Cross-Border Terminal Illness & Advance Care Checklist: Poland & Ukraine

1. 1

   Organizing Palliative and Hospice Care and Cross-Border Coordination (Poland and Ukraine)

   The first step is to establish a symptom-management plan and care arrangement with the attending physician in the country where the ill person is currently staying:

   • Poland: On the basis of a medical referral (with an ICD-10 diagnosis code confirming eligibility), the National Health Fund (Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia - NFZ, 24/7 toll-free Patient Telephone Information at 800 190 590) funds home hospice care (hospicjum domowe, including medical, nursing, and psychological visits and free loan of medical equipment), outpatient palliative medicine clinics (poradnia medycyny paliatywnej), and inpatient palliative medicine wards (oddział medycyny paliatywnej) or inpatient hospices [1]. Information and support regarding patient rights are also provided by the Patient Rights Ombudsman (Rzecznik Praw Pacjenta, toll-free helpline 800 190 590) [2].
   • Ukraine: If care is organized in Ukraine or a return to Ukraine is planned, under the state Program of Medical Guarantees (Програма медичних гарантій) funded by the National Health Service of Ukraine (Національна служба здоров'я України - NSZU, contact center 16-77), patients are entitled to free inpatient palliative care (стаціонарна паліативна медична допомога) and mobile home palliative care (мобільна паліативна медична допомога) [5]. Admission requires an electronic referral (е-направлення) issued by a family doctor or attending specialist in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine (Міністерство охорони здоров'я України) [5][6]. Before any medical transport between Poland and Ukraine, consult the medical team regarding fitness to travel, pain-medication supply for the journey, and continuity of medical records.
2. 2

   Executing Written Medical Declarations and Authorizations While Maintaining Full Capacity

   Because medical authorizations and healthcare proxies are governed by the law of the state where treatment is provided, separate declarations should be prepared in Poland and in Ukraine while the ill person has full capacity:

   • Poland: Under the Act on Patient Rights and the Rzecznik Praw Pacjenta (Patient Rights Ombudsman), the patient should file in the medical records of the hospital and clinic a written authorization designating a close person to receive information on their state of health and medical services provided (upoważnienie osoby bliskiej do uzyskiwania informacji o stanie zdrowia) as well as access to medical records (dokumentacja medyczna, both during life and after death) [2]. This authorization should also be registered electronically via the Online Patient Account (Internetowe Konto Pacjenta - IKP) on pacjent.gov.pl, accompanied by a written statement of the patient's wishes regarding consent to or refusal of specific medical procedures [2].
   • Ukraine: Under the Fundamentals of Legislation of Ukraine on Healthcare (Основи законодавства України про охорону здоров'я) overseen by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine (Міністерство охорони здоров'я України), an adult with legal capacity provides written informed consent (письмова інформована згода пацієнта) to medical interventions or a written refusal of specific procedures, and explicitly designates in the medical record the trusted persons authorized to receive health information and inspect the medical file [6].
3. 3

   Establishing Separate Notarial and Banking Powers of Attorney in Poland and in Ukraine

   Simple written authorizations or powers of attorney executed in one country without the required statutory form are frequently rejected by banks and public registries in the other country. While your family member retains full legal capacity, separate instruments should be executed:

   • Poland: For acts exceeding ordinary management, real estate transactions, and representation before Polish authorities and courts, execute a power of attorney in the form of a notarial deed (pełnomocnictwo w formie aktu notarialnego) before a Polish notary belonging to the Polish National Council of Notaries (Krajowa Rada Notarialna; in cases of serious illness, a notary may perform the act outside the notarial office, at the patient's home or hospital) [3]. Separately from the notarial deed, file a dedicated bank account power of attorney (pełnomocnictwo do rachunków bankowych) directly with each Polish bank on its own form, as well as a banking disposition in the event of death (dyspozycja wkładem na wypadek śmierci under Article 56 of the Polish Banking Law), which allows designated close relatives to withdraw funds up to the statutory limit outside probate proceedings.
   • Ukraine: Managing assets, bank accounts, or real estate in Ukraine requires a notarized power of attorney (нотаріальна довіреність) registered in the Unified Register of Powers of Attorney (Єдиний реєстр довіреностей), executed either before a notary in Ukraine (organized under the Notary Chamber of Ukraine, Нотаріальна палата України) [7] or certified abroad by a Ukrainian consul - for example at the Consular Section of the Embassy of Ukraine in Warsaw (Wydział Konsularny Ambasady Ukrainy w Warszawie, ul. Antoniego Malczewskiego 17, general tel. +48 22 621 39 79, emergency tel. +48 698 608 837, email [email protected]) [8]. A power of attorney executed before a Polish notary requires a sworn translation into Ukrainian before it can be used in Ukraine.
4. 4

   Caregiver Leave, Care Allowances, and Disability Support Benefits

   Both the Polish and Ukrainian social security systems provide statutory leave and financial support for family caregivers and seriously ill persons:

   • Poland: An employee covered by sickness insurance may apply to the Social Insurance Institution (Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych - ZUS, Customer Contact Center tel. +48 22 560 16 00, email [email protected]) for a care allowance (zasiłek opiekuńczy) for personally caring for an ill family member for up to 14 days per calendar year (based on an electronic medical certificate e-ZLA and form Z-15B) [4]. In addition, the Polish Labor Code entitles employees to 5 days of unpaid caregiver leave (urlop opiekuńczy) per calendar year to provide personal care or support to a family member. For an ill person holding a decision from the Provincial Disability Assessment Team (WZON) determining their level of support need, an electronic application can be submitted to Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych for the payment of a supporting benefit (świadczenie wspierające) [4].
   • Ukraine: Within the Ukrainian electronic healthcare system, the attending physician issues an electronic medical conclusion of temporary incapacity for work to care for a sick family member (медичний висновок про тимчасову непрацездатність по догляду за хворим членом сім'ї), which generates an electronic sick leave certificate (е-лікарняний) paid through the Pension Fund of Ukraine (Пенсійний фонд України) [9]. Furthermore, in cases of severe limitation of independence, state social care assistance (державна соціальна допомога на догляд) and disability pensions are administered via the Пенсійний фонд України [9].
5. 5

   Aligning Wills, Survivor Benefits, and Succession Procedures Across Both Jurisdictions

   Coordinating testamentary dispositions early and gathering official civil status certificates helps prevent conflicts of succession law between Poland and Ukraine:

   • Poland: A will executed as a notarial deed can be registered free of charge in the Notarial Register of Wills (Notarialny Rejestr Testamentów - NORT) maintained by the Krajowa Rada Notarialna [3]. Following the death of an insured person or family member, the person covering the funeral expenses has 12 months from the date of death to file form Z-12 for the funeral grant (zasiłek pogrzebowy, set at PLN 7,000 for deaths from 1 January 2026 onward) as well as an application for a survivor pension (renta rodzinna) with Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych (or KRUS) [4]. Proof of inheritance rights in Poland is obtained either through a notarial Deed of Certification of Inheritance (Akt Poświadczenia Dziedziczenia, entered into the Inheritance Register, Rejestr Spadkowy, operated by the Krajowa Rada Notarialna) [3] or through a court order confirming acquisition of inheritance; heirs have 6 months from learning of their entitlement to file a declaration accepting or renouncing the estate, and 6 months from the registration of the Akt Poświadczenia Dziedziczenia or finality of the court order to submit form SD-Z2 to the competent Tax Office (Urząd Skarbowy) to claim the close-family inheritance tax exemption.
   • Ukraine: Following the death of a pensioner or insured person in Ukraine, applications for the funeral grant (допомога на поховання) and survivor pension for loss of a breadwinner (пенсія у зв'язку з втратою годувальника) are submitted at any service center or via the electronic portal of the Пенсійний фонд України (detailed instructions are available on the state portal Портал Дія) [9]. Succession proceedings in Ukraine are opened before a Ukrainian notary (member of the Нотаріальна палата України, with registration in the Inheritance Register of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, Спадковий реєстр Міністерства юстиції України): heirs must within a strict deadline of 6 months from the date of death personally file a declaration of acceptance of inheritance (заява про прийняття спадщини) or send it by post with a signature certified by a notary or a Ukrainian consulate (such as the Wydział Konsularny Ambasady Ukrainy w Warszawie) [7][8].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Hospice and Palliative Care under the NFZ - Patient and Family Guide — Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia (NFZ)
2. [2]
   Right to Medical Records and Authorizing a Close Person — Rzecznik Praw Pacjenta (gov.pl)
3. [3]
   Notarial Registers: Inheritance Register and Deed of Certification of Inheritance — Krajowa Rada Notarialna
4. [4]
   Claim a Funeral Grant and ZUS Benefits (Form Z-12) — Serwis Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (gov.pl / ZUS)
5. [5]
   Palliative Care under the Program of Medical Guarantees (Inpatient and Mobile) — Національна служба здоров'я України (НСЗУ)
6. [6]
   Palliative Care for Patients with Severe and Incurable Illnesses Remains Free of Charge — Міністерство охорони здоров'я України (МОЗ)
7. [7]
   Notarial Documents, Inheritance, and Powers of Attorney — Нотаріальна палата України (НПУ)
8. [8]
   Consular Affairs and Notarial Acts of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Poland — Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych Ukrainy (MFA)
9. [9]
   Funeral Grant Payment and Pension Services of the Pension Fund of Ukraine — Портал Дія / Пенсійний фонд України