UKR status in Poland: how long it lasts, how to keep it

UKR status is a flag in the PESEL register confirming that you have temporary protection (ochrona czasowa) in Poland. Under an EU Council decision in force since 5 August 2026, protection has been extended to 4 March 2028, and you don’t need to apply for anything. But you can lose the status earlier: by leaving Poland for more than 30 days, getting another residence permit, or not having confirmed your identity.

How long UKR status lasts

Since 5 March 2026, the rules on temporary protection have been set out in ustawa z dnia 13 czerwca 2003 r. o udzielaniu cudzoziemcom ochrony na terytorium Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (the Act on Granting Protection to Foreigners). They were moved there by the act of 23 January 2026 winding down the special act (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 203). Under art. 106 of that act, the stay of a person with temporary protection is considered legal as long as the relevant EU Council decision is in force, unless the act provides otherwise.

Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1912 of 30 July 2026 came into force on 5 August 2026 and extended temporary protection by a year – until 4 March 2028. The date 4 March 2027, which you may have seen before, referred to the previous end of protection. Don’t confuse it with the deadline for CUKR card applications: according to the UdSC (Office for Foreigners), that is still 4 March 2027.

How you can lose UKR status

Temporary protection ends if:

1. you left Poland for more than 30 days;
2. after arriving, you didn’t apply for PESEL UKR within 30 days of crossing the border;
3. you got a temporary residence permit (including a CUKR card), permanent residence or EU long-term resident status, refugee status, subsidiary protection, or tolerated or humanitarian stay;
4. you applied for international protection in Poland;
5. you got temporary protection in another EU country;
6. you gave up temporary protection in writing at the municipal office (urząd gminy);
7. you acquired Polish citizenship or citizenship of another EU country.

Separately, the act winding down the special act (art. 25 ust. 1) required everyone who got UKR status without a valid passport to confirm their identity at the municipal office by 31 August 2026. Those who did not do so have had NUE status since 1 September 2026.

What NUE status is and what to do if you have it

NUE is a flag in the PESEL register for non-EU foreigners who have no other flag such as UKR or CUKR. The PESEL number itself doesn’t change – only the flag in the register does. NUE status appears, among other things, after you leave for more than 30 days or if your identity wasn’t confirmed in time.

The consequences are serious: you lose temporary protection and the rights linked to UKR status. Without a valid PESEL UKR you also can’t apply for a CUKR card.

Official sources don’t describe any procedure that would restore UKR status after 31 August 2026. If you now have NUE, don’t wait: find out at the voivodeship office (urząd wojewódzki) on what basis you are now staying in Poland and which permit you can apply for.

If you don’t have a valid passport, the Opole Voivodeship Office advises contacting a Ukrainian consulate in Poland to get one. If you are staying in Poland legally on another basis, such as a visa, a transitional rule lets an employer give you work on the basis of a notification as long as your stay is legal, but no later than 4 March 2029.

Travelling abroad: the 30-day rule

• Up to 30 days. A trip of up to 30 days doesn’t cost you your status.
• More than 30 days. Leaving Poland for more than 30 days ends temporary protection, and your status changes to NUE.
• If you plan to leave for more than 30 days. Report it no later than the day you leave Poland. You can make this declaration (oświadczenie o wyjeździe) at the municipal office or online, as described on the City of Warsaw website. Your UKR status will still end after such a trip.
• The border records dates. The Border Guard (Straż Graniczna) keeps a register of people with temporary protection that includes the dates they crossed the Polish border in both directions.

The same 30-day rule applies when you have already applied for a CUKR card but haven’t received it yet.

Can you get UKR status now

Yes, but only if you have just arrived and are entitled to temporary protection:

• you apply for a PESEL with UKR status at any municipal office within 30 days of crossing the Polish border;
• you need a valid travel document, a photo and fingerprints (for children, from age 6);
• according to the UdSC, since 5 August 2026 temporary protection is only granted to people who have fulfilled their military obligations in Ukraine – where applicable, once they have submitted proper confirmation. This condition doesn’t apply to people who had temporary protection in a given EU country before 4 August 2026 and on that day, and have kept protected status in that same country without a break;
• you won’t get the status if you already have a residence permit, another form of protection in Poland or temporary protection in another EU country.

We cover how PESEL and PESEL UKR are issued in detail in our article about the PESEL number in Poland.

What UKR status gives you

• Legal stay in Poland until 4 March 2028, unless you lose the status earlier.
• Work without a permit. The employer notifies the district labour office within 7 days of you starting work. According to MSWiA (the Ministry of the Interior and Administration) guidance, if they don’t, your work does not become illegal.
• Your own business. People with temporary protection can run a business on the terms of the act on foreigners’ participation in economic activity.
• Healthcare. As for Polish citizens, access to healthcare depends on being insured and paying contributions. The exceptions are children under 18, women during pregnancy, childbirth and afterwards, residents of collective accommodation with the relevant certificate, and victims of rape or torture.

Timeline 2026–2028

The rules on temporary protection have already changed several times, so keep an eye on the news on the UdSC website and your voivodeship office’s website.

What to do next: CUKR or another residence card

• You meet the CUKR conditions. This is a 3-year residence card; once it is issued, your UKR status changes to CUKR. We explain who qualifies and how to apply through MOS (the online service for foreigners’ cases) in our article about the CUKR card.
• You don’t qualify for CUKR. Keep to the conditions of UKR status, above all the 30-day rule, and think ahead about a residence card on general grounds, for example for work. We explain how to apply in our article about the residence card via MOS.
• You have NUE. Don’t put off visiting the voivodeship office, and don’t work until the basis for your stay is clear.

At STARKO we arrange work permits and help with PESEL and residence cards, and your coordinator speaks Ukrainian and Russian. Looking for legal work in Poland? Send us an application and a manager will contact you within one working day.