Poland

Adopting a child from Poland

Who can adopt?

Who can adopt? Who can’t adopt?
Married couples Same sex couples
De facto couples
Single people

Please note: While we have a program with Poland, there have been no matches of children with Australian adoptive parents. Preference is given to applicants with Polish heritage.

Children you can adopt from Poland

Children in need of intercountry adoption are usually aged 7 and older or with a sibling group of 2 or more children.

Poland advises children may have any of the following health or emotional conditions:

  • heart disease
  • neurological disturbances
  • hepatitis
  • cleft palate and cleft lip
  • blindness
  • cerebral palsy
  • foetal alcohol syndrome
  • reactive attachment disorder
  • developmental delays
  • emotional disorders
  • hereditary issues

There is a small number or children aged under 7 in good health or with a curable condition, but there is a long waiting list for these children.

Specific eligibility criteria to adopt from Poland

If you’re interested in adopting a child from Poland you need to meet the eligibility criteria of your state or territory central authority. You will also need to meet the following Polish criteria:

Marriage

  • you can be married or single
  • you can be a de facto couple but it’s a single parent that adopts with the written agreement of the partner
  • you can’t be a same sex couple

Age

  • you need to be older than 18
  • the age gap between your child and yourself or your partner should not be more than 40 years

Number of children in your family

  • you can have children but they need to be older than the adopted child

Finances

  • you will need to prove that you are financially stable (your STCA will advise what evidence is needed)

Criminal record

  • you need to supply your criminal record check

Waiting times

Waiting times are dependent on the age and health of the child. Generally, the average waiting time to adopt a child aged under 7 is 2 years.

Cost of adopting a child from Poland

Poland doesn’t charge processing or administrative fees. But, there are other expenses such as:

  • legal and court costs
  • temporary Polish passport
  • medical examination
  • formal psychological evaluation of the bonding process
  • donation to orphanage and/or the adoption centre that processes the adoption

Also, in some areas of Poland, you may be required to pay the housing costs of your child in the orphanage between the time the adoption is finalised and you take your child home.

Other fees

On top of state and territory central authority fees, there are other expenses such as:

  • translation fees
  • travel and accommodation costs
  • incidentals

Travel to Poland

You will need to make 2 trips to Poland:

  1. to meet your child; you will need to stay for 2 to 3 weeks
  2. approximately 2 to 8 months after the first trip to ensure that the adoption and immigration processes are finalised and to bring your child home

After the adoption

All adoptions completed in Poland are recognised when coming back to Australia.

You will need to complete 3 post-placement reports for Poland as follows:

  • 3 months
  • 12 months
  • 24 months

These reports are important to ensure your child is settling in to your family and their new social environment.

You may also need to complete post-placement reports for your state or territory central authority.

Immigration and citizenship for your child

Once you have the adoption certificate, your child is eligible to apply for Australian citizenship.

Your child can travel to Australia on adoption visa (subclass 102). When you enter Australia, you need to apply for ‘citizenship by conferral’ as soon as possible.

Hague Convention information

Poland will attempt to place a child within a family in Poland before deciding if a child can be placed through intercountry adoption.

The central authority in Poland is the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy.

We also work with 3 agencies in Poland:

  • Public Adoption and Custody Centre (also known as Provincial Adoption Centre)
  • National Adoption and Custody Centre
  • Catholic Adoption Centre

More information