Zbigniew Ziobro traveled to the United States on the basis of a Geneva travel document, his representative, attorney Bartosz Lewandowski, said today. The disclosure came after questions were raised over how the former justice minister could enter the U.S. after his Polish passport was invalidated.

Lewandowski rejected any suggestion that the trip was illegal. "Nie ma mowy o jakimś nielegalnym wyjeździe. Minister Ziobro może swobodnie podróżować poza Polską i skorzystał z tej furtki," he said. He added: "Taki podobny paszport uzyskał również pan minister Romanowski. (...). Wszystko odbyło się oczywiście lege artis."

The Geneva travel document is issued under the Geneva Convention and is intended for foreigners with refugee status. It allows legal travel between countries that recognize the document, but it should not be used to travel to the holder's country of origin, because that could affect refugee status. It also does not protect anyone from domestic or international arrest warrants. In Poland, applications for the document are submitted to the Head of the Office for Foreigners.

Ziobro had previously been in Hungary, where he received political asylum. On Sunday, information surfaced that he had arrived in the United States, and now the explanation points to a travel document designed for refugees rather than a national passport. That detail matters because the move places his trip in a legal category that still leaves room for scrutiny.

Waldemar Żurek said Poland will turn to the United States and Hungary to ask about the legal basis for Ziobro leaving Hungary and entering the United States. That inquiry is likely to become the next test of the arrangement, because the document may allow movement, but it does not settle every question surrounding his status or his travel history.