A decision obliging a foreign national to return is one of the most serious rulings you can face in Poland. It imposes an obligation to leave the country, it usually carries a ban on re-entry, and an alert in the Schengen Information System closes off almost all of Europe. The deadline to appeal is counted in days, not weeks.
Order to leave, deportation, expulsion — what this actually is
In official language there is one institution: a decision obliging a foreign national to return. The everyday names — an order to leave Poland, deportation, expulsion — all refer to that same document or to its enforcement. It is issued by the commander of a Border Guard post, and the appeal is decided by the Head of the Office for Foreigners.
The deadline runs from service, not from the date on the paper
The most common mistake is counting the deadline from the date printed on the decision. What counts is the day the document was handed to you. Missing the deadline closes the ordinary route of appeal; what remains is an application to restore the deadline, which requires showing that the delay happened through no fault of your own. That is a harder and far less certain path than an appeal filed on time.
Entry ban and the SIS alert
A return decision almost always comes with a ban on re-entry — from six months to several years, depending on the grounds. The ban covers the Schengen area, so it also applies where your family or your employer are. The length of the ban is part of the decision and can be challenged just like the return obligation itself — in practice it is often the most realistic goal of an appeal.
What we do
We draft and file appeals to the Head of the Office for Foreigners, applications to suspend enforcement, applications to restore a missed deadline, and applications to lift or shorten an entry ban and remove the SIS alert. We represent foreign nationals detained in guarded centres. We also file complaints to the administrative court when the appeal authority upholds the decision.
An analysis of your decision within 48 hours
Before you commit to running the case, you can order the analysis alone. A lawyer reads the whole decision and answers in writing: whether it can be challenged, on what grounds, and what you can realistically expect. You receive the answer within 48 hours. We do not sell hope — if the case is lost, we will tell you plainly.