One-off financial aid

One-off aid:

1. to reimburse the costs of travel or flight and transport of property to the Republic of Poland in the amount equivalent to twice the price of a second class railway fare from the station closest to the repatriates place of residence abroad to the place of settlement in the Republic of Poland, per repatriate and each member of the repatriate’s immediate family
2. a settlement and maintenance grant amounting to twice the average monthly pay published by the President of the Central Statistical Office in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Poland (Monitor Polski), in the quarter preceding the date of granting this aid, per each member
3. reimbursement of the costs of education in Poland of minors who are in compulsory education in the meaning of Article 35(2) of the Act of 14 December 2016 – Education Law (Journal of Laws of 2020, item 910), in the amount of one-month average pay per child.

 

Aid to cover travel expenses may also be granted by the consul. This applies to persons who were issued a repatriation visa by the consul and do not have sufficient means to cover the cost of travel to the Republic of Poland.

Financial aid for costs associated with repairs, adaptation or furnishing of a dwelling

The Staroste competent for the place of settlement of a repatriate shall make a decision to grant, at the request of a repatriate who has arrived in the Republic of Poland from the territory of the present Republic of Armenia, Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, Republic of Uzbekistan or the Asian part of the Russian Federation, financial aid from the State budget to cover in part the costs incurred and documented by the repatriate for the repairs, adaptation or furnishing of a dwelling in the place of settlement in the Republic of Poland. The maximum amount of aid is PLN 6,000 per repatriate and each member of the repatriate’s immediate family. This amount is subject to annual adjustment.

The repatriate applies for financial aid from the State budget to cover in part the costs incurred and documented by the repatriate for the repairs, adaptation or furnishing of a dwelling in the place of settlement in the Republic of Poland to the Staroste within two years from acquiring Polish citizenship.

Financial aid to meet housing needs

The Government Plenipotentiary for Repatriation provides financial assistance to meet housing needs, at the request of a repatriate who has arrived in the Republic of Poland on the basis of a national visa for repatriation, holding supporting evidence of the conditions for settlement in the form of:

1. a declaration by the Polish citizen, being the repatriate’s ascendant, descendant or sibling, containing a commitment to provide conditions for settlement for a period of not less than 2 years, or
2. the decision of the Plenipotentiary regarding the allocation of a place in an adaptation centre.

 

The total amount of financial assistance cannot exceed PLN 25,000 per repatriate and each member of their immediate family member that is part of their household.
Additionally, the amount of this assistance is increased by a surcharge not exceeding PLN 25,000 in total per repatriate and their immediate family member that is part of their household.

The aid shall be granted in the form of a subsidy to:

1. the rent of a dwelling or residential building, or
2. fees for accommodation in a student dormitory, or
3. purchase costs of a dwelling or a residential building.

 

In the case of a subsidy on the rent of a dwelling or residential building and a subsidy on the fee for accommodation in a student dormitory, the amount of monthly financial aid may not exceed PLN 300 per repatriate (as well as the monthly amount of the rent or fee for accommodation in a student dormitory).

Financial aid to meet housing needs may be granted for a period not exceeding 10 years from the date of the repatriate’s arrival on the territory of the Republic of Poland or from the date on which the repatriate's stay in the adaptation centre expired.

Pursuant to Article 17b(13), the repatriate shall reimburse the amount of aid granted, reduced by 10% of its amount for each year which has elapsed since the payment of the amount of aid, if the dwelling or residential building purchased with financial aid in the form of a subsidy is disposed of within 10 years of the date of the decision granting the aid.

The repatriate shall not be obligated to reimburse the granted aid amount if:

1. within 180 days from the date of disposal of the real estate, they offer the Plenipotentiary an excerpt of a notarial deed confirming the purchase of another dwelling or residential building
2. the purchase costs of such a dwelling or residential building are not lower than the amount of granted aid subject to reimbursement

 

At the repatriate’s request, a municipality may grant them aid to conduct repairs, adaptation or furnishing of a dwelling in the place of settlement in the Republic of Poland. To carry out this task, the municipality receives a special-purpose grant of up to PLN 6,000 from the state budget, per repatriate and each member of their immediate family. This amount is subject to annual adjustment. Aid consisting in carrying out repairs, adaptation or furnishing of the dwelling shall not be granted to a repatriate to whom the municipality has provided the dwelling in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 21, that is when a resolution of the municipality council has provided supporting evidence of the conditions for settlement on the basis of which the consul issued a national visa for repatriation.

Non-monetary aid

Persons who have acquired Polish citizenship by repatriation have the right to benefit from health care services financed from public funds on the basis of a national visa for repatriation for up to 90 days from the day of crossing the Polish border. The cost of these benefits is covered from the state budget.

It should be born in mind that the unpaid access to health care services is not connected to the period of staying in an adaptation centre. Under special circumstances, the repatriate may stay in the adaptation centre for up to 180 days, however, this does not extend the period of being entitled to free health care services financed from public funds. After 90 days from the day of crossing the border of the Republic of Poland, the repatriate is subject to the regulations on health care access applicable to citizens of the Republic of Poland.

The consul may meet the costs of attending a course of the Polish language by a person who has received a decision qualifying them for a repatriation visa. The aid can also be granted by ensuring participation in free Polish language courses and adaptation to Polish society.

Moreover, the adaptation centres for repatriates ensure participation in adaptive and integration activities and classes, allowing to learn about Polish history, traditions and customs, as well as Polish language courses and vocational courses.

Vocational activation of repatriates

Pursuant to Article 23(1) of the Repatriation Act for a repatriate who is not able to take up employment on their own, the Staroste competent for the repatriate's place of residence may ensure their professional activation. This may be accomplished through:

1. reimbursement of part of the costs incurred by the repatriate to develop their professional qualifications;
2. reimbursement of part of the costs incurred by the employer for: creation of a job, training of a repatriate, salaries, awards and social insurance contributions.

 

The costs of improving professional qualifications are considered to be tuition fees and fees for obtaining a certificate or title of qualification.

Reimbursement of costs incurred for vocational activation may be made within a period not longer than 5 years from the repatriate’s acquisition of Polish citizenship. The total amount of reimbursement of costs incurred by the employer for vocational activation may not exceed twelve times the average monthly salary in the quarter preceding the date of concluding the first contract between the employer and the Staroste.

Part of the costs incurred for professional activation by the repatriate shall be reimbursed on the basis of an agreement concluded between the repatriate and the Staroste. The amount reimbursed is half of the costs related to the improvement of professional qualifications, but not more than the equivalent of twice the average monthly salary in the quarter preceding the date of concluding the agreement.

The Staroste may reimburse part of the employer’s salary, award and social security contribution costs incurred in relation to the repatriate's employment, as well as part of the costs incurred to create a job for the repatriate, provided the repatriate’s employment relationship lasted at least 24 months. Reimbursement shall be made for a period of up to 12 months from the date entering into the employment relationship. The reimbursement covers costs up to the amount of the minimum wage for work in force in December of the previous year, determined on the basis of separate regulations, on a monthly basis, converted into full-time work.

The basis for reimbursement of part of the costs incurred by the employer is contracts between the employer and the Staroste.

One or more of the aforementioned forms of professional activation may be used, but the total amount of related expenses may not exceed twelve times the average monthly salary in the quarter preceding the date of concluding the first contract.

Person supporting the repatriate

Chapter 4b of the Repatriation Act regulates the manner and circumstances in which a repatriate is assigned a ‘person supporting the repatriate”. A decision may be made to assign such a person to a repatriate, by decision, at the request of the repatriate, justified by their particular circumstances, by the locally competent head of a rural municipality or city mayor (Burmistrz or Prezydent).

The special circumstances may be the result of:

1. advanced age
2. state of health 
3. lack of adaptation skills
4. not having sufficient command of Polish.

 

The ‘person supporting the repatriate’ is assigned for a period no longer than 2 years. It can be a person who:

1. has experience in implementing projects or conducting other activities aiming to prevent social exclusion
2. has not been subject of a conviction by final judgment for intentional crime or intentional fiscal offence

 

The task of this person is to aid the repatriate in their adaptation on the territory of the Republic of Poland. In particular, this aid should consist in:

1. providing information on how to handle matters of importance to the repatriate concerning medical care, education, social assistance and employment
2. supporting the repatriate in the handling of the aforementioned matters, in particular when it comes to drawing up official letters on their behalf
3. assisting elder repatriates during their medical appointments

The supporting person may, with the repatriate’s consent, request public authorities, organisations and institutions for information (also including personal information) necessary to provide aid to the repatriate.