My wife’s appointment to submit her application for a temporary residence card is looming. Therefore, I’ve been on the hunt for supporting documents to back up her application. One such document is a current copy of our Polish marriage certificate, which I recently obtained from the Registry Office in Gdańsk (USC – Urząd Stanu Cywilnego). The Registry Office is located inside the City Hall (Urząd Miejski).
Where is the Registry Office in Gdańsk?
The Registry Office in Gdańsk is located inside the City Hall (Urząd Miejski) at 8/12 Nowe Ogrody Street. It’s just a stone’s throw away from the Forum Shopping Centre.
Finding the Registry Office inside the City Hall of Gdańsk
Upon entering Gdańsk City Hall, one can’t help but notice some red tape with the letters USC, in white, stuck to the floor every few metres or so. USC stands for Urząd Stanu Cywilnego (Registry Office).
Hence, you should follow the red tape and the occasional sign to reach the corridor where the Registry Office is located:
Once you reach the corridor
When you reach the Registry Office, you must press a letter on a screen according to which service you require. My Polish is not so hot at the moment, but I was able to recognise most of the words and services on the screen. I had to press A, which means submitting applications and collecting copies of civil status documents.
Here are the translations of the other services:
B/C – Registration of births and acknowledgment of paternity after a vital record has been drawn up
D – Entries of foreign documents
E – Registration of deaths
F – Registration of marriages and notifications of jubilee anniversaries. Testimonials
L – Archive of vital records until the year 1945 – copies of entries and certificates regarding German civil registries
R – Register of contact details
* zmiana imienia i nazwiska – changes of names and surnames
* uzupełnienia sprostowania aktów rozwody – filing corrections for divorce papers
Click here to find a comprehensive list of procedures which the Registry Office in Gdańsk deals with.
Waiting time to get seen
I had originally gone to the Registry Office on a Monday to get a copy of my Polish marriage certificate. Unfortunately, the place was heaving. I anticipated a wait of at least an hour, so my wife and I scarpered.
I returned on Friday that same week. There were only eight people ahead of me in the queue so I only waited 25 minutes to get seen.
Can you expect service with a smile?
More or less. The employees are up to their ears in work. However, they do their job and say their “pleases” and “thank yous”.
How do you pay for a vital record?
After the official checked my details and found the certificate in the system, she asked me to go next door. In this room, I paid a fee of 33zł for a full copy of my marriage certificate (zupełny aktu małżeństwa).
As soon as I paid, I returned to the official and she gave me the certificate.