March 1968 remains one of the most painful chapters in Poland’s post-war history. The brutal suppression of student protests, an internal power struggle within the Polish United Workers’ Party, and an antisemitic campaign orchestrated by the communist authorities led to the forced emigration of thousands of Polish citizens of Jewish origin.
It is estimated that between 1968 and 1972, approximately 13,000 to 20,000 people left Poland. Many emigrants were forced to relinquish their Polish citizenship. They departed using travel documents containing a notation stating that the document entitled its holder to cross the border only once, without the right to return to Poland.
For many of them, leaving Poland was not a voluntary decision to begin a new life abroad. Rather, it was the result of increasing political pressure, loss of employment, limited professional prospects, and a growing sense that there was no longer a place for them in Poland.
Their departure also raised questions concerning citizenship. “We were told that we were no longer Polish citizens.” This is something we very often hear when speaking with clients.
After several decades, however, it can be difficult to distinguish family memories from the actual legal situation.
Many people remember the travel documents issued before they left Poland. Others remember being required to sign certain documents or obtain permission from the authorities to emigrate. Some families lived for decades believing that their legal ties with Poland had been permanently severed.
But was that really the case? The answer is not always straightforward.
Every family story is different
There is no single legal scenario applicable to all those who emigrated following the events of March 1968.
Factors that may be relevant include, among others:
- the date of departure from Poland;
- the country to which the family emigrated;
- the documents issued before leaving Poland;
- the subsequent acquisition of another country’s citizenship;
- the individual circumstances of each family member.
What happened in one family does not necessarily have the same legal consequences in another.
This is why it is often impossible to provide a definitive answer without first conducting a detailed review of the relevant documents.
More and more people are revisiting their family history
For many years, the subject of the March 1968 emigration remained largely unspoken.
It was often only the children and grandchildren of those who emigrated who began asking questions about their family history:
- Are my parents still Polish citizens?
- Did my grandparents lose their Polish citizenship?
- Have any relevant documents survived?
- Does my family history have any significance under the laws currently in force?
Many clients contact our law firm only after discovering old passports, emigration documents, family correspondence, or archival photographs.
It often turns out that documents preserved by a family contain information that, after several decades, takes on an entirely new legal significance.
Returning to Polish roots after more than 50 years
For many people, citizenship is not merely a legal issue.
It can also represent an attempt to rebuild a connection with the country of their childhood, reclaim part of their family history, and pass that history on to future generations.
In recent years, we have observed growing interest in Polish citizenship matters among people whose families left Poland following the events of March 1968.
Every family story is unique and therefore requires an individual approach and a careful legal analysis.
If your family left Poland in the late 1960s and you are wondering what legal consequences your parents’ or grandparents’ departure may have had, a good starting point is a thorough review of your family documents. Very often, the answers to the most important questions can be found in archives and documents that remained forgotten for decades.
