Temporary protection: Poland
🛰️ Varta monitors 12 official sources for this country — checked daily.
Legal basis: Act of 13.06.2003 on granting protection to foreigners, art. 109b (consolidated text Dz.U. 2026 poz. 862) — temporary protection has lived here since 5 March 2026; the Special Act on assistance to Ukrainian citizens in the part still in force, notably the CUKR card; EU Temporary Protection Directive 2001/55/EC • status valid until 04/03/2027 • already extended until 04/03/2028
Steps
- 1
Cross the border
Visa-free entry. The arrival date is recorded at the border — it matters for your status.
📍 Border crossing point💳 Free - 2
Register PESEL UKR
Apply at the municipality: photo, document copies, fingerprints. PESEL UKR legalises your stay until 04.03.2027 and opens access to benefits, work, healthcare. Providing phone and email auto-creates a Trusted Profile (Profil Zaufany).
📍 Any municipal office (urząd gminy / urząd miasta)⏰ As soon as possible after arrival💳 Free - 3
Install mObywatel and activate diia.pl
The diia.pl digital document in the mObywatel app confirms your status and allows border crossing towards entry from Ukraine. Available from age 13; children under 13 are registered by parents.
📍 mObywatel app (Android/iOS)💳 Free - 4
Check eligibility for ZUS family benefits
For 800+ and Dobry Start, check residence, child-education and applicant professional-activity requirements. Apply electronically. RKO has not accepted new applications since 1 October 2024; check previously awarded payments against your ZUS decision.
📍 PUE ZUS / Emp@tia / e-banking⏰ Benefit period: 01.06 – 31.05 of the next year💳 Free - 5
Apply for the CUKR residence card (recommended)
New card since 04.05.2026: 3 years of residence, full labour-market access, Schengen travel 90/180. Conditions: PESEL UKR held on 04.06.2025 and continuously for at least 365 days. Apply ONLY electronically via the MOS portal, signed with Profil Zaufany, a qualified signature or podpis osobisty. Note: after CUKR you lose some UKR rights (social assistance, free collective accommodation, some healthcare benefits).
📍 MOS portal: mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl⏰ Until 04.03.2027💳 PLN 100 (card) + PLN 340 (admin fee), two separate payments
Documents
Foreign passport or other travel document
requiredIf PESEL UKR was registered on a declaration only, a valid travel document must be presented by 31.08.2026 [the 31/08/2026 deadline has passed]. Especially important for children previously verified via parents’ passport photos.
Child’s birth certificate
requiredFor the child’s PESEL registration and benefits.
Proof of residence in Ukraine before 24.02.2022
if availableBorder stamp or other documents.
Biometric photo
requiredFor PESEL UKR and CUKR card (digital, not older than 6 months for CUKR).
Ukrainian Embassies and Consulates
Map
Document samples and how to fill them
Write in LATIN letters exactly as in your foreign passport (not Cyrillic). Include middle names as in the passport.
Format DD.MM.YYYY (day.month.year), as in the passport.
Foreign passport number (series + number), without spaces.
Address in Poland: street, house/flat number, city, postal code.
Mandatory — a Trusted Profile is auto-created with these contacts.
❌ Name in Cyrillic instead of Latin (PESEL won’t match the passport) ❌ Spaces/dashes in the passport number ❌ Missing phone — no Trusted Profile created
Create a NEW account (old MOS won’t work), log in via login.gov.pl.
Digital photo, not older than 6 months, passport format.
Scan/screenshot of the CARD payment (PLN 100) to a SEPARATE account.
Scan/screenshot of the ADMIN FEE (PLN 340) to ANOTHER account. Don’t mix accounts!
Sign via Profil Zaufany, a qualified signature or podpis osobisty.
❌ Paying both sums to one account (application rejected) ❌ Photo older than 6 months ❌ Old MOS account (a new one is required) ❌ Applying after 04.03.2027
Child’s name in Latin letters as in the birth certificate, their PESEL.
Your data as in PESEL UKR.
Provide PESEL UKR or a residence permit proving legal stay.
Polish IBAN (PL...) for payments.
❌ Non-Polish or mistyped IBAN ❌ Child without a PESEL ❌ Benefit period: apply each year for 01.06–31.05
Benefits
800+ (child-raising benefit)
The applicant and child must live in Poland and meet the education requirement appropriate to the child’s age. Updated application and professional-activity rules apply to Ukrainian citizens with UKR status from 1 February 2026. Some categories of work require a contribution base of at least 50% of the minimum wage; exceptions include specified child-disability cases and a child with Polish citizenship. ZUS assesses entitlement.
How to apply: PUE ZUS, Emp@tia or e-banking
RKO — previously awarded payments
This is not an offer for a new applicant. Previously established RKO entitlement may continue under the award’s conditions. Eligibility for Aktywny Rodzic benefits is assessed separately.
How to apply: Check your decision and payment history in eZUS. A new RKO application cannot be submitted.
Dobry Start — school-year allowance
For school pupils up to age 20, or up to age 24 with a recognised disability. It does not cover nursery, preschool preparation or university. A UKR applicant living with the child in Poland generally needs professional activity in the month before applying; exceptions apply.
How to apply: Apply electronically to ZUS from 1 July to 30 November through eZUS, mZUS, a supported bank or Emp@tia. Check the current conditions for foreign applicants on the ZUS website.
Medical care
People with PESEL UKR.
How to apply: Visit a public healthcare facility; emergency — 112 / 999
Wise — transfers without hidden fees
A multi-currency account and transfers between Ukraine and Europe at the real exchange rate. Handy for receiving salary and sending money to family.
Open a Wise accountThe price for you does not change; the commission supports our free guides.
Where to apply
Municipal office (urząd gminy / miasta)
ZUS — Social Insurance Institution
Contacts
What happens after protection ends
The main pathway after protection ends is the CUKR card (3 years, apply by 04.03.2027). Alternatives: temporary residence permits on other grounds (work, family reunification, study), later — EU long-term resident status (time on CUKR counts). Leaving Poland for more than 6 months voids the CUKR permit.
What happens when protection ends
These are options for the future — you will need to choose ONE, and not now.
These routes are available outside temporary protection — work, study, family, business, etc.
The description below is a general scheme, similar across countries. Check exact requirements, fees and timelines via the official link in each card — they differ by country and change over time.
💼 Single permit (work)
Those with a valid employment contract in this country.
Passport; employment contract; proof of residence. Authority: Municipal office (urząd gminy / miasta).
- Foreign passport
- Employment contract
- Proof of residence
- Health insurance (optional)
Municipal office (urząd gminy / miasta)
The employer or the applicant files; the immigration authority decides.
Before the current status or permit expires.
- Collect the card/decision
- Register address and social number
Renewable together with the contract.
Usually switchable from temporary protection without leaving.
🎓 Study — Poland
Enrolment at an accredited institution.
Acceptance letter; proof of funds; housing; insurance.
- Foreign passport
- Acceptance letter
- Proof of funds
- Health insurance (optional)
Municipal office (urząd gminy / miasta)
Apply via the institution or the immigration authority.
Before the semester starts.
- Register at the institution and locally
Yearly with continued studies.
Usually switchable from temporary protection without leaving.
👨👩👧👦 Family reunification — Poland
Spouse, children or relatives of a resident or citizen.
Marriage/birth certificates; housing; sponsor income.
- Foreign passport
- Marriage/birth certificate
- Sponsor income proof
- Proof of residence
Municipal office (urząd gminy / miasta)
The sponsor or family files; documents need apostille and translation.
Before the current status expires.
- Collect the family member card
Renewable; a path to permanent residence.
Usually switchable from temporary protection without leaving.
🏢 Self-employment/business — Poland
Company or self-employment registration; business plan or contracts.
Registration documents; tax number; funds; housing.
- Foreign passport
- Company/self-employment registration
- Business plan or contracts (optional)
- Proof of residence
Municipal office (urząd gminy / miasta)
Register the business, then apply for residence as an entrepreneur.
Before the current status expires.
- Tax registration and bank account
Tied to the company activity.
Usually switchable from temporary protection without leaving.
🏠 Permanent residence — Poland
Usually after 5 years of continuous legal residence.
Stable income; housing; integration/language per national rules.
- Foreign passport
- Income proof
- Proof of residence
- Language/integration certificate (optional)
Municipal office (urząd gminy / miasta)
Apply once the required residence period is met.
After the required residence period is met.
- Obtain permanent resident status
Permanent status; card replaced periodically.
Temporary protection time often counts towards the period (per national rules).
Opportunities: housing, jobs, grants
9 verified programmes: housing support, job portals, business grants, free courses — with direct official links and verification dates. Available with Varta.
Forms & samples (PDF)
FAQ
Do I need to do anything to keep my protection after the current period?
If you presented your international passport when you received your PESEL number, you do not have to file anything: UKR status was extended automatically until 04.03.2027. If you have changed your passport since then, update the document data at any urząd gminy — it is free and your PESEL number does not change. If, however, your PESEL UKR was granted solely on the basis of a declaration of identity, without a passport, you had to confirm your identity with a valid international passport at any urząd gminy by 31.08.2026. Whoever failed to do so loses UKR status and temporary protection from 01.09.2026: the PESEL number remains, but the status in the register is changed to NUE and the legal basis of stay disappears. That deadline has already passed (today is 08.09.2026). Official pages describe the loss of status itself and publish no procedure for restoring it after the deadline — so what follows is not an official procedure but a practical step: go to the urząd gminy with your passport as soon as possible, and at the same time ask the voivodeship office or the Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców for an individual explanation and about another basis for legalising your stay (an ordinary zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy under the Aliens Act). Important: the CUKR residence card will not work in this case — UDSC states outright that without a valid PESEL number with UKR status a foreigner cannot obtain a CUKR card, and MOS requires that you hold UKR status on the very day the application is filed. To have a basis of stay after 04.03.2027, file an application for a CUKR residence card no later than 04.03.2027 — but only if you meet all of the conditions at once: you are a Ukrainian citizen or a family member of one; you are staying in Poland legally under temporary protection; as of 04.06.2025 you held a PESEL number with UKR status; on the day of filing you hold a PESEL number with UKR status based on a valid international passport registered at any gmina; and you have held uninterrupted UKR status for at least 365 days (365 consecutive days in any period, not necessarily immediately before filing). For children born in Poland from 24.02.2022 the last two conditions do not apply; instead, the mother must already have been issued a CUKR card. If even one condition is not met, CUKR is not your route — look for another basis of stay. The application is filed ONLY electronically through the MOS portal (mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl), logging in via login.gov.pl and signing it (trusted profile, qualified or personal signature). The applicant must sign in person — a proxy cannot file it, and a paper application will be left unexamined. Before filing you must pay 100 zł for issuing the card and a 340 zł stamp duty, and attach a digital photo. Processing takes 180 days; the card is issued for 3 years. If the application was filed on time and has not been decided by 04.03.2027, your stay is deemed legal until the day you collect the card (or it is annulled because you did not collect it within 60 days of the summons), or until a refusal or discontinuance decision becomes final. On the dates: Polish official sources operate with 04.03.2027 — both for UKR status and as the final deadline for filing a CUKR application. At EU level protection has been adopted in advance until 04.03.2028, but the published Polish deadlines are tied to 04.03.2027, so do not delay filing. Sources: gov.pl/web/uw-swietokrzyski/ukr-cukr---najczesciej-zadawane-pytania; gov.pl/web/udsc/wazna-informacja-dla-obywateli-ukrainy-posiadajacych-numer-pesel-ze-statusem-ukr (27.07.2026); mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl — "CUKR" residence card. Source: https://www.gov.pl/web/uw-swietokrzyski/ukr-cukr---najczesciej-zadawane-pytania (checked 03.09.2026).
What does PESEL UKR give?
PESEL UKR and temporary protection provide residence rights and access to employment under the applicable rules. Entitlement to each benefit and healthcare service is assessed separately. See the relevant sections of this guide for current dates, document procedures and family benefits.
Is the CUKR card mandatory?
No, it is optional. But it gives 3 years of status, full labour market access and Schengen travel. IMPORTANT: after CUKR you lose some UKR rights (social assistance, free collective housing). If you depend on them — consult before applying.
How do I claim the 800+ benefit?
Online via PUE ZUS, Emp@tia portal or e-banking. Attach a document confirming legal stay (PESEL UKR). Paid monthly to your bank account. Benefit period: 01.06–31.05.
What is diia.pl?
A digital document in the mObywatel app confirming status and allowing border crossing towards entry from Ukraine. Available from age 13; children are registered by parents in their app.
- Urzędowy portal dla obywateli Ukrainy (ua.gov.pl) ✓
- UNHCR Help Poland — Temporary Protection
- UNHCR Help Poland — Residence card CUKR
- CUKR — procedura (gov.pl/udsc) ✓
This information is for reference only and is not legal advice.