Office for Foreigners

Monetary equivalent in exchange for food is given only to foreigners, using social assistance provided in the centre. The above equivalent is given to a child until becoming 6 years old or a student of primary or secondary school.

Children, being educated or taken care of in public facilities, primary schools or secondary schools, using both the assistance in the centre and monetary benefit for independent covering of the costs of stay within the territory of the Republic of Poland, are entitled to didactic aids.
Students of secondary schools and children completing one year kindergarten preparation are provided with school books.

If possible, the Office may also cover the costs of extracurricular activities and recreation and sports classes for the child.

Children may also attend Polish language classes conducted in the centres for foreigners, provided in the form of assistance with homework, and compensating as well as preparatory-compensating classes.

Yes. Every child who does not know Polish or has a knowledge of it insufficient to learn, is entitled to additional free of charge lessons of Polish language organised at school, in the scope not smaller than two lessons per week.

No. Education for children of foreigners in public primary and secondary schools is free of charge until reaching 18 years of age or completing the education.

In accordance with the Act of 17 June 1966, on enforcement proceeding in administration, the municipal office within the area of which the parent with the child resides, may in this situation, issue a warning and then an enforceable title, and if the child is still not complying with the compulsory education, it may request initiating enforcement, the means of which is a fine in the amount of PLN 10 000. In accordance with the Act of 17 June 1966 on enforcement proceeding in administration, the same entitlement for taking action in the case of children obligated to complete one year kindergarten preparation or primary school students, is held by the director of a primary school in which area the parent with the child reside.
In extreme cases, non-compliance with compulsory education may result in notification of a family court, which may restrict or deprive the parent of parental rights.

In Poland, six-year-olds are obliged to have one-year kindergarten preparation in a kindergarten, kindergarten division in a primary school or in another forms of kindergarten education.

The obligation starts with the beginning of a school year in the calendar year when a child turnes 6.

Non-compliance with the obligation of kindergarten preparation is subject to sanctions on the basis of provisions of the Act on enforcement proceeding in administration.

Yes. In accordance with the Act of 14 December 2016, the Education Law, education in Poland is compulsory until 18 years of age, and starts with the beginning of a school year in a calendar year in which the child turnes 7.

The school obligation is complied with by attending a public or private primary school, and the learning obligation by attending public of private secondary school or realising vocational training with an employer, in accordance with separate provisions.

A student who completed a secondary school, before turning 18 may also comply with the learning obligation through attending a university or professional qualification courses.

Parents of the child subject to the aforementioned provisions are obligated to guarantee regular attendance of the child to classes.

Non-compliance with the obligation, understood as unjustified absence in a period of one month to at least 50 % of school days is subject to enforcement in the procedure of the provision on enforcement proceeding.

Social assistance and medical care are prolonged until the day, in which you should leave the territory of the Republic of Poland.

Assistance related with transfer of the foreigner to another Member State includes covering: administrative charges related with obtaining a travel document as well as all the necessary visas and permits, costs of food during the travel, costs of medical care during the travel.

Assistance related with transferring a foreigner to another Member State responsible for examining the application for international protection on the basis of the Dublin Regulation (604/2013) may be provided to a foreigner, who has obtained the decision on transfer to another Member State responsible for examining the application for international protection on the basis of the Regulation and after discontinuation of the procedure for granting international protection.

Aiding in voluntary return includes: covering the travelling costs of the foreigner, administrative charges related with obtaining a travel document and all the necessary visas and permits, costs of food during the travel, costs of medical care during the travel, costs of organisation of the voluntary return by an entity, which statutory duties include organisation of voluntary returns.

Another aid in voluntary return may be provided to the foreigner not sooner than after 2 years from the day when he/she left the territory of the Republic of Poland with the use of this aid.

You may submit an application for aid in voluntary return, starting from the date when you have stated that you withdraw the application for granting international protection, however, no later than within 30 days from the day, when the issued decision on discontinuation of the procedure on granting international protection became final. If the term is not complied, the Head of the Office will not examine the application.

To obtain a refund of the costs incurred for extracurricular activities, submit an application for a consent and attach it with the statement from the school attended by the child and a statement from the facility, where the extracurricular activities are conducted as well as the VAT invoice or a receipt issued to the surname of the foreigner.

In order to obtain financing for the cost of extracurricular, recreation and sports activities for a child, submit an application for a consent to cover payments for extracurricular activities along with the statement of the entity which is to provide the aforementioned service and indication of monthly costs. The application should also be attached with a statement from the school attended by the child.

Assistance in the form of extracurricular activities is provided to children attending school, covered by social assistance provided by the Office for Foreigners.

If, in accordance with the will of the family, funeral of the foreigner is to by conducted abroad, and the Office for Foreigners is to organise it, costs of such a funeral include the same expenditures as in the case of a funeral within the territory of Poland, and additionally expenditures on preparation of the body or ashes to be transported, and their transport abroad.

In the case when the family organises a funeral, it may apply to the Office for payment of a funeral allowance. If the family does not have the funds to cover the funeral costs, it may apply to the Office for Foreigners for organisation of the funeral with the Office funds. Then the Office, with agreement with the family, organises the funeral ceremony and finances such funeral costs as:

•  purchase of a burial place at a cemetery, coffin, or an urn or cremation of the body and erecting a tombstone;
• organisation of a funeral and a burial of the deceased person;
• purchase of a funeral wreath and flowers.

Detailed information are provided by employees of the Department for Social Assistance.

Yes. Help is granted to the family of the foreigner deceased before finishing the procedure for granting international protection or using social assistance provided by the Office for foreigners.

Yes, an additional help is granted to your request according to the funds held by the Department for Social Assistance of the Office for Foreigners.

You have to submit an application to the Department of Refugee Proceedings for including the child into the pending procedure for granting international protection within the territory of the Republic of Poland along with the original of the birth certificate. In the case when your procedure is finished, it is necessary to report along with the child and the original of its birth certificate to the closest facility of the Border Guard, for the purpose of submitting, on behalf of the child, an application for international protection within the territory of the Republic of Poland. Then you should submit an application for social assistance for the child in one of the two reception centres of the Office for Foreigners – in Dębak or in Biała Podlaska.

If you have submitted a subsequent application for granting international protection within the territory of the Republic of Poland, and you want to obtain social assistance, you have to submit another application for granting social assistance in one of the two reception centres of the Office for Foreigners – in Dębak or in Biała Podlaska.

You have 60 days from the day of receipt of the decision on granting the refugee status or the subsidiary protection within the territory of the Republic of Poland, to report to the District Family Assistance Centre, competent for the place of residence in order to obtain further assistance under the individual integration programme.

Not, it is not possible. The office sends the monetary benefit with postal transfer via Poczta Polska or pays it directly in Dębak, Biała Podlaska and in Warsaw, at ul. Taborowa 33.

Every address change should be immediately notified to the Office for Foreigners. Application with the current address of residence can be submitted: – in the centre for foreigners managed by the Office for Foreigners – at registry office of the Office for Foreigners – send by post to the address: Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców Departament Pomocy Socjalnej, ul. Taborowa 33, 02-699 Warszawa. The information on changing the address should be submitted by the 20th day of every month. After that day it is not certain that the benefit will be sent to the correct address. Please, check under you old address.

The application for claiming an overdue monetary benefit should be submitted:

•  In the centre for foreigners closest to the place of residence
• At the registry office of the Office for Foreigners in Warsaw, ul. Taborowa 33
• Send by post to the address: Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców Departament Pomocy Socjalnej, ul. Taborowa 33, 02-699 Warszawa. The application should include the address to which the unclaimed benefits are to be serviced.

• If you live in the centre for foreigners, the monetary aid will be payable once per month by a postman of Poczta Polska [Polish Post] in the centre for foreigners;
• If you live on your own, the monetary benefits will be serviced by a postman of Poczta Polska to the address indicated in the application or you will be able to collect in at the Poczta Polska facility competent for your place of residence. The valid Temporary Foreigner’s ID should be shown when collecting the benefit.
• The assistance in the form of monetary aid may be collected in person at the reception centres of the Office for Foreigners in Dębak and in Biała Podlaska and in the Foreigners Service Team of the Department for Social Assistance in Warsaw at ul. Taborowa 33. Monetary benefits are sent by the Office for Foreigners on the 15th day of every month via Poczta Polska or payable directly in Dębak, Biała Podlaska , Warsaw.

Social assistance will be given:

•  30 days from the day of receiving the decision on refusal to grant a refugee status or refusal to grant subsidiary protection;
• 14 days from the receipt of the final decision on discontinuing the procedure on granting international protection;
• 2 months from the receipt of a decision in other cases;

The period of provision of social assistance and medical care is extended until the day when the foreigner should exit the territory of the Republic of Poland, in the case when the foreigner: has submitted an application for granting assistance in voluntary return or has sent a written notification to the Head of the Office for Foreigners on the intent of voluntary return, after issuing him/her a negative decision on granting a refugee status or granting subsidiary protection or if he/she is subject to transfer to another Member State responsible for examining the application for granting international protection. The decision of the 1st instance issued by the Head of the OF may be appealed against within the period mandatory.

The basic form of social assistance provided to foreigners applying for international protection is the assistance provided in the centre.

Forms of social assistance:
a) assistance consisting in placement in the centre for foreigners, includes, among others: accommodation, full board compliant with the foreigners’ cultural standards or a monetary equivalent in exchange for food (PLN 9/per day), an equivalent given to children younger than 6 years old or primary school students, or secondary school students may be given also for organisation purposes, allowance for daily expense (PLN 50/per month), fixed monetary aid for purchase of home and personal care products (PLN 20/per month), one-time monetary aid for purchase of cloths and footwear (PLN 140), monetary benefit for own covering of the costs of staying within the territory of the Republic of Poland, granted by way of a decision to the request of the foreigner or ex officio.

The foreigners themselves decide on a place of residence within the territory of the Republic of Poland. The monetary benefit amounts to PLN 25 per day for one person. In case the benefit is given to a foreigner and a person, whom he/she is authorised for, or an unattended minor and a foreigner who was given foster custody over the minor by court, the amount of the monetary benefit for every person per day amounts to – in the case of: – two persons – PLN 20- three persons – PLN 15 – four and more persons – PLN 12.5.

A foreigner using the above social assistance forms (in or outside the centre) is also entitled to:

•  assistance in the form of Polish language classes and the basic materials necessary to learn the language;
• didactic aids for children learning and being taken care of in public facilities, primary schools or secondary schools;
• covering, if possible, the costs of extracurricular activities and recreation and sports classes for children;
• financing travelling costs in public transport: for the purpose of participating in the hearing for granting international protection,  to obtain treatment or vaccinations,  in other especially justified circumstances.
• aiding in voluntary return to the country they are entitled to enter,
• aiding in the case of transferring the foreigner to another Member State responsible for examining the application for granting international protection.

If you have submitted an application for international protection within the territory of the Republic of Poland, to obtain social assistance you have to report to one of the two reception centres of the Office for Foreigners in Dębak or in Biała Podlaska.

The Department for Social Assistance provides social assistance to persons applying for international protection in Poland. The social assistance involves: providing accommodation in a Centre or providing monthly financial support in cash which may be granted to a foreigner residing in the Republic of Poland outside the Centre in order to cover his/her accommodation costs. In addition, regardless of the foreigner’s place of residence, all foreigners have the right to medical care, receive assistance in voluntary return and assistance in moving to another Member State in accordance with the Dublin Regulation.

Foreigners are eligible for education and care in all types of public kindergartens and schools until they reach the age of 18 or until they finish secondary school under the same conditions which apply to Polish citizens. Foreigners are admitted to schools based on the submitted documentation, without the need to validate foreign studies and degrees. Post-secondary schools are an exception, as a documented secondary education is a prerequisite for attendance.

The principal of the school attended by your child oversees the fulfilment of the compulsory school obligation. If you change your place of residence, you should complete the formalities related to registering your child with the new school. Inform the principal of the existing school about your intention to change the place of residence and return the textbooks and other educational aids issued to the child which are owned by the school. All the remaining formalities are carried out by the respective schools without requiring the parent’s involvement.

Each municipality is obliged to provide school transport. Municipalities must provide transport to the kindergarten for children who are covered by the obligatory one-year compulsory preschool preparatory classes as well as for primary school students (from the 1st up to the 8th grade), if the distance between the place of residence and the school exceeds 3 km. Students in grades 5th to 8th are provided with free transport if the distance exceeds 4 km. In the case of secondary school students, the parents are obliged to provide transportation.

All students attending 1st up to 8th grade of the primary school who are studying in lower secondary schools receive free textbooks and textbooks required for compulsory education. In the case of secondary school students, the textbooks must be purchased by the parents.
In the case of preschool children of foreigners who exercise their social assistance rights, textbooks required for secondary schools are provided by the Office for Foreigners. In order to obtain that form of assistance, a school admission certificate must be provided to an employee of the Centre (education continuation certificate is also accepted) along with a list of textbooks required at a given stage of education.
The school starter kit is granted to each student. It can be issued in the form of ready-made sets (rucksack with all necessary school supplies) or in the form of vouchers to be redeemed in selected retail outlets. The complete school starter kit or vouchers are issued once for a given school year.

Financial assistance or vouchers for purchasing clothing and footwear are granted only to foreigners who receive social assistance provided in the Centre.

Temporary Foreigner’s Identity Certificate is the only document required to register a child for school. The document must contain the child’s data (name, surname, date and place of birth). You must also provide the current address and phone number of a legal guardian for contact purposes.  A certificate is issued after the child has been enrolled. The certificate serves as a basis for providing the child with the necessary textbooks and learning aids.

The financial allowance or vouchers for the purchase of clothing and footwear shall be granted once for the duration of the procedure for granting international protection in the territory of the Republic of Poland.

Currently, there are 10 active Centres: 4 of the Office’s own Centres and 6 Centres managed by external entities selected in a tender procedure. 2 Centres function as reception facilities (Biała Podlaska and Podkowa Leśna-Dębak) – foreigners apply to them in order to obtain social assistance when applying for international protection. From those locations, they are later transferred to one of the 8 Accommodation Centres. The Centres are located in the central and eastern part of Poland: Grupa near Grudziądz, Czerwony Bór near Łomża, Linin near Piaseczno, Bezwola near Radzyń Podlaski, Kolonia Horbów near Biała Podlaska, Białystok, Łuków.
The Centre located in the Targówek district of Warsaw has a special purpose, as it is a women-only facility accepting single women, as well as mothers with children. The facility provides shelter for instance to victims of domestic violence.

All Centres for Foreigners managed by the Office for Foreigners are open facilities. All of the facilities offer similar standards of accommodation. Foreigners are accommodated in rooms depending on their specific family situation, based on the overarching principle of family unity.