With whom can I leave my child in Poland if I need to leave the country for a certain period of time?
Many Ukrainians need to leave a country that has granted temporary protection for a certain period of time in order to solve certain issues, e.g. in Ukraine. Find out who you can legally leave your minor child with in Poland in order to leave for business
According to the laws in force in Poland, a minor child cannot be left unattended by adults. At the same time, leaving a child with a friend or neighbor while planning to temporarily leave the country is also not an option, as this may result in the child being removed by social services.
The article below explains with whom Ukrainians who plan to leave the country for a while can leave their children and how to do so.
Why can't a child be left with friends in Poland?
If a Ukrainian decides to leave Poland for a certain period of time, leaving his/her minor child with friends or neighbors, and social services, law enforcement or guardianship authorities find out about it, the child will be taken into foster care. As explained by yavp.pl, this can be a foster family or even an orphanage. In addition, this institution/person will have the right to exercise permanent custody of the child, and, accordingly, to raise him/her and represent his/her interests in obtaining benefits.
At the same time, the child can be returned only through a court procedure, which is often very complicated and time-consuming. After all, the court and social services will need to prove that you are the guarantor of the custody of the minor.
How can I leave my child in Poland for a certain period of time?
Currently, Poland has an institution of a temporary guardian, which was introduced as part of the assistance to refugees from Ukraine. That is, if a Ukrainian intends to leave the country on business, he/she must appoint a temporary guardianship over his/her minor child so that the child's interests are represented by an official during his/her absence.
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Who can become a temporary guardian?
An adult blood relative of the child, another relative from the father's or mother's side, as well as another person who can guarantee the proper performance of the guardian's duties, may become a temporary guardian (for one child or several at once).
In addition, in the absence of such a candidate, a Ukrainian may apply to the court to have a temporary guardian appointed by special structural units of the social protection service. Social services will have 48 hours to appoint such a person.
How and where to apply for the appointment of a temporary guardian in Poland?
In order to appoint a temporary guardian, a Ukrainian needs to submit an application to the district court at the place of residence of the minor child.
The application is called "wniosek o ustanowienie opiekuna tymczasowego", you can download the ready-made form on the website gov.pl or get it at the court's visitor service center. Filing an application for the appointment of a temporary guardian is free of charge, and the case is considered as soon as possible.
However, if the applicant does not speak Polish, he or she may ask the court to appoint a free interpreter. This can be done both at the time of filing the application and during the hearing of the case itself.
Please note! When planning a temporary entry into Ukraine, it is important to take care of your own safety, as even in peaceful cities there is a threat of rocket attacks and UAV attacks. We recommend that you take out reliable health insurance covering military risks. You can buy such an insurance policy on the Visit Ukraine website.
We remind you! Polish carriers are planning to go on strike at the Ukrainian border. If earlier they were limited to one checkpoint, now they plan to block all available entrances from Ukraine. Read more about how long the action is planned and the reason for the strikes.
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Persons can visit hotels and stay there (outside hotel room) only if they wear respirator or face mask (including homemade mask), so that the nose and mouth are covered.
Hotel guests are obliged to keep the 1.5 meters distance.
Online check-in making in advance is recommended to avoid queues at check-in to hotel.
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