Poland is a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention or Convention). Intercountry adoption processing in Convention countries must be done in accordance with the requirements of the Hague Adoption Convention; the U.S. implementing legislation, the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (IAA); and the IAA’s implementing regulations; as well as the implementing legislation and regulations of Poland.

In addition to being found suitable and eligible to adopt by USCIS, prospective adoptive parents seeking to adopt a child from Poland must meet the following requirements imposed by Poland:

• Minimum Residency: None.
• Age of Adopting Parents: Under Polish law, there are no legal restrictions on the age of prospective adoptive parents. In practice, however, prospective adoptive parents may be no more than 40 years older than the child they wish to adopt.
• Marriage: Both married and single prospective adoptive parents are permitted to adopt a child in Poland.
• Minimum Income: None.
• Other requirements: Poland does not recognize same-sex marriages or civil unions; therefore, same-sex couples are unable to adopt a child in Poland. Although Roman Catholicism is Poland’s official religion, non-Catholic prospective adoptive parents are permitted to adopt a child in Poland. Polish authorities are more likely to match a child with prospective adoptive parents of Polish heritage.

Because Poland is party to the Hague Adoption Convention, children from Poland must meet the requirements of the Convention in order to be eligible for intercountry adoption. For example, the adoption may take place only if the competent authorities of Poland have determined that placement of the child within Poland has been given due consideration and that an intercountry adoption is in the child’s best interests.

In addition to qualifying as a Convention adoptee under U.S. immigration law, the child must also meet the following requirements imposed by Poland:

• Eligibility for adoption: Intercountry adoption of Polish children may only occur in the following circumstances:

1. Intra-family intercountry adoption;
2. Intercountry adoption to reunite a child with his/her previously adopted siblings;
3. Intercountry adoption of a child with an exceptional life or health situation, when local authorities are unable to find permanent or temporary domestic placements, such as foster care; and
4. Intercountry adoption by Polish citizens living abroad.

Please note, while adoptions may be permitted in the cases identified above, the Polish Central Authority may, at its discretion, decide to deny an approved placement and thereby halt the continuation of the adoption in certain situations. Therefore, prospective adoptive parents should consider any match with a Polish child as preliminary until the Polish Central Authority officially approves of the adoption under Article 17 of the Hague Adoption Convention.

The eligibility factors identified above are not determinative by themselves, as each case is looked at individually in order to make a decision in the best interests of the child. For example, although intercountry adoption for the purpose of reuniting sibling groups may still be considered, the child may remain in Poland if he/she has any siblings that reside in Poland. In addition, the child’s eligibility for intercountry adoption may change if the child’s situation changes, such as if an eligible child’s medical condition begins to improve, that child may no longer be eligible for intercountry adoption.

• Age of Adoptive Child: Children must be younger than 18 to be adopted. Children older than 13 must consent to the adoption. Please note that for a child to meet the definition of Convention adoptee under U.S. immigration law, a Form I-800, Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative, must be filed on the child’s behalf while the child is under the age of 16 (or under the age of 18 if the child is the birth sibling of another adopted child who meets the age and other requirements to immigrate based on adoption by the same adoptive parent(s)). Please see the USCIS website for special rules on filing dates for children aged 15-16 or siblings aged 17-18.

Caution: Prospective adoptive parents should be aware that not all children in orphanages or children’s homes are eligible for adoption. In many countries, birth parents place their child(ren) temporarily in an orphanage or children’s home due to financial or other hardship, intending that the child return home when possible. In such cases, the birth parent(s) have not relinquished their parental rights or consented to the adoption of their child(ren).

Warning: Do not adopt or obtain legal custody of a child in Poland before: 1) USCIS has approved your Form I-800A, Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country, 2) the Central Authority of Poland has determined the child is eligible for intercountry adoption, 3) USCIS has provisionally approved your Form I-800, Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative, and 4) a U.S. consular officer has issued an “Article 5/17 Letter” in the case. Read on for more information.

Poland’s Central Adoption Authority

The Department of Family Policy within the Ministry of Family and Social Policy.

The Process

Because Poland is party to the Hague Adoption Convention, adoptions from Poland must follow a specific process designed to meet the Convention’s requirements. A brief summary of the Convention adoption process is provided below. You must complete these steps in the following order to meet all necessary legal requirements. Adoptions completed out of order may cause significant delays or result in the child not being eligible for an immigrant visa to the United States.

1. Choose a U.S. Accredited or Approved Adoption Service Provider To Act as Your Primary Provider That Has Been Authorized by Poland’s Central Authority to Operate in Poland
2. Apply to USCIS to be Found Suitable and Eligible to Adopt (Form I-800A)
3. Apply to Poland’s Authorities to Adopt, and Be Matched with a Child
4. Apply to USCIS for the Child to be Found Provisionally Eligible for Immigration to the United States as a Convention Adoptee (Form I-800) and Receive U.S. Agreement to Proceed with the Adoption (Art. 5/17 letter)
5. Adopt the Child in Poland
6. Apply for a U.S. Immigrant Visa for Your Child and Bring Your Child Home

1. Choose a U.S. Accredited or Approved Adoption Service Provider to Act as Your Primary Provider That Has Been Authorized by Poland’s Central Authority to Operate in Poland

The first step in adopting a child from Poland is to select an adoption service provider in the United States that has been accredited or approved to provide intercountry adoption services to U.S. citizens and that has been authorized by the Government of Poland. A primary provider must be identified in each Convention case and only accredited or approved adoption service providers may act as the primary provider in your case. Unless a public domestic authority is providing all adoption services in your case, a primary provider is required in every intercountry adoption case. Your primary provider is responsible for:

• Ensuring that all six adoption services defined at 22 CFR 96.2 are provided consistent with applicable laws and regulations;
• Supervising and being responsible for any supervised providers, and otherwise complying with the requirements regarding the provision of adoption services using other providers (see 22 CFR 96.14); and
• Developing and implementing a service plan in accordance with 22 CFR 96.44.

For more information on primary providers and the UAA, please see Universal Accreditation Act of 2012. Learn more about Agency Accreditation.

2. Apply to USCIS to be Found Suitable and Eligible to Adopt

In order to adopt a child from Poland, you will need to meet the requirements of the Government of Poland and U.S. immigration law.

After you choose an accredited or approved adoption service provider, you must be found suitable and eligible to adopt by USCIS by submitting Form I-800A, Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country. You will need to submit a home study, provide biometrics, and cooperate in a background check as part of this application. Read more about Suitability and Eligibility Requirements. Unless an exception applies, the home study must be prepared by a person who is authorized under 22 CFR 96 to prepare home studies and must comply with the requirements in 8 CFR 204.311.

3. Apply to Poland’s Authorities to Adopt, and be Matched with a Child

Submit Your Dossier to the Central Authority

After USCIS determines that you are suitable and eligible to adopt and approves the Form I-800A application, your adoption service provider will provide your approval notice, home study, and any other required information to the adoption authority in Poland as part of your adoption application. Poland’s adoption authority will review your application to determine whether you are also suitable and eligible to adopt under Poland’s law.

Receive a Referral for a Child from the Central Authority

If both the United States and Poland determine that you are suitable and eligible to adopt, and Poland’s Central Authority for Convention adoptions has determined that a child is eligible for adoption and that intercountry adoption is in that child’s best interests, the Central Authority for Convention adoptions in Poland may provide you with a referral. The referral is a proposed match between you and a specific child based on a review of your dossier and the needs of the child. The adoption authority in Poland will provide a background study and other information, if available, about the child to help you decide whether to accept the referral. We encourage families to consider consulting with a medical professional and their adoption service provider to understand the needs of the specific child but you must decide for yourself whether you will be able to meet the needs of, and provide a permanent home for a specific child. You must also adhere to the recommendations in the home study submitted to USCIS with respect to the number of children and capacity to deal with any special needs of an adoptive child. Learn more about Health Considerations. If you accept the referral, the adoption service provider communicates that to the Central Authority in Poland. Learn more about this critical decision.

Note: The Catholic Adoption Center (CAC) in Poland is the government-designated entity responsible for matching a Polish child with foreign prospective adoptive parents and providing prospective adoptive families with a referral for a Polish child. Prospective adoptive parents should consider any referral for a Polish child from CAC to be preliminary until the Ministry of Family and Social Policy (“Ministry”) issues its Article 17 approval. Furthermore, there should be no contact between the child and prospective adoptive parent(s) until the Ministry issues its Article 17 approval, in accordance with Polish law.

4. Apply to USCIS for the Child to be Found Provisionally Eligible for Immigration to the United States as a Convention Adoptee and Receive U.S. Agreement to Proceed with the Adoption

Submit a Petition for a Determination on the Child’s Immigration Eligibility

After you accept being matched with a particular child, you will apply to USCIS for provisional approval for the child to immigrate to the United States by filing the Form I-800, Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative. USCIS will make a provisional determination as to whether the child appears to meet the definition of a Convention adoptee and will likely be eligible to be admitted to the United States.

Submit an Immigrant Visa Application

After provisional approval of Form I-800 petition, you or your adoption service provider will submit a visa application to the consular section of the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw responsible for issuing immigrant visas to children from Poland.

You should receive a letter from the National Visa Center (NVC) confirming receipt of the provisionally approved Form I-800 petition and assigning a case number and an invoice ID number. Use this information to log into the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) to file the Electronic Immigrant Visa Application (DS-260) for your child. An adoptive parent should fill out these forms in your child's name. Answer every item on the form. If information is not applicable, please write “N/A” in the block. Please review the DS-260 FAQs, our Online Immigrant Visa Forms page, or contact the NVC at NVCAdoptions@state.gov or +1-603-334-0700 if you have questions about completing the online DS-260 form. A consular officer will review the provisionally approved Form I-800 petition and the visa application and, if applicable, advises you of options for the waiver of any ineligibilities related to the visa application.

The consular officer will send a letter (referred to as an “Article 5/17 Letter”) to the adoption service provider’s representative in Poland in any intercountry adoption involving U.S. citizen parents and a child from Poland if all Convention requirements are met and the child appears eligible to immigrate to the United States. This letter will inform Poland’s Central Authority that the parents are suitable and eligible to adopt, that the child appears eligible to enter and reside permanently in the United States, and that the U.S. Central Authority agrees that the adoption may proceed. The adoption service provider’s representative is responsible for translating and submitting this letter to Poland’s Central Authority and/or the Catholic Adoption Center.

Warning: Do not attempt to adopt a child in Poland before you receive provisional approval of your Form I-800 petition AND a U.S. consular officer issues the “Article 5/17 Letter” for your adoption case.

Remember: The consular officer will make a final decision about a child’s eligibility for an immigrant visa later in the adoption process.

5. Adopt the Child in Poland

Remember: Before you adopt a child in Poland, you must have completed the above four steps. Only after completing these steps can you proceed to finalize the adoption

The process for finalizing the adoption in Poland generally includes the following:

• Role of Adoption Authority: The Central Authority, the Department of Family Policy, reviews the child’s and prospective adoptive parents’ documents and after receiving the Article 5 Letter from the U.S. Embassy, makes the final determination as to whether the adoption may proceed under Article 17 of the Convention. Once the Central Authority issues the formal permission to continue the adoption process, the prospective adoptive parents take their adoption case to court.
  
  
• Role of the Court: Prospective adoptive parents file a formal request to adopt the child with the Polish family court in the region where the child resides. A copy of the state adoption law (and Polish translation) where the prospective adoptive parents reside must also be included with the filing. Polish law requires both prospective adoptive parents to be present during the final two adoption hearings, though the judge has the discretion to waive the requirement for the first of these two final hearings. At the first hearing, the judge will grant permission for the prospective adoptive parents to visit with the child daily for a two- to six-week period. The bonding period is mandatory and evaluated by a local adoption center psychologist, as well as a representative from the Central Authority. At the final hearing, the judge decides whether to grant the adoption and full custody. It is followed by a 21-day appeal period which may be shortened to 14 days at the judge’s discretion. The court issues both the final adoption decree and the Article 23 Hague Compliance Certificate.
  
  
• Role of Accredited or Approved Adoption Service Providers: The accredited or approved U.S. adoption service providers (ASPs) work closely with the prospective adoptive parents throughout the adoption process. The role of ASPs includes guiding prospective adoptive parents through the adoption process, facilitating communication between the prospective adoptive parents and Polish authorities, assisting with paperwork and translations, and providing post-adoption services. U.S. ASPs operating in Poland are required to review the child’s post-adoption placement and prepare post-adoption reports for the Catholic Adoption Center.

Unless a public domestic authority is providing all adoption services in your case, there must be a U.S. accredited or approved adoption service provider acting as the primary provider in every case. Also, any agency or person providing an adoption service on behalf of prospective adoptive parents in any Convention or non-Convention intercountry adoption case must be accredited or approved, or be a supervised or exempted provider. Adoption service means any one of the following six services:

1. Identifying a child for adoption and arranging an adoption;
2. Securing the necessary consent to termination of parental rights and to adoption;
3. Performing a background study on a child or a home study on a prospective adoptive parent(s), and reporting on such a study;
4. Making non-judicial determinations of the best interests of a child and the appropriateness of an adoptive placement for the child;
5. Monitoring a case after a child has been placed with prospective adoptive parent(s) until final adoption; or
6. When necessary because of a disruption before final adoption, assuming custody and providing (including facilitating the provision of) child care or any other social service pending an alternative placement. 22 CFR 96.2 Definitions.

• Adoption Application: There is no formal adoption application. ASPs should prepare a cover letter and a recommendation letter for the prospective adoptive parents to be attached to their dossier that will be submitted to the Catholic Adoption Center and the Central Authority for their review. The documents submitted to court should contain a formal legal letter with the adoption request.

• Time Frame: Typically, intercountry adoptions in Poland take approximately 6 to 18 months to complete. However, both the Catholic Adoption Center and the Ministry of Family and Social Policy may ask the local authorities for updates concerning the child’s health, progress in school, social life, family visitations, etc. during their document review process, which may considerably prolong the entire process. Once the Central Authority grants permission to continue the adoption process, it may take 1 to 4 months to obtain a court date. The wait time depends on the court, its workload of cases, and the season of the year. The bonding period mandated by the judge at the first adoption hearing may last from 2 to 6 weeks. The judge usually grants the adoption on the second hearing and it is followed by a 21-day appeal period, which might be shortened to 14 days at the judge’s discretion. After the adoption decision becomes legal, the court issues an adoption decree and Article 23 statement certifying compliance with the Convention. The final stage of the process in Poland is to obtain a new PESEL (personal identification number), a new birth certificate with the child’s changed personal data, a Polish passport issued in the child’s new name, and an immigrant visa to enter the United States. It typically takes 1 to 2 weeks to complete the final stage of processing.
  
  
• Adoption Fees: We encourage prospective adoptive parents to obtain detailed receipts for all fees and donations paid, either by them directly or through your U.S. adoption service provider, and to raise any concerns regarding any payment that you believe may be contrary to the Convention, U.S. law, or the law of Poland, with your adoption service provider, and, when appropriate, through the Complaint Registry. Improper payments violate applicable law or create the appearance of buying a child, and could put all future adoptions in Poland at risk. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, for instance, makes it unlawful to make payments to foreign government officials to assist in obtaining or retaining business. Further, the IAA makes certain actions relating to intercountry adoptions unlawful, and subject to civil and criminal penalties. These include offering, giving, soliciting, or accepting inducement by way of compensation intended to influence or affect the relinquishment of parental rights, parental consent relating to adoption of a child, or a decision by an entity performing functions as a competent central authority, or to engage another person as an agent to take any such action.

In the adoption services contract that you sign at the beginning of the adoption process, your adoption service provider will itemize the fees and estimated expenses related to your adoption process.

Some of the fees specifically associated with adopting from Poland include:

• Complete form of the birth certificate – 33 Poland Zloty (PLN) per copy
• Short form of the birth certificate – 22 PLN per copy
• Polish temporary passport – 30 PLN
• Eight photos for the immigrant visa, passport, and medical exam results for the visa– about 100 PLN
• Immigrant visa fee – 325 USD
• Medical exam – 500 PLN
• Translations of Polish documents into English – 50-60 PLN per page
• Court interpretation services – 300-500 PLN
• Formal psychological evaluation of the bonding process – 2,000-2,500 PLN
  
  
• Documents Required:
  • Adoption application/Cover letter and ASP’s recommendation;
  • Birth certificate(s) of the prospective adoptive parent(s);
  • Marriage certificate(s) and proof of termination of any previous marriage(s), if applicable;
  • Criminal records clearance check;
  • Confirmation of financial status;
  • Proof of prospective adoptive parents’ citizenship;
  • Certificate attesting to good physical and mental health of the prospective adoptive parents – medical records;
  • Approved home study prepared by licensed agency with a recommendation of a U.S. Hague accredited adoption service provider; and
  • Approved I-800A petition (Approval Notice)

Note: Additional documents may be requested. The set of documents for the court should contain one original of each document. The dossier submitted to The Catholic Adoption Center and the Ministry should contain one legible copy of each document. All documents in English should be accompanied by translations into Polish done by a sworn translator. American civil documents should be properly authenticated in the United States.

• Authentication of Documents:  The United States and Poland are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention. U.S. public documents may be authenticated with Apostilles by the appropriate U.S. Competent Authority.

6. Apply for a U.S. Immigrant Visa for Your Child and Bring Your Child Home

Once your adoption is complete, there are a few more steps to take before your child can head home. Specifically, you need to apply for three documents before your child can travel to the United States:

Birth Certificate

You will need to obtain a birth certificate for your child. 

If you have finalized the adoption in Poland, you will first need to apply for a new birth certificate for your child. Your name will be added to the new birth certificate.

If you have been granted legal custody for the purposes of emigration and adoption of the child in the United States, the birth certificate you obtain will, in most cases, not yet include your name.

In order to obtain a birth certificate for the child, you may apply at the local civil registry office for a new PESEL personal identification number and a new, complete birth certificate (zupelny akt urodzenia). You will need to submit one original of the adoption court decree to the civil registry office where the child’s birth was originally registered. The civil registry will record the child’s new personal data and automatically generate a new PESEL number. Then, as mandated in the adoption decree, the child’s name will be changed and the adoptive parents will be listed as parents on the new birth certificate. Families usually request at least 4 copies of the child’s complete birth certificates for future use. The cost is 33 PLN per copy. Once the civil registry records have been updated, you will no longer be able to obtain your child’s original birth certificate.

Poland Passport

Your child is not yet a U.S. citizen, so he/she will need a travel document or passport from Poland.

After receiving the child’s new PESEL identification number and a new birth certificate, both parents may apply for a Polish passport for the child from either the local passport office from the region where the child was adopted or the main passport office in Warsaw. A passport application signed by both adoptive parents, the PESEL number, the new birth certificate, parents’ passports, one photograph, and a fee of 30 PLN must all be submitted in order to apply for a Polish passport on behalf of the child. Adopted children are generally issued a temporary Polish passport with a one-year validity for travel within 2 to 3 days of submission of the application package. A regular Polish passport, if necessary, might be later obtained from one of the Polish consulates in the United States.

U.S. Immigrant Visa

After you obtain the new birth certificate and passport for your child you need to apply for a U.S. immigrant visa for your child from the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw. After the adoption is granted, visit the U.S Embassy for a final review of the case, and if applicable, the issuance of a U.S. Hague Adoption Certificate or Hague Custody Certificate, the final approval of the Form I-800 petition, and to obtain your child’s immigrant visa. This immigrant visa allows your child to travel home with you and be admitted to the United States as your child. Please contact the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw by email at adoptwrw@state.gov to schedule your child’s immigrant visa appointment. As part of this process, you must provide the consular officer with the Panel Physician’s medical report on the child if you did not provide it during the Form I-800 provisional approval stage. Read more about the Medical Examination.

Before coming for your child’s immigrant visa interview, please complete an Electronic Immigrant Visa Application (DS-260) online at the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC).  You should receive a letter from the National Visa Center (NVC) confirming receipt of the provisionally approved Form I-800 petition and assignment of a case number and an invoice ID number. You will need this information to log into CEAC to file the DS-260 for your child. You should fill out these forms in your child's name. Answer every item on the form. If information is not applicable, please write “N/A” in the block. Print and bring the DS-260 confirmation page to the visa interview. Review the DS-260 FAQs, our Online Immigrant Visa Forms page, or contact NVC at NVCAdoptions@state.gov or +1-603-334-0700 if you have questions about completing the online DS-260 form.

Upon receipt of the case at post, the Consular Section generally notifies the petitioner. If the consular officer determines that the child is eligible for an immigrant visa, visa issuance after the final interview generally takes 24 hours. It is not usually possible to provide the visa to adoptive parents on the same day as the immigrant visa interview. You should verify current processing times with the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw before making final travel arrangements. Additional information on immigrant visa processing can be found on our website.

Child Citizenship Act

For adoptions finalized abroad prior to the child’s admission into the United States: An adopted child residing in the United States in the legal and physical custody of the U.S. citizen parent pursuant to a lawful admission for permanent residence generally will acquire U.S. citizenship automatically upon admission into the United States if the child otherwise meets the requirements of the Child Citizenship Act of 2000, including that the child is under the age of eighteen.

For adoptions finalized after the child’s admission into the United States: You will need to complete an adoption following your child’s admission into the United States and before the child turns eighteen for the child (if he or she otherwise meets the requirements of the Child Citizenship Act of 2000) to automatically acquire U.S. citizenship.

Read more about the Child Citizenship Act of 2000.

APPLYING FOR YOUR U.S. PASSPORT

U.S. citizens are required by law to enter and depart the United States on a valid U.S. passport. Only the U.S. Department of State has the authority to grant, issue, or verify U.S. passports.

Getting or renewing a passport is easy. The Passport Application Wizard will help you determine which passport form you need, help you to complete the form online, estimate your payment, and generate the form for you to print—all in one place.

American citizens traveling to Poland do not need to obtain a visa.

STAYING SAFE ON YOUR TRIP

Before you travel, it is always a good practice to investigate the local conditions, laws, political landscape, and culture of the country. The Department of State provides Country Specific Information for every country of the world about various issues, including the health conditions, crime, unusual currency or entry requirements, and any areas of instability.

STAYING IN TOUCH ON YOUR TRIP

When traveling during the adoption process, we encourage you to enroll with the Department of State. Enrollment makes it possible to contact you if necessary. Whether there is a family emergency in the United States or a crisis in Poland, enrollment assists the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in reaching you.

Enrollment is free and can be done online via the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).

When adopting from Poland, adoptive parents must sign a written statement agreeing to:

1. Maintain contact with the Central Authority or CAC for a period of six months after the adoption is finalized;
2. Consent to communication and visits by Polish consular officers for a period of six months after the adoption is finalized;
3. Allow adoption service providers to prepare their post-adoption reports once a year for the first three years and once every three years thereafter until the child reaches majority.

We urge you to comply with Poland’s post-adoption/post-placement requirements in a timely manner. Your adoption service provider may be able to help you with this process. Your cooperation will contribute to Poland’s positive experiences with U.S. citizen adoptive parents.

Post-Adoption Resources

Many adoptive parents find it important to find support after the adoption. There are many public and private nonprofit post-adoption services available for children and their families. There are also numerous adoptive family support groups and adoptee organizations active in the United States that provide a network of options for adoptees who seek out other adoptees from the same country of origin. You may wish to take advantage of all the resources available to your family, whether it is another adoptive family, a support group, an advocacy organization, or your religious or community services. Your primary provider can provide or point you to post- placement/post-adoption services to help your adopted child and your family transition smoothly and deal effectively with the many adjustments required in an intercountry adoption.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services maintains a website, the Child Welfare Information Gateway, which can be a useful resource to get you started on your support group search.

COMPLAINTS

If you have concerns about your intercountry adoption process, we ask that you share this information with the Embassy in Warsaw, particularly if it involves possible fraud or misconduct specific to your child’s case. The Department of State takes all allegations of fraud or misconduct seriously. Our Adoption Comment Page provides several points of contact for adoptive families to comment on their adoption service provider, their experience applying for their child’s visa, or about the Form I-800/A petition process.

The Complaint Registry is an internet based registry for filing complaints about the compliance of U.S. accredited or approved adoption service providers with U.S. accreditation standards. If you think your provider's conduct may not have been in compliance with accreditation standards, first submit your complaint in writing directly to your provider. If the complaint is not resolved through the provider's complaint process, you may file the complaint through the Complaint Registry.

U.S. Embassy in Poland
IV Unit/Adoptions
29/31 Aleje Ujazdowskie
00-540 Warsaw, Poland
Tel: +48 (22) 504-2510
Fax:  +48 (22) 504-2088
Email: adoptwrw@state.gov
Internet: pl.usembassy.gov

Poland’s Adoption Authority
Ministry of Family and Social Policy
Department of Family Policy
11 Nowogrodzka Street
00-513 Warsaw, Poland
Tel: +48 (22) 529-0678
Fax: +48 (22) 429-0661
Email: Katarzyna.Napiorkowska@mrpips.gov.pl
Internet:  https://www.gov.pl/web/rodzina/90dpocja-miedzynarodowa

Poland’s Authorized Adoption Center
Catholic Adoption Center
5 Ratuszowa Street
03-461 Warsaw, Poland
Tel: +48 (22) 818-5430
E-mail: koa.zagranica@interia.pl
Internet: https://adopcja.org/en/homepage/

Embassy of Poland
Consular Section
224 Wyoming Ave NW
Washington, D.C. 20008-3992
Tel: (202) 499-1930
Email: washington.consular@msz.gov.pl
Internet:  waszyngton.msz.gov.pl/en/waszyngton_us_a_en_consular_information_2/

Poland also has consulates in:  New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Houston.

Office of Children’s Issues
U.S. Department of State
CA/OCS/CI
SA-17, 9^th Floor
Washington, D.C.  20522-1709
Tel:  1-888-407-4747
Email:  Adoption@state.gov
Internet:  adoption.state.gov

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

For questions about filing a Form I-800A application or a Form I-800 petition:

USCIS National Benefits Center (NBC):
Tel:  1-877-424-8374 (toll free); 1-913-275-5480 (local); Fax: 1- 913-214-5808
Email: NBC.Adoptions@uscis.dhs.gov

For general questions about immigration procedures:

USCIS Contact Center
Tel: 1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833)
Internet: uscis.gov