# Heir Research in Poland for UK Estates

Source: https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/services/heir-research-poland-uk-estates/
Last updated: 2026-09-29
Summary: Heir research in Poland for UK estates: Polish records traced, certified copies obtained, findings in English. Fixed-price stages from £750.
Publisher: The Polish Genealogist (professional Polish genealogy research, polishgenealogist.co.uk)

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When a UK estate has a Polish side, someone has to prove who the relatives are. We act as a probate genealogist for that Polish branch: we trace the family in Polish civil, parish, population and archival records, obtain the documents that show each relationship and explain everything in English for the solicitor, executor or researcher handling the estate.

The work is priced in [fixed-price stages from £750 or a capped budget](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/services/heir-research-poland-uk-estates/#fees), with no commission. Send us your question through the contact form and we reply with a written scope and price. We do not carry out free case assessments.

> **Handling an estate with Polish connections?** Send your question through the contact form and we reply with a written scope and quote. [Send the case details](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/contact/)

### Who this heir research service is for

- **UK solicitors and executors** administering the estate of a Polish-born person, or an estate where some beneficiaries were born or live in Poland.

- **Probate researchers and heir-hunting firms** that have traced the British side of a family and need the Polish branch researched by someone working in Polish archives and registry offices.

- **Relatives preparing a claim on an unclaimed estate.** In England and Wales the Government Legal Department deals with bona vacantia estates, except in the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall. If an estate has been listed with the Crown and you believe you are an entitled relative, the Polish records are often the evidence of the family link. We research the records; the claim itself is made by you or your legal adviser.

- **UK families inheriting from Poland** who need Polish documents about a deceased relative or about their own line of descent for proceedings in Poland.

### Typical situations

#### A Polish-born person died in the UK without a will

Many Poles who settled in Britain after the Second World War had no family in the UK, while brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces stayed in Poland. When such a person dies intestate, the administrator needs to know who survives on the Polish side and how each person is related. That usually starts with the deceased’s own Polish birth record and the marriages and children of their parents and siblings.

#### A will names beneficiaries in Poland

A will may name a sister in a Polish town or “my nephews in Poland” with no address, or with a spelling that no longer matches official records. We confirm identity and relationship from civil status records, taking account of name changes on marriage, Polish grammatical endings and anglicised spellings.

#### A UK heir to a Polish estate needs Polish documents

When a British family inherits from a relative in Poland, the Polish notary or court usually wants civil status records showing the chain of kinship, some of them from Polish registry offices and some from state archives. We identify and obtain those records, so that the heirs and their Polish lawyer or notary can deal with the succession itself.

### What we do

- Identify the deceased’s place of origin in Poland from UK records, such as [naturalisation files](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/polish-britain/naturalisation-records-poles-uk/), [UK certificates](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/uk-records/birth-marriage-death-certificates-england-wales/), resettlement and service papers, and probate records.

- Research Polish civil registers, parish books, population and residence records and other archival collections for the deceased and each relevant relative.

- Obtain certified copies or extracts of Polish civil status records (*odpisy aktów stanu cywilnego*) where the law allows them to be issued to the client or their representative, and copies of older registers from state archives.

- Build a sourced family tree in which every line of kinship is tied to a named record.

- Explain the records in English, including old handwriting, Latin, Russian or German entries and name variants.

- Arrange translations where the recipient needs them, through our [archive document translation service](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/services/archive-document-translations/).

### What we do not do

- We do not give legal advice on UK or Polish succession law, and we do not decide who is entitled to inherit. That is for the solicitor, the court or, in Poland, a notary or court.

- We do not represent anyone in probate or succession proceedings in the UK or in Poland.

- We do not guarantee that living heirs will be found. Records may be missing, destroyed or closed, and a line can end without a result.

- We research living people only through lawful sources and information the client is entitled to hold. We do not obtain personal data about living people without a legal basis.

This page is general information, not legal advice. For questions of entitlement, a UK solicitor is needed; for succession in Poland, a Polish lawyer or notary.

### How it works

1. **Enquiry.** You send your question and the key facts through the contact form.

2. **Written scope and quote.** We set out the research questions, the records to be searched, the documents to be requested and the price, before any work starts.

3. **Research in stages.** Larger cases are divided into stages, for example the deceased’s origin first, then each sibling line, with an interim report after each stage so you can decide whether to continue.

4. **Final report.** You receive an English report with the family tree, a description of each record and its source, and the copies or certified extracts obtained.

We cannot promise a timescale. Polish registry offices and archives answer at their own pace, and a case that needs records from several places takes longer than one that needs a single register. The quote gives our estimate and we tell you promptly about any delay.

### Fees: two ways to instruct us

We do not work on commission and take no share of the estate. You choose one of two fee models, and the written quote confirms the stage, the research questions and the price before any work starts.

Official fees charged by Polish registry offices, archives and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for certified copies and apostilles, and the cost of sworn translations, are charged at cost and listed in the quote. Payment terms are set out in the quote.

### Access to Polish civil status records

Under Article 45 of the Polish Act on civil status records of 28 November 2014, copies of civil status records held by registry offices are issued to the person concerned, their spouse, ascendants, descendants and siblings, their legal representative or guardian, and to a person who shows a legal interest, as well as to courts, prosecutors and public bodies. A UK executor or administrator can often show such an interest, but the registrar decides each request.

Birth records stay with the registry office for 100 years and marriage and death records for 80 years, counted from the end of the year the record was made. After that they pass to the state archives, where the rules on access are different. Our guide to the [100-year rule](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/vital-records/polish-genealogy-100-year-rule/) explains this in more detail.

### Confidentiality and data protection

We are a business based in Poland and process personal data under the EU General Data Protection Regulation. Case documents are used only for the agreed research, findings go only to the client, and we collect no more personal data about living people than the work needs. We can sign a confidentiality agreement on request.

### What to send us

- The full name of the deceased, including any Polish spelling, earlier surname or anglicised form.

- Dates and places of birth, marriage and death, even if approximate.

- UK certificates you hold: birth, marriage and death certificates, and any naturalisation or service papers.

- The will and the grant of probate or letters of administration, if there are any.

- Known family information: parents’ names, brothers and sisters, spouses, places mentioned in letters, and any addresses in Poland.

- Your role (solicitor, executor, researcher or relative) and the question the research has to answer.

### Frequently asked questions

#### Can you work for a firm on a subcontract basis?

Yes. Probate research firms and solicitors can instruct us to research the Polish branch only, with the report addressed to the firm. Tell us at the start who the report is for and whether your client should be named.

#### Can Polish records be obtained without being a relative?

For records still held by registry offices, a copy is issued to close relatives and to people who show a legal interest in the record. Someone acting for an estate may qualify, but this depends on the documents they can produce and on the registrar. Older records transferred to state archives are made available under archive rules, which are generally more open for historical research.

#### How long does heir research in Poland take?

It depends on the number of family lines, the places involved and how quickly Polish offices and archives reply. We do not promise a date, but the written quote includes our estimate and each stage ends with a report.

#### Do you prepare documents for a Polish notary or court?

We obtain the civil status records and explain them. The succession application or proceedings in Poland are for the heirs and their Polish lawyer or notary, who will say which documents and translations they need.

### Related guides

- [Proving kinship with Polish records for a UK estate](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/uk-records/proving-kinship-polish-records-uk-estate/)

- [Bona vacantia and the estates of Polish-born people](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/uk-records/bona-vacantia-polish-born-estates/)

- [Inheriting property in Poland as a UK heir](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/uk-records/inheriting-property-poland-uk-heirs/)

- [Polish document retrieval](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/services/polish-document-retrieval/)

> **Research service:** An estate with a Polish-born deceased or heirs in Poland? · Fixed-price stages from £750, or a capped budget · [Send the case details](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/contact/)

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Research help: The Polish Genealogist researches Polish family history, military service and citizenship evidence in Polish, British and international archives, with reports in English. Services and prices: https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/services/