Poland – Foreign Authorization – Requirements and Procedure

To support the viability of intercountry adoption as an option for permanency for children in Poland, the Office of Children’s Issues and the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw sought information from the Polish Central Authority regarding its legal requirements for the authorization of adoption service providers (ASP), pursuant to Article 12 of the Hague Adoption Convention. 

Poland ratified the Convention on June 12, 1995 and it came into force on October 1, 1995.

U.S. based ASPs may facilitate intercountry adoptions in Poland only after obtaining authorization from the Minister of Family and Social Policy. In order to obtain authorization, the ASP shall submit the following documents to the Ministry of the Family:

1.      An application for accreditation

2.      A current charter for the ASP with a description of both the methods of working with PAPs and the assistance offered to families after adoption.

3.      An accreditation document issued by a competent authority of the receiving country authorizing the ASP to facilitate intercountry adoptions including the remaining validity of the accreditation at the time of filing for the application for authorization. This document must explain the authority the signatory has to sign the document.

4.      Authorization of persons representing the ASP in Poland.

5.      A statement confirming the intention to comply with post-adoption rules in Poland with particular emphasis on the commitment to timely submit the post-adoption reports.

If the application is for a renewal of authorization, the ASP must present a report for the last period of activity in Poland. Authorization is valid for 2 years, unless the state accreditation document issued by the competent authority of the receiving state has a shorter period of validity. Additionally, authorization may be suspended or revoked in exceptional situations.  Agencies should keep adoption centers and the central authority informed about all significant changes related to their functioning as well as about possible difficulties or irregularities related to adoption procedures in which they mediate.

The Adoption Oversight Division in the Office of Children’s Issues can provide an accreditation verification letter to satisfy Polish requirement 3.  ASPs may email ASPadoption@state.gov to request this official communication.

For additional information about specific requirements, ASPs should contact the Polish Central Authority at Ministerstwo Rodziny i Polityki Spolecznej (Ministry of Family and Social Policy), Bureau of the Government Plenipotentiary for Demographic Policy (Biuro Pełnomocnika Rządu do Spraw Polityki Demograficznej), Ul. Nowogrodzka 1/3/5 00-513 WARSZAWA, Poland

Phone:  +48 538 117 490

Website:  https://www.gov.pl/web/rodzina/90dpocja-miedzynarodowa 

Contact persons: 

Katarzyna Napiórkowska
Phone: +48 538 117 233
E-mail: katarzyna.napiorkowska@mrips.gov.pl 

Paulina Wójcicka
Phone: +48 538 117 237
E-mail: paulina.wójcicka@mrips.gov.pl   

For additional information, ASPs may wish to review the Poland country-information page from the travel.state.gov website.