Military Records & Proof of Non-Loss of Citizenship

The Polish military record book (książeczka wojskowa) was an official document certifying its holder’s military-service status. In descent cases, an ancestor’s military record book often serves as the most reliable evidence that they did not enlist in a foreign armed force before the birth of the next descendant — a fact that is critical to preserving the unbroken genealogical chain, as discussed in the Loss of Citizenship section.

The search for military records is carried out through the Polish State Archives and, where required, through correspondence with the archives of neighboring states to which territories of pre-war Poland now belong.