Rights of Applicants for International Protection in Poland

All asylum-seekers in Poland, including those in detention, have the right to:

  1. Access to free of charge public schools and necessary learning materials (books and school supplies) for children
  2. Free Polish lessons
  3. Healthcare (in designated offices in coordination with OFF), including medical assistance, specialized treatment, mental health and psychosocial support, and some dental care.
  4. Access to UNHCR representatives
  5. Access to non-governmental organizations providing assistance and services to asylum-seekers, including legal assistance.
  6. Access to legal information on international protection procedures
  7. Access to free legal assistance for appeal of a negative international protection decision (“1st instance”)
  8. Assistance in voluntary return to the country to which you have the right to return.

Asylum-seekers outside of detention who have reported to a reception center also have the right to:

  • Accommodation (in a designated accommodation center)
  • Food
  • Reimbursement of costs of transport for relevant activities, (i.e. related to international protection proceedings, medical examinations, vaccination)
  • Regular cash assistance for the purchase of personal hygiene products (PLN 20 a month) and general expenditure (PLN 50 a month)
  • One-time cash assistance for clothes and shoes (PLN 140)
  • Cash assistance for food for children aged 6 and below and schooled children (PLN 9 a day).

An asylum-seeker can request to live outside an accommodation center and receive cash assistance for housing and expenses outside an accommodation center in certain circumstances (if required for logistical reasons (i.e. overcrowding) or security reasons (i.e. protection for single women), to protect public order, sustain family ties, or for persons granted protection. This assistance equals:

No of family membersAmount per day/per personAmount per month/per person
Single25 PLN (around 6,25 EUR)750 PLN (around 187,5 EUR)
2 persons20 PLN (around 5 EUR)600 PLN (around 150 EUR)
3 persons15 PLN (around 3,75 EUR)450 PLN (around 112,5 EUR)
4 persons12,50 PLN (around 3 EUR)375 PLN (around 93,75 EUR)
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