A tourist voucher is a new form of support for Polish families in a situation where the economy is weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be PLN 500 for each child up to the age of 18 and one additional benefit in the form of a voucher supplement, in the amount of PLN 500 for children with a disability certificate.

With the help of the voucher, it will be possible to make payments for hotel services or tourist events carried out by a tourist entrepreneur or a public benefit organization in the country. The new law will come into force this summer.

1. Who is entitled to a voucher?

 The tourist voucher will be available to almost 6.5 million Polish children, including children of parents working abroad.

a) On July 18, 2020, you had the right to:

• child benefit, the so-called 500+;
• childcare allowance - an allowance in the amount of the childcare allowance for placed children:

- in a foster family or with a person who runs a family orphanage,
- in a care and educational facility (socialization, intervention or specialist-therapeutic type), in a care and therapy facility, in an interventional pre-adoption center,
- in a family-type care and educational facility.

b) between July 19, 2020 and December 31, 2021, you will acquire the right to:

• a childcare benefit for a child who was previously not entitled to this benefit or to a childcare allowance;
• a childcare allowance for a child who was not previously entitled to this allowance or to a childcare benefit.

c) if you are outside Poland and:

• between July 1, 2019 and July 18, 2020, you submitted an application for child benefit there, transferred to the voivode, who did not consider it until July 18, 2020;
• between 19 July 2020 and 31 December 2021, you will submit an application for a child benefit there, which will be forwarded to the voivode and the voivode will not consider it in the period for which information about eligible persons is submitted;
• the voivode issued you a decision refusing the right to a child benefit in the form of a differential supplement.

2. What is the value of the voucher?

A voucher in the amount of PLN 500 will be available for each child. In the case of a disabled child, the entitled person will also receive an additional voucher in the amount of PLN 500, i.e. they will receive vouchers with a total value of PLN 1,000.

The voucher is tax free and does not count towards your income.

3. How do I get the voucher?

Your voucher is on the ZUS Electronic Services Platform (PUE). If you are an eligible person, log in to your profile at PUE ZUS. Select the "General" tab from the top menu and go to the "Polish Tourist Voucher"> "My voucher" tab. If you do not have a profile at PUE ZUS, you must register (follow the instructions).

4. How can I apply for a voucher?

You do not need to apply for a voucher. You just need to activate it. To do this, log in to your profile on the Electronic Services Platform (PUE) of the Social Insurance Institution at www.zus.pl. Select the "General" tab and go to the "Polish Tourist Voucher"> "My Voucher" tab. You must complete your valid e-mail and mobile number.

5. By what deadline will the voucher application be processed?

See answer to question 4.

6. What documents must be submitted in order to receive additional benefit for a disabled child?

In order to receive an additional benefit in the form of a voucher, you must submit a declaration of the entitled person via the Electronic Services Platform (PUE) to ZUS in order to establish the right to an additional benefit in the form of a Polish Tourist Voucher (DBT). You will fill in the declaration at PUE with the help of the wizard. In the statement, indicate whether your child has a certificate of:

• disability, light, moderate or severe disability, issued on the basis of the provisions on vocational and social rehabilitation and employment of disabled people,
• partial inability to work, total inability to work, total inability to work and live independently or inability to live independently, issued on the basis of the provisions on pensions from the Social Insurance Fund,
• permanent or long-term incapacity to work on a farm and for independent existence, or permanent or temporary total incapacity to work on a farm and for independent existence, issued on the basis of the provisions on farmers' social insurance.

You must attach a copy of the decision to the declaration.

7. Is there a higher benefit for a disabled child?

If you are entitled to a child benefit or a child benefit for a disabled child, you are entitled to an additional benefit in the form of a voucher. So you will receive one benefit in the form of a voucher in the amount of PLN 500 and one additional benefit in the form of a voucher in the amount of PLN 500.

8. When will the voucher be generated?

Information on the possibility of activating the voucher will be published on the website of the Public Information Bulletin of the Ministry of Development.

The exact date from which the voucher can be activated is currently unknown. It depends on the date of launching the functionality on the ZUS Electronic Services Portal.

9. Is the voucher PLN 500 per family or for each child?

A benefit in the form of a voucher worth PLN 500 is available for each child for whom you are entitled to a child benefit or a childcare allowance.

The voucher is tax free and does not count towards your income.

10. In what form will the voucher be issued?

The voucher is an electronic document. It has a unique 16-digit number and is on the ZUS Electronic Services Platform (PUE) (select the "General" tab, and then the "Polish Tourist Voucher"). This document shows, among others, who is entitled to the benefit, for which children, the amount of the benefit for each child and the total amount of benefits granted.

11. Can I pay with a voucher several times?

Yes, you can pay with a voucher many times, until the amount of the benefit in the form of a voucher is exhausted or an additional benefit in the form of a voucher (for a disabled child).

12. Can I exchange the voucher for cash?

You cannot exchange the voucher for cash, other means of payment or other means of exchange.

13. What is the validity of the voucher?

The voucher will expire on March 31, 2022.

14. Can I take advantage of the rest after March 31, 2022, for which I will pay with a voucher?

Yes, as long as you pay with your voucher by March 31, 2022 (you book the service in the future).

15. Will I be able to use the voucher if I have a child in 2021?

Yes, if you are entitled to a child benefit by 31 December 2021, you will also be entitled to a benefit in the form of a voucher. You can redeem it by the end of March 2022.

16. What to do if the amount for the hotel night is higher than the value of the voucher?

If the hotel service exceeds the value of the voucher, you can pay the missing part in cash, by card or by bank transfer.

17. Can a travel voucher be issued to single parents, foster parents and alternating parents?

Yes. The person entitled to the Polish Tourist Voucher is a person who is entitled to a child benefit or a childcare allowance. If you take care of a child alternately, each of you is entitled to a voucher of PLN 250 and possibly an additional PLN 250 if the child is disabled and has a certificate confirming it.

18. What services can I pay for with a voucher?

With the help of the voucher, it will be possible to make payments for hotel services or tourist events carried out by a tourist entrepreneur or a public benefit organization on the territory of the Republic of Poland. Hotel services or tourist events are to be provided to the child for whom the voucher has been granted.

Remember that a package should be understood as a combination of at least two different types of travel services for the same trip or vacation. In this way, you can also finance a child's stay in a colony or camps - scouting, sports, recreation. It can also be a participation in a trip organized in Poland.

19. Where will it be possible to pay with a voucher?

The list of entities where it will be possible to pay with the voucher will be published on the website of the Polish Tourist Organization. The list will include entities that have previously registered in the PUE ZUS ICT system.

The date from which it will be possible to register in the ICT system will be published on the website of the Public Information Bulletin of the Ministry of Development. Currently, the date from which the registration can be made is unknown, and therefore the date of publication of the list.

20. Will there be a list of hotels where I can pay with the voucher?

The list of tourist entrepreneurs and public benefit organizations with which you can pay with the voucher can be found on the websites of the Polish Tourist Organization (POT): www.bonturystyczny.gov.pl, www.pot.gov.pl and www.polska.travel.

21. Will I be redirected from the POT database to the entrepreneur's website?

No, only the current list of entrepreneurs will be available on the PTO website.

22. What information is there in the database about a given company?

A tourist will be able to search for entrepreneurs or OPP in the database by name and city.

23. How many entrepreneurs will be in the database?

The database will include all tourist entrepreneurs or public benefit organizations that register on the PUE ZUS platform and implement and will provide hotel services or tourist events in the territory of the Republic of Poland. The number of these entities depends on how many entrepreneurs decide to participate in the program. It is estimated that the number of entities may reach as much as 100,000.

The date from which it will be possible to register in the above-mentioned system will be published on the website of the Public Information Bulletin of the Ministry of Development.

24. Can I pay for a hotel stay with a voucher for children and myself or only for children?

Hotel services or travel packages for which payment will be made using the voucher are to be provided to the child for whom the voucher has been awarded.

A hotel service or a tourist event is provided to a child when a child uses the hotel service or a tourist event, even if no additional payment is required due to his or her age. The condition for using the voucher is the participation of the child for whom the voucher was entitled.

25. Can a voucher be used to pay for a trip abroad?

No. With the help of the voucher, you can pay for hotel services and tourist events provided in Poland by tourist enterprises and public benefit organizations that have joined the Polish Tourist Voucher project. You can find a list of these entities on the website

Polish Tourist Organization (POT) www.bonturystyczny.gov.pl, www.pot.gov.pl and www.polska.travel.

26. If a tourist event offered by me will include some foreign element, eg visiting Krakow and Prague - then what?

The Act requires hotel services or tourist events to be provided on the territory of the Republic of Poland. So if an event has a foreign element, it cannot be financed with the voucher.

27. How will I be informed that I have a voucher?

If you want to check if you have a voucher, log in to your profile on the Electronic Services Platform (PUE) of ZUS. If you are entitled to the voucher, in the "General" tab there will be a tab "Polish Tourist Voucher"> "My voucher". You must activate the voucher. To do this, enter your valid e-mail and mobile number. Upon activation, you will be assigned a payment handling code. You will receive it by email to confirm payment with the voucher.

28. What is the payment handling code?

This is the code that you will receive when you activate your voucher on the Electronic Services Platform (PUE) of ZUS. Only you will know this code. You will also be able to check the code on your PUE profile in the "Polish Tourist Voucher"> "My Voucher" tab. You will use it when you pay for services, such as booking hotel accommodation.

29. Where can I check / view my payment service code?

You will be able to check the payment service code in the e-mail that you will receive on the day of activating the voucher, and on your profile at PUE ZUS in the "Polish Tourist Voucher"> "My Voucher" tab.

30. If I apply to the PTO for a voucher and receive a negative decision, can I appeal?

If you receive a refusal decision in the form of a voucher, you can appeal to the minister for tourism - the minister of development.

31. Where can I find information about the voucher at PUE ZUS?

On the Electronic Services Platform (PUE) of ZUS, in the "General" tab, there is a new tab "Polish Tourist Voucher". You will see it if you are entitled to a voucher. Click on "Polish Tourist Voucher" and then on "My Voucher". The following options will appear:

"Activate the voucher",
"Change of contact details",
"Application for additional benefit"
"Preview".
32. What should I do if I do not have the "Polish Tourist Voucher" tab on PUE ZUS?

If there is no "Polish Tourist Voucher" tab in the "General" tab, it means that you do not have an established entitlement to the benefit in the form of a voucher. In such a situation, if you meet the required conditions, you should apply for this benefit to the Polish Tourist Organization (POT). The Polish Tourist Organization will issue a decision on this matter.

33. What does it take to pay with a hotel or package travel voucher?

If you activate a voucher on the Electronic Services Platform (PUE) of ZUS, i.e. complete your current e-mail address and mobile phone number, you will receive a payment service code by e-mail.

34. Can I check the value of the voucher that can still be used?

Yes, you can check the current balance of funds that you can still use on the Electronic Services Platform (PUE) of ZUS. Select the "General" tab from the top menu and go to the "Polish Tourist Voucher"> "My voucher" tab.

35. I have a tab on PUE "Polish Tourist Voucher", but I did not receive the payment service code by e-mail. What I have to do?

You will receive the payment processing code when activating the voucher. To do this, select the "General" tab, then: "Polish Tourist Voucher"> "My Voucher" and click "Activate the voucher". You must complete your valid e-mail and mobile number.

If you activated the voucher and did not receive the payment service code by e-mail, check if the e-mail with the payment service code was not in the "Spam" folder. You can also check the code on your PUE profile in the "Polish Tourist Voucher"> "My Voucher" tab.

36. I do not have my profile at PUE ZUS. Can I be represented by a proxy and activate my voucher on my behalf?

The function of activating the voucher by a proxy will be possible later. Currently, you must have your PUE profile to activate the voucher.

37. I made a mistake and gave the wrong code at the reception desk. What do I have to do to pay with a holiday voucher?

Please provide the receptionist with the correct payment service code. In case of a mistake, the receptionist may re-enter the code and complete the payment process.

38. What happens if I give the receptionist an incorrect code confirming the payment with a voucher, which I will receive via SMS?

The payment will be canceled. You must provide the receptionist with the payment service code (from the e-mail) and then a new confirmation code, which you will receive via SMS.

39. Will the PTO control the proper performance of services?

The Polish Tourist Organization is not responsible for the services provided by a travel entrepreneur or OPP.