Contents Executive summary...................................................................................................................................................... 7 1. Introduction................................................................................................................................................................9 1.1 Methodology..............................................................................................................................................................9 1.2 Statelessness across the globe.................................................................................................................................11 1.2.1 Defining ‘a stateless person’..............................................................................................................................11 1.2.2 Causes of statelessness....................................................................................................................................11 1.2.3 Consequences of statelessness..........................................................................................................................13 1.3 The international legal framework............................................................................................................................14 2. State of statelessness in Poland........................................................................................................................16 2.1 Background...............................................................................................................................................................16 2.1.1 National legal framework at a glance...................................................................................................................16 2.2 A statistical overview of the stateless population in Poland......................................................................................17 2.2.1 Specifics of the data used.................................................................................................................................17 2.2.2 The target population and differences in definitions used.......................................................................................17 2.2.2.1 Groups covered by administrative data..........................................................................................................19 2.2.2.2 Groups not covered by administrative data................................................................................................... 24 2.3 Conclusions............................................................................................................................................................. 25 3. Determination of statelessness and the human rights of stateless persons..................................... 26 3.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................................. 26 3.2 National legal framework........................................................................................................................................ 27 3.3 Lack of statelessness determination procedure and the identification of stateless persons in other existing procedures....................................................................................................................................................... 28 3.3.1 Identifying stateless persons in protection proceedings......................................................................................... 28 3.3.1.1 Initiating the procedure............................................................................................................................. 28 3.3.1.2 Questions of proof................................................................................................................................... 29 3.3.2 Identifying stateless persons in return proceedings..............................................................................................30 3.3.2.1 Initiating the procedure............................................................................................................................30 3.3.2.2 Questions of proof....................................................................................................................................31 3.3.3 Other relevant types of proceedings.................................................................................................................. 32 UNHCR POLAND, SEPTEMBER 2019 5