Is the baby shower money allowed to get when someone is giving birth now and is unable to prove gynecological visits required by the law?

Pursuant to the Act of March 12, 2022 on helping Ukrainian citizens fleeing directly to Poland, Ukrainian citizens are entitled to a one-time allowance for the birth of a child – the so-called “baby shower money”,

This assistance is granted on the terms set out in the acts regulating these benefits, with the exception of the condition of having a residence card with the annotation “access to the labor market”.

To receive this benefit, you must apply for an allowance.

The allowance is granted to:

– mother

– the child’s father,

– legal guardian or

– the actual guardian of the child

– the temporary guardian.

The condition for receiving the allowance is:

– living with the child in Poland and leaving the territory of Ukraine directly to Poland from February 24,

– being registered by the commanding officer of the Border Guard post during border control. If entry into Poland was not registered at the time of crossing the border, an application for an entry for a PESEL number should be submitted within 60 days from the date of entry to Poland,

– having a PESEL number for the child and the parent,

– having a family income per person below the amount of 1922 PLN, while determining the family income only those family members who are in Poland are taken into account

-remaining under medical care no later than from the 10th week of pregnancy to delivery. This document does not have to be submitted by the persons who are the legal or actual guardians of the child or persons who have adopted the child.

An application for this benefit is submitted within 12 months of the child’s birth.

The amount of the allowance is PLN 1,000 per one child. You get money by bank transfer or postal order.

The application may be submitted:

– online via the Empatia portal

– in person: at the city or commune office in the place of residence, social welfare center at the place of residence, other additional place designated in the commune.

– by letter.

The application can be obtained at the office or printed in advance from the website: https://www.gov.pl/web/rodzina/jednorazowa-zapomoga-z-tytulu-urodzenia-sie-dziecka-tzw-becikowe—wzor-wniosku-do-stosowania-od-1-listopada-2021-r

What to prepare:

– your and your child’s data to which the application will be submitted, PESEL numbers, e-mail address, account number to which the benefit is to be transferred;

– a certificate from a doctor or midwife confirming that the mother of the child has been under medical care from at least 10 weeks of pregnancy,

-documents stating the amount of family income.

If you are a single parent, you also need to join:

– a document issued or approved by the court that obliges the other parent to pay maintenance, e.g. a court decision, a settlement concluded before a mediator, if the other parent is dead or the child’s father is unknown – a copy of the marital status certificate, a court decision refusing to establish maintenance from the other parent ,

– data of the document on the basis of which the border was crossed.

You wait about a month for the decision to be issued. During this time, the office will check the correctness of completing the application, attached documents, requirements for granting the benefit, and then will issue a decision. If a negative decision is made, you can appeal it.

In the situation of citizens of the country affected by the conflict, we hope that the authorities will take into account the exceptional situation of the applicants when issuing their decisions. Some people will not be able to submit all the required documents for reasons beyond their control, related to the ongoing war and the need to flee the country. Requiring a foreigner to submit documents which, for reasons beyond his control, may be considered a manifestation of indirect discrimination. Therefore, during the proceedings, it is necessary to explain in detail the reasons for which you do not have specific medical records. In case of a negative decision, you can appeal.