Child Contact Schedules in Poland – What Do They Actually Look Like?
Child Contact Schedules in Poland – What Do They Actually Look Like?
This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
“How much time will I actually get to spend with my child?” This is one of the first questions we hear from parents coming to us about contact arrangements. And one of the hardest to answer in the abstract at a first consultation. A contact schedule is not a form to fill in – it is a document that has to work in real life, for a specific family, with a specific child, for years to come.
Below we show what these schedules look like in practice, broken down by the child’s age and the family’s circumstances.
Table of Contents
- What shapes the schedule?
- Very young children – up to 3 years old
- Pre-school and primary school age (4–10 years)
- Older children and teenagers (over 10 years)
- When parents live in different cities
- Gradually expanding contact
- Shared care arrangements
- How to build a good schedule
- FAQ
What Shapes the Schedule?
When establishing contact arrangements, the court considers the full picture – there is no single correct template. Relevant factors include the child’s age and developmental needs, the existing relationship with each parent, the distance between the parents’ homes, the organisational capacity of both parties, and in contested cases – the opinion of expert psychologists from OZSS (Opiniodawcze Zespoły Sądowych Specjalistów – Court Expert Assessment Teams).
Each of these factors can push the schedule in a very different direction. The examples below should be read as illustrations of typical arrangements, not as ready-made templates to copy.
Very Young Children – Up to 3 Years Old
Very young children have specific needs: strong attachment to their primary carer, sensitivity to changes in daily routine, and a limited capacity to manage longer separations. Courts take this into account and typically establish shorter but more frequent contact, without overnight stays or with overnight stays introduced gradually.
Example schedule:
- every Wednesday, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- every Saturday, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- contact at the child’s home or in a familiar environment
- summer holidays: two blocks of 7 days each, in dates agreed one month in advance
Example wording from a court order:
“The court establishes contact between the entitled father and the minor daughter as follows: every Wednesday from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM and every Saturday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the child’s place of residence; during the summer holidays – 7 days in July and 7 days in August, in dates agreed with the mother one month in advance.”
For very young children – under 18 months – courts sometimes recommend that initial meetings take place in the presence of the primary carer, gradually accustoming the child to independent contact with the other parent. This approach is consistent with current research in developmental psychology.
Pre-School and Primary School Age (4–10 Years)
Children in this age group manage separation significantly better, understand more, and can adapt to two different home environments. Courts increasingly order weekend contact with overnight stays for this group – which supports the building of a deeper relationship with the parent who does not live with the child day to day.
Example schedule:
- every other weekend, from Friday 5:00 PM to Sunday 6:00 PM
- every Wednesday from the end of school until 7:00 PM
- school half-term: alternating years
- summer holidays: two weeks in July and two weeks in August (alternating between even and odd years)
- Christmas and Easter: alternating
Example wording from a court order:
“The court establishes contact between the entitled father and the minor Kacper as follows: every first and third weekend of the month from Friday at 5:00 PM to Sunday at 6:00 PM; every Wednesday from the end of school until 7:00 PM, with the right to collect the child directly from school; the first week of the winter school break in even years and the second week in odd years; two weeks in July and two weeks in August according to the established even/odd year schedule; Christmas and Easter alternating between the parents.”
Older Children and Teenagers (Over 10 Years)
The older the child, the more flexible the schedule needs to be. A teenager has their own plans, social commitments and – importantly from a legal perspective – their own views, which the court takes into account in proportion to their age and maturity. Rigid frameworks tend to generate more conflict than they resolve in this age group.
Example schedule:
- every other weekend, from Friday after school until Monday 8:00 AM (with drop-off at school)
- Tuesday and Thursday from the end of school until 8:00 PM
- summer holidays: all of July with one parent, all of August with the other (alternating)
- school half-term: alternating in full
- holidays: taking the child’s preferences into account
Example wording from a court order:
“The court establishes contact between the entitled mother and the minor Julia as follows: every other weekend from Friday after school until Monday at 8:00 AM, with an obligation to take the child to school; every Tuesday and Thursday from the end of school until 8:00 PM; the entire month of July in even years and the entire month of August in odd years; the parties are required to take the minor’s preferences into account regarding the holidays.”
When Parents Live in Different Cities
Distance between the parents’ places of residence does not extinguish the right to contact – it simply requires a different approach. Courts in these cases establish less frequent but longer periods of direct contact, supplemented by regular online contact.
Example schedule:
- one longer weekend per month (Thursday or Friday to Monday)
- half of the school half-term break
- 4 consecutive weeks during the summer holidays
- video calls every Tuesday and Friday, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- transport costs split equally between the parents
Example wording from a court order:
“The court establishes contact between the entitled father residing in Gdańsk and the minor Michał residing in Poznań as follows: one weekend per month from Friday at 4:00 PM to Monday at 6:00 PM, with two weeks’ notice to the mother; half of the school half-term break each year; 4 weeks of the summer holidays in dates agreed with the mother by the end of May each year; telephone or video contact every Tuesday and Friday between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM; transport costs to be shared equally.”
Gradually Expanding Contact
Where contact has previously been interrupted or where the parent-child relationship needs rebuilding, courts apply a phased model. The aim is to give the child time to adapt and the parent time to rebuild the relationship without the pressure of moving too quickly to a full schedule.
Three phases – example model:
Phase I (first 3 months): meetings once or twice a week, 1–2 hours each, at a neutral venue, with the involvement of a psychologist from OZSS if needed.
Phase II (next 3 months): longer meetings without third parties present, outings away from the child’s home, introduction of weekday contact.
Phase III (after approximately 6 months): full schedule including overnight stays, subject to a positive assessment of how the earlier contact has gone.
Example wording from a court order:
“Having regard to the need to gradually rebuild the relationship between the father and the minor daughter, the court establishes the following: for the first three months – every Saturday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at a venue designated by OZSS, in the presence of a psychologist; for the following three months – Wednesdays 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM and Saturdays 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM without third parties; after six months, if the earlier contact has proceeded satisfactorily – every first and third weekend of the month from Saturday 10:00 AM to Sunday 6:00 PM.”
Shared Care Arrangements
An increasingly common arrangement in which the child spends a comparable amount of time with each parent. It works best when the parents live reasonably close to each other, can communicate about the child’s needs, and are both genuinely involved in day-to-day care.
Three most common models:
Weekly model: one week with the mother, one week with the father. Handover usually on Sunday evening or Monday morning before school.
2–2–3 model: Monday–Tuesday with one parent, Wednesday–Thursday with the other, Friday–Saturday–Sunday alternating.
3–4–4–3 model: three days with one parent, four with the other, four with the first, three with the second – and so on in rotation.
Example wording from a court order:
“The court establishes that the minor Jakub shall reside alternately with each parent as follows: from Monday after school until Thursday before school – in the mother’s care; from Thursday after school until Monday before school – in the father’s care; the following week the pattern reverses; during the time the child is with one parent, the other has the right to telephone contact daily between 7:00 PM and 7:30 PM.”
Shared care tends to work best when both parents live within a manageable distance of each other and the child’s school, when they are able to communicate calmly about day-to-day matters, and when the child adapts reasonably well to moving between two homes. Where high conflict exists between the parents, courts are generally more cautious about ordering this arrangement.
How to Build a Good Schedule
A few principles that genuinely matter in practice.
Precision above all. The schedule should be detailed enough to leave no room for different interpretations. Exact times, the place of handover, what happens if the child is ill – the more that is resolved in advance, the fewer disputes arise later.
Flexibility as a safety valve. At the same time it is worth building in mechanisms that allow dates to be swapped by mutual agreement. Life is unpredictable – a good schedule acknowledges that.
Logistics matter. Travel times, distances, who collects and who returns the child, how school bags and medication are managed across two homes – these details, when left unresolved, have a way of becoming daily flashpoints.
Contact during the other parent’s time. The schedule should also protect the right to speak with the child when they are with the other parent – regular phone or video calls, and the ability to make contact in exceptional circumstances.
FAQ
Can a court-ordered schedule be changed later? Yes – on application by either parent, if circumstances have changed. A move to a different city, a change of school, new needs arising from the child’s age – all of these can form the basis for modifying the order.
Can the child decide for themselves how much time they spend with each parent? The court takes the child’s views into account in proportion to their age and maturity – but is not bound by them. The older the child, the more weight their opinion carries. The final decision rests with the court, which assesses the full picture from the perspective of the child’s best interests.
Does shared care require both parents to agree? No – a court can order shared care even without the consent of one parent, if it concludes this is in the child’s best interests. In practice, however, this arrangement works significantly better when both parties are open to it.
What can I do if the other parent is not following the schedule? A court order is enforceable. Under Article 598¹⁵ of the Code of Civil Procedure, you can apply for the court to impose a financial penalty for each breach. If breaches are systematic, you can also apply to have the contact arrangements changed.
Does the schedule have to address every public holiday? There is no legal requirement, but experience shows that the more that is settled in advance, the better. Unresolved holiday arrangements are one of the most common sources of conflict, particularly in the first years after separation.
I am a foreign national living in Poland. Do these arrangements apply to me? Yes. The principles described in this article apply regardless of nationality. If your child habitually resides in Poland, Polish courts have jurisdiction and the same rules govern contact arrangements for both parents. One practical consideration worth noting: if one parent lives abroad or is planning to relocate, this needs to be factored into the schedule explicitly – including how travel costs are handled and how contact is maintained during periods when in-person meetings are not possible.
What happens to the contact schedule if one parent wants to move abroad with the child? A parent cannot unilaterally take a child abroad to live there if the other parent has parental authority. Doing so without consent or a court order can constitute wrongful removal of a child. If one parent wishes to relocate with the child, this requires either the other parent’s agreement or a court decision. An existing contact schedule would need to be modified to reflect the new circumstances.
Read more about what to do when the other parent is not complying with the contact order in Poland → [link to relevant page]
Do you need help with child contact arrangements in Poland? Call: +48 531 335 713 or email: kancelaria@prawnikodrozwodu.pl
This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Every family law case is individual and requires analysis of the specific circumstances and documents involved. The law firm accepts no liability for actions taken on the basis of the information contained in this article. For legal advice tailored to your situation, please contact our office.
Kancelaria Prawa Rodzinnego (Family Law Office): Adwokat Michalina Koligot, Adwokat Marta Krzyżanowicz, Adwokat Anna Konrady, Radca prawny Joanna Jędrzejewska ul. Mickiewicza 18a/3, 60-834 Poznań | tel. +48 531 335 713 | kancelaria@prawnikodrozwodu.pl | www.prawnikodrozwodu.pl