How to Get a Criminal Record Certificate for a TRC in Poland

Certificate of No Criminal Record for TRC in Poland

A Certificate of No Criminal Record for TRC in Poland may be requested while your temporary residence permit application is being reviewed. It is not a standard attachment required in every residence case, but the voivodeship office may ask for it if the inspector needs additional information about your background or previous countries of residence.

The certificate is also known as a criminal record certificate, police clearance certificate or certificate of good conduct. If you receive an official request from the voivodeship office, check which country should issue the document, how recent it must be and whether it requires an apostille and a sworn translation into Polish.

ONE PLUS helps foreigners obtain a Certificate of No Criminal Record for TRC applications, prepare it for submission and respond to requests from the voivodeship office.

Is a Criminal Record Certificate Required for a TRC?

A criminal record certificate is not automatically required for every temporary residence card, commonly referred to as a TRC or karta pobytu.

The documents you need depend on the basis of your application. Different requirements apply to residence permits based on employment, business activity, studies or family reunification.

In many cases, the Polish authorities check public order and security matters through official databases. However, an inspector may still request a Certificate of No Criminal Record during the proceedings if additional verification is necessary.

This often happens after the application has already been submitted. The applicant receives an official letter asking for the certificate within a specified deadline. If the document must be obtained abroad, apostilled and translated, responding on time can become difficult.

For this reason, it is important to review the request immediately and begin preparing the certificate as soon as possible.

Which Country Should Issue the Certificate?

The voivodeship office may request a criminal record certificate from your country of citizenship, Poland or another country where you previously lived.

For example, if you are a citizen of India but lived and worked in the United Kingdom for several years before moving to Poland, the inspector may ask for a certificate from India, the United Kingdom or both countries.

There is no single rule that applies to every TRC application. The required country depends on your immigration history and the wording of the official request.

Before ordering the document, confirm exactly which criminal register the office wants to check. Obtaining a certificate from the wrong country will not satisfy the request and may delay your residence permit case.

Certificate of No Criminal Record from Poland

A Polish criminal record certificate is issued by the National Criminal Register, known as the Krajowy Rejestr Karny or KRK.

Foreign nationals can obtain a KRK certificate even if they are not Polish citizens. The document confirms whether information about the applicant appears in the Polish National Criminal Register.

A Polish KRK certificate may be useful if you have lived or worked in Poland for an extended period. However, it does not replace a certificate from your home country when the voivodeship office specifically requests information about your criminal record abroad.

The paper KRK certificate can be obtained in person from an authorised information point at a Polish court, by post or through a representative acting under a power of attorney. In straightforward cases, it may be issued on the same day, although the official processing period can be longer if additional checks are required.

Paper or Electronic KRK Certificate

A Polish Certificate of No Criminal Record is available in paper and electronic form, but these formats are not always interchangeable.

The electronic certificate is issued through the e-KRK system as a digitally signed XML file. It may be accepted if the receiving institution can open the file and verify the electronic signature. A printed copy of the XML file is not considered an original document.

In practice, many authorities and institutions prefer the traditional paper certificate. The paper version is also necessary if the document must be apostilled or used abroad.

If the purpose of the certificate is unclear, the paper KRK certificate is usually the safer option.

How Long Is the Certificate Valid?

A Certificate of No Criminal Record does not have one universal validity period for every TRC application.

The voivodeship office decides how recent the document must be. In practice, inspectors often expect a certificate issued within the previous three months, but the exact requirement may differ depending on the case.

Do not order the certificate too early. At the same time, do not wait until the final day stated in the official request, especially if the document must be obtained from another country.

If the proceedings continue for a long time, the inspector may ask for an updated certificate. This does not necessarily mean that there is a problem with the application. It may simply mean that the original document is no longer considered current.

Apostille and Legalisation

A criminal record certificate issued outside Poland may require an apostille or consular legalisation before it can be submitted to the voivodeship office.

The correct procedure depends on the country that issued the certificate and the international agreements applying between that country and Poland. An apostille is commonly used for documents issued in countries that participate in the Hague Apostille Convention.

Documents from other countries may require consular legalisation. In some cases, an international agreement may remove the authentication requirement completely.

Do not assume that every foreign certificate requires an apostille. Check the requirements before beginning the procedure.

Sworn Translation into Polish

A Certificate of No Criminal Record issued in a foreign language will usually need to be translated into Polish by a sworn translator.

The translation must accurately reproduce the applicant’s personal details, the issuing authority, the date of issue, the certificate number and all official stamps or annotations.

If the certificate requires an apostille, it is normally more practical to arrange the translation after the apostille has been attached. This allows the translator to translate the complete document package.

Check that your name, date of birth and other personal details are consistent with your passport and TRC application. Even a small difference may lead to additional questions from the inspector.

Submitting the Certificate to the Voivodeship Office

A Certificate of No Criminal Record for TRC proceedings can be submitted with the original residence application or later in response to an official request.

When submitting the document, include your full name and case reference number. If the certificate was issued abroad, attach the required apostille or legalisation and the sworn translation into Polish.

Keep copies of the complete package and proof of submission. When sending documents by post, use a trackable delivery method.

If you cannot obtain the certificate before the deadline, do not ignore the inspector’s letter. Submit a written explanation and provide evidence that you have already applied for the document. Depending on the circumstances, you may also request additional time.

What If the Certificate Cannot Be Obtained?

Sometimes it is impossible to obtain a criminal record certificate because of war, the closure of government institutions, legal restrictions or the absence of a procedure for applicants living abroad.

In such cases, the voivodeship office may consider a written explanation or alternative evidence. However, acceptance is not guaranteed and every case is assessed individually.

You should document all attempts to obtain the certificate. Correspondence with an embassy, consulate or issuing authority may help demonstrate that the problem is beyond your control.

Help with a Criminal Record Certificate for TRC

ONE PLUS helps foreigners obtain and prepare a Certificate of No Criminal Record for TRC applications in Poland.

We first review the request from the voivodeship office and determine which certificate is required. We can then help obtain the Polish KRK certificate, arrange an apostille or legalisation, organise a sworn translation and prepare the document for submission.

If the inspector has already sent you a request, contact us as soon as possible. We will check the deadline, explain what must be submitted and help you prepare the correct document without unnecessary delays.

Choosing the right certificate from the beginning is faster and less expensive than ordering the wrong version and repeating the procedure later.