

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Which service do you need?

Most people who write to me aren’t sure which of the three they need — and picking wrong costs money. Here’s the honest breakdown:

Your situation	What you need	Typical cost	Timeline
“I don’t know where my family came from” — you have a surname, maybe a region	Genealogy research	from $80	4–8 weeks
“I know exactly which record I need for my citizenship case” — the town and office are known	Citizenship documents retrieval	from $99	2–8 weeks
“I have the record but can’t read it” — Russian, German or Latin script	Genealogical translations	from $15	days, not weeks
“I need documents for citizenship but don’t know where they are”	Research first, then retrieval — I’ll scope both upfront	custom	case by case

The fourth row is the one people miss: finding a record and retrieving a certified copy of it are two different jobs with two different prices. I’ll always tell you upfront which one you’re actually buying.

How it works

Getting started with my Polish genealogy services is straightforward.

Contact

First, contact me with what you already know — even a single surname and approximate region is enough to begin.

Proposal

I will review your case and send you a project proposal with a clear scope and fixed price. Once you confirm, I begin research in Polish archives — no intermediaries, no guesswork.

Report

When the project is complete, you receive a written research report, copies of all documents found, and, where applicable, a family tree chart.

Most projects are completed within 4–8 weeks, depending on complexity.

Meet your genealogist

Hi, I’m Martyna — and I know exactly how it feels to stare at a blank family tree and wonder where to even begin. I’ve spent the last several years working with Polish State Archives and civil registry offices, building deep expertise across the regions where most Polish-American families have their roots — Galicia, central Poland, Congress Poland, and the Prussian partition.

✓ Association of Professional Genealogists member,

✓ Over 85 cases solved, 13 archives visited in person,

✓ Registered EU business, Stripe-secured payment.

Read my full story

Martyna Urbańczyk, a polish genealogy specialist working in the archive

Who I work with

I work with people at very different stages of their genealogical journey.

Polish diaspora

Some of my clients are members of the Polish diaspora — families scattered across the United States, Canada, Australia, and South America — who want to reconnect with their roots and understand where their family came from.

Amateur genealogists

I also work with amateur genealogists who have hit a brick wall in their research and need someone with direct archive access to break through it.

Citizenship applicants

Many of my clients are pursuing Polish citizenship by descent and need the certified documents required for their application located and retrieved from Polish offices.

Whatever your starting point, I’m happy to take a look.

Why Clients Choose Polish Thread

I helped over 80 families uncover their Polish roots, with every project handled personally from start to finish.

3+

Years of ARCHIVE experience

85+

FAMILIES HELPED

4.8

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fiverr rating

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Frequently Asked Questions

Yes — and most people should. A single record translation ($15) or one document retrieval ($99) is a normal first order. It tells you what the records say, and it tells both of us whether a bigger project makes sense.

Write to me with what you have — a surname, an approximate region, a photo of a document. I’ll tell you which service fits, what it costs, and honestly, whether you need me at all. Sometimes the answer is a free database and twenty minutes.

Both, in that order. Most work runs through Polish archive databases and official written applications — that’s the standard, and it’s faster and cheaper. When a case genuinely requires it, I visit the archive or parish in person.

Often, yes — for the legal side. I retrieve and interpret the documents; a Polish citizenship attorney assesses eligibility and files the application. The two roles complement each other, and I’ll tell you early if your case needs one.