THE LOSS OF POLISH CITIZENSHIP
Contrary to what one might expect, it is often easier to acquire the citizenship of a certain state (e.g. Poland) than to lose it. Currently one cannot freely renounce one's Polish citizenship. Moreover, no one can be punished by the revocation of their Polish citizenship. In the past, however, in some circumstances Polish citizenship could have been lost as it were automatically and certain categories of people were deprived of their Polish citizenship.
Current rules for the loss of Polish citizenship - in force since 1 January 1999
A Polish citizen loses his/her Polish citizenship at his/her own request after obtaining consent from the President of the Republic of Poland for the renouncement of Polish citizenship. The consent for the renouncement of Polish citizenship granted to the parents extends to the children remaining under their parental authority. The consent for the renouncement of Polish citizenship granted to one of the parents extends to the children remaining under his/her parental authority if the other parent has no parental authority, or the other parent is not a Polish citizen, or the other parent is a Polish citizen and expresses consent before a competent authority to the loss of Polish citizenship by the children.
If the other parent is a Polish citizen and objects to the extension to the children of the consent for the renouncement of Polish citizenship granted to the parent who applied for consent, or if the parents cannot reach an agreement due to obstacles that are difficult to overcome, each of the parents may apply to a court for a resolution. The consent for the renouncement of citizenship extends to children aged sixteen or older only with their consent.
