Can the border guard really reduce the ban imposed on someone and how long does it take to get a reply from Warsaw border guard regarding reduction of the ban?
Yes, the Border Guard commander who issued the decision can shorten or withdraw the ban, but usually only if you complied with the return decision or have humanitarian grounds, and generally not before half of the ban period has passed. The request must be in Polish, justified, and submitted with PLN 10 stamp duty. There is no fixed timeline. Officially it should be one to two months, but in practice replies from Warsaw often take longer, so follow up in writing after two months.