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Q. How many claims have already been approved? A. About 6,000 claims have already been approved in Poland for over US$85 million so far, and there are at least an estimated 50,000 families eligible to claim (this estimate does not include families living outside Poland today, of which there may be many tens of thousands). Q. Are there any guarantees our original documents would not be lost if we send them in? A. If you were to make a claim, the only guarantee that your original documentation would not be lost or misplaced is to send certified copies. Depending on your location this can be done by a Polish Consulate, or by a notary, and depending on country may also involve an "International Apostille" document authenticating the notary (esp. USA). Q. If we never lived inside the present borders of Poland, which voivodeship office do we apply to? A. The voivodeship office generally proposed is Mazowieckie (Warszawa) for people who did not return to Poland after the war (otherwise it is the place of last residence). We have not detected any difference in attitude in any of the other voivodeship offices we have in formation on. Q. What are the eligibility requirements to make a claim? A. There are six key requirements for a successful claim: (1) Confirmation of the property owner's Polish citizenship and residency in Poland as at 1 Sep 1939; (2) Confirmation of the owner's or heir's current Polish citizenship; (3) Some description of the property (land, buildings, improvements... how many people lived there...); (4) Confirmation of property inheritance rights of the claimants (this currently requires Polish-approved documents); (5) Statement from claimants about any past property claims they may have made (notarized or at a consulate); (6) Statements about the owner and claimant's current or past places of residency. Q. What evidence do we need to provide? A. We are seeking to apply a test of "reasonableness" rather than strictness on evidence, due to the destruction of records and the distance in the past of these events. According to the regulations, evidence of (1), (2) and (3) above can be: a) official descriptions of property; b) a statement issued by former Panstwowy Urzad Repatriacyjny (State Repatriation Office); c) official documents, including court ones, and other documents received from state archives of the Republic of Belarus, Republic of Lithuania, Russian Federation, Ukraine or other countries; d) documents, issued by Polish authorities, confirming possession of Polish citizenship; e) in case of lack of documents, alternate proof could be statements made before a notary or Polish consular outpost by 2 witnesses who resided in the town in which the property was located (or in a neighboring one) and who are not relatives of the owners or inheritors. Q. What if we do not have all the evidence we need? A. First of all, lodge the application anyway. If the application does not fulfill the requirements mentioned in points (1), (2) or (3), the Voivode (Governor) will request that the applicant complete the shortcomings within 6 months from the day of delivering the request. You can also apply to extend the 6 month grace period if obtaining the evidence will likely take longer than that. Q. What if our application is denied? A. First, make sure that you have provided all the required documents. An initial response will likely request additional information, rather than reject the application outright. If after submitting all the evidence you possibly can you are rejected, you can appeal to the Treasury Ministry. Q. I am not sure how we claim as a family. Is it best for one of my sisters, who has Polish Nationality to make the claim? (father and grandfather are no longer alive). Or do we claim in all our names? A. The process as it has been explained to us is as follows:
Q. Who can I contact in Poland about my claim? Here is the general contact for the "National Treasury & Real Estate Department, Recompensation Division" in Warsaw. This is the best "port of first call" for members who speak Polish and who want to find out about their claim. Telephone INTL +48 (22) 695 60 29 (hours Mon. 9:00-17:00 CET; Tue-Fri 8:00-16:00 CET - Warsaw time). Further details are: Wydział Skarbu Państwa i Nieruchomości plac Bankowy 3/5, 00-950 Warszawa Sekretariat Wydziału Skarbu Państwa i Nieruchomości – pokój nr 229 tel. INTL +48 (22) 695 60 29 (hours Mon. 9:00-17:00; Tue-Fri 8:00-16:00) fax. INTL +48 (22) 620 08 21 spw@mazowieckie.pl http://www.mazowieckie.pl/eng/national_reasury_and_real_estate.html Here is the contact for Deputy Director Witold Kolodzinski: Witold Kołodziński Zastępca Dyrektora Wydziału Wydział Skarbu Państwa i Nieruchomości tel. INTL +48 (22) 695 64 14 fax INTL +48 (22) 620 08 21 wkolodzinski@mazowieckie.pl I noticed that there is a new person (Marzena Krauze) on the Mazovian website who is identified in charge of the claims processing division in Warsaw, reporting to Witold Kolodzinski: Marzena Krauze, Recompensation Division Manager: Marzenna Krauze tel. INTL +48 (0-22) 695-61-85 fax INTL +48 (22) 620 08 21 mkrauze@mazowieckie.pl http://www.mazowieckie.pl/wydzialy/oddzial_rekompensat.html |