01
Period for voluntary departure
Usually 15 to 30 days. Sometimes there is none at all — the decision is then enforced compulsorily, and the costs of removal are charged to the foreign national.
Law firm · Warsaw, Poland
7 days to appeal. Not 14, not 30. An order to leave Poland is a return decision (decyzja o zobowiązaniu cudzoziemca do powrotu) — appeal, suspension of enforcement, Schengen entry ban.
That is how long you have from the day a return decision (decyzja o zobowiązaniu cudzoziemca do powrotu) was served on you. The appeal alone does not stop it from being enforced — a separate motion is needed. We will read your decision and tell you plainly whether it can be challenged.
We reply the same working day. Service in eight languages.
Understand the decision
There are three things in that decision. Nobody explains them to you.
A return decision is not simply an order to leave the country.
02
An entry ban for the whole Schengen area
From 6 months up to 10 years, depending on the grounds. The ban is recorded in the Schengen Information System — it closes the door to far more than Poland.
03
An appeal does not suspend enforcement
Filing an appeal does not by itself stop the decision from being carried out. Suspension has to be applied for separately. This detail is where most cases are lost.
What it is called
Order to leave, deportation, expulsion — are they the same thing?
You search for “order to leave Poland”. The paper you were handed says something entirely different. It is usually the same document — but each of these words marks a different stage and a different consequence.
Return decision
Its full name is decyzja o zobowiązaniu cudzoziemca do powrotu, issued by the commander of a Border Guard post or unit. This is what people mean by an “order to leave Poland”, and this is what you have 7 days to appeal against.
Deportation is enforcement
“Deportation” is not a separate decision. It is forced escort to the border once a return decision has not been complied with voluntarily — and the foreign national is charged for the cost. While the appeal deadline is still running, there is still something to fight for.
Expulsion means an entry ban
“Expulsion” is usually confused with the entry ban, which is part of the same decision: between 6 months and 10 years recorded in the Schengen Information System. The ban and its length can be challenged separately, even where the return itself is settled.
Check the heading of your document. If it reads “decyzja o zobowiązaniu cudzoziemca do powrotu”, the appeal deadline runs from the day it was served on you and is 7 days — not 14, not 30. Those deadlines belong to other decisions, and that is where most cases are lost.
Step by step
Five steps. It starts with one photo.
You do not need to understand the decision. You only need to show it to us in time.
01
You send a photo of the decision
WhatsApp, e-mail or the form. We need every page of the decision and the date you received it. We check the deadline and tell you whether there is anything worth fighting for.
02
Analysis of the decision and a written strategy
An attorney-at-law reads the decision: legal basis, reasoning, how it was served, the length of the entry ban. You receive a written assessment of your chances and a plan of action in your language.
03
Appeal and motion to suspend enforcement
We file the appeal to the Commander-in-Chief of the Border Guard, through the authority that issued the decision, together with a motion to suspend its enforcement. We watch the deadline and keep proof of filing.
04
Representation on appeal and in court
We run the second-instance proceedings and, where needed, file a complaint to the Provincial Administrative Court in Warsaw. You do not face the authorities alone.
05
Plan B: legalising your stay
In parallel we check whether you qualify for a humanitarian stay permit, tolerated stay, international protection or a new residence permit. The case does not end with one letter.
Grounds of appeal
What we look for in your decision
Not every decision can be overturned. But many of them contain errors that the appeal authority and the court take seriously.
Family life and children
A wife, husband, partner or child in Poland — the authority is obliged to weigh your family situation. Very often it does so superficially, or not at all.
Defective service
Was the decision sent to an old address, handed to the wrong person, or delivered without comprehensible instructions? That affects both its validity and when the clock started.
A disproportionate entry ban
The length of the ban must match the gravity of the case. A ban imposed at the top of the range with no explanation is a real basis for shortening it.
Inadequate reasoning
The authority must explain why it decided as it did and address the evidence gathered. A template copied from another case does not do that.
Facts never established
Work, studies, a residence application filed earlier, health, the situation in your country of origin — if the authority did not examine it, the decision can be challenged.
Risk in the country of origin
If return would endanger your life, liberty or health, a humanitarian stay permit or international protection comes into play.
200+
successful cases for foreign nationals: residence permits, appeals against decisions, proceedings before the administrative courts.
Experience
We handle foreigners' cases constantly. Not occasionally.
A firm of attorneys-at-law in central Warsaw, specialised in administrative law and foreigners' cases. We represent clients before the Border Guard, the Voivode, the Head of the Office for Foreigners and the administrative courts.
Legal professional privilege — not a “privacy policy”
An attorney-at-law is bound by professional secrecy. What you tell us — including how and when you entered Poland — is protected by law and goes to no authority.
Typical situations
Three cases people come to us with most often
These descriptions do not concern specific clients. They show what work on such a case looks like.
Work without a permit
- Situation
- A Border Guard inspection at the employer. A return decision with an entry ban of several years.
- What we do
- We check whether the work really was unlawful, how the authority established the facts, and whether the length of the ban is justified.
- What is at stake
- Usually shortening the entry ban and the circumstances the authority never examined.
Family in Poland
- Situation
- A spouse and child with legal residence in Poland. The decision was issued anyway.
- What we do
- We document the existence and stability of family life and show the authority's duty to balance the competing interests.
- What is at stake
- Normally the strongest ground of appeal in the whole case.
Missed deadline
- Situation
- The decision was received two weeks ago. The seven days are gone.
- What we do
- A motion to restore the deadline together with the appeal, and in parallel an analysis of other routes to legal residence.
- What is at stake
- Harder, but not hopeless — what matters is why the deadline was missed.
Price
You start with PLN 500. No commitment to anything further.
You pay for something concrete: your decision read by a lawyer and a written answer on what can be done with it.
PLN 500 / case analysis
Analysis of your return decision and a written strategy.
- Verification of the deadline and how the decision was served
- Assessment of the grounds to overturn or amend the decision
- A written strategy: what we file, where, and by when
- A quote for the next steps — you know the cost before you decide
The outcome of every case depends on its individual circumstances — we do not guarantee results. PLN 500 covers the analysis of the decision; conducting the case is quoted individually after the analysis.
And after that?
After the analysis you receive a single figure for handling the case — no hourly surprises. Payment in instalments is possible.
If we see no grounds
We will say so plainly and will not talk you into a hopeless appeal. We will then show you other routes — or tell you honestly that there are none.
Questions
The questions we are asked most often
Is an order to leave Poland the same as deportation?
Not quite. An “order to leave Poland” is the everyday name for a return decision — the document you have 7 days to appeal. “Deportation” is the enforcement of that decision once the foreign national has not left voluntarily. While the appeal deadline is still running, you are at the first stage, not the last one.
Does filing an appeal suspend enforcement of the decision?
No. An appeal alone does not suspend enforcement of a return decision. Suspension must be applied for separately — to the authority that issued the decision, and at the court stage to the provincial administrative court. That is why we file both documents at the same time.
How long do I have to appeal?
7 days from the day the decision was served on you. The appeal goes to the Commander-in-Chief of the Border Guard, filed through the authority that issued the decision. If the last day falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the deadline moves to the next working day.
My deadline has passed. Is there anything left to do?
Yes. You can file a motion to restore the deadline — within 7 days of the obstacle ceasing, together with the appeal itself — showing that you missed it through no fault of your own. Independently of that, we check other routes: humanitarian stay, tolerated stay, international protection.
Do I have to leave Poland while the case runs?
That depends on the content of the decision and on whether enforcement can be suspended. It is one of the first questions the analysis answers — and it cannot be answered without reading the decision.
Can I still work legally with this decision?
A return decision usually means that once the period stated in it expires, your stay and work cease to be legal. The precise answer depends on your situation — we check it in the analysis.
What about the entry ban in the Schengen Information System?
The ban covers not only Poland but the entire Schengen area, and it is recorded in the Schengen Information System. The appeal can challenge the ban itself or its length; in some situations it is later possible to apply for it to be withdrawn.
What language will we speak?
The firm serves clients in eight languages — including Polish, English, Russian, Ukrainian, Uzbek, Azerbaijani, Spanish and Arabic. If your language is not on the list, write in it anyway and we will arrange an interpreter.
Do I have to travel to Warsaw?
No. The whole case can be handled remotely: documents by WhatsApp or e-mail, the power of attorney by post. If you prefer to meet, our office is at Marszałkowska 7/10 in central Warsaw.
How do I know this is not a scam?
We are a registered firm of attorneys-at-law with an address in central Warsaw and a Polish tax and company number. An attorney-at-law is subject to disciplinary liability, compulsory professional indemnity insurance and legal privilege. We never ask for money or documents through intermediaries and we never promise to “arrange” anything at an office.
Contact
Show us the decision. The rest is our job.
Write on WhatsApp or leave your number — we call back the same working day.
Monday to Friday, 8:00–17:00. Where a deadline is running, we answer outside those hours too.
Marszałkowska 7/10, 00-626 Warsaw, Poland
Thank you. We will be in touch within one working day. If your appeal deadline expires within 48 hours — call us, do not wait for our call.