Article 31. Rights of guardians and trustees

Guardians are the lawful representatives of persons under their guardianship and enter into all necessary transactions on their behalf or in their interests.

Trustees are the lawful representatives of persons under their trusteeship and assist them in exercising their rights and fulfilling their duties, as well as protect them from abuses by third parties.

Guardians and trustees have the right:

to independently determine, taking into account the views of the person under guardianship or trusteeship and the recommendations of the guardianship and trusteeship bodies, the methods of upbringing;

to demand, through court proceedings, the return of the person under guardianship or trusteeship from any person who is unlawfully retaining him or her, including from parents and other close relatives;

to obtain legal, methodological, diagnostic and advisory assistance on matters of maintenance, upbringing, education and health care of the person under guardianship or trusteeship;

to perform, in the manner prescribed by law, transactions that the person under guardianship or trusteeship is not entitled to perform independently;

to apply to guardianship and trusteeship bodies, educational institutions, citizensʼ self-government bodies and non-governmental non-profit organizations for necessary social assistance;

to apply to health-care institutions for referrals to medical treatment and sanatorium-resort institutions for the treatment and recovery of the person under guardianship or trusteeship.

Guardians and trustees may have other rights in accordance with legislation.

A guardian or trustee may not obstruct the person under guardianship or trusteeship from communicating with his or her parents and other close relatives, except where such communication is contrary to the lawful interests of the person under guardianship or trusteeship.

A guardian or trustee, his or her spouse and close relatives may not enter into transactions with the person under guardianship or trusteeship, nor may they act as the representative of the person under guardianship or trusteeship in court proceedings between that person and the guardianʼs or trusteeʼs spouse or close relatives.