Poland Plans to Extend Legal Stay for Ukrainians Until March 2026: What Does the New Bill Propose?

On 23 June 2025, the website of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland published an overview of the proposed amendments to the "Special Act on Assistance to Ukrainian Citizens in Connection with the War in That Country". The document contains significant proposals that will affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians in Poland. The primary aim of the bill is to extend the legal stay of Ukrainians until 4 March 2026 and to clarify the conditions of access to services introduced following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

What exactly is being extended until 4 March 2026?

The draft amendments to the Special Act propose extending until 4 March next year:

✔ legal stay for Ukrainians who came to Poland due to the war; ✔ access to the labour market, healthcare, education and social assistance; ✔ the possibility of residing in collective accommodation facilities (for vulnerable groups); ✔ the validity of Polish visas, temporary residence permits, residence cards and other documents; ✔ the issuance of temporary residence permits even when not all standard requirements are met — for a period of 1 year or 6 months.

Educational initiatives

The document includes a number of proposals relating to education. Among other things, schools will continue to be able to create additional classes for Ukrainian children. The mandatory documentary proof of Polish language proficiency has been removed for teacher assistants and intercultural assistants from Ukraine — practical command of the language is sufficient. Support for local authorities in the areas of education, upbringing and care for Ukrainian children continues.

Healthcare sector

Some provisions in the document concern medical professionals from Ukraine. Poland will continue to allow doctors and dentists from Ukraine to practise under a simplified procedure. Medical facilities will be able to extend conditional work permits for nurses and midwives who have not yet completed training in accordance with European standards (for up to 3 years).

Identification and documents

Whereas previously a PESEL number for a child could be obtained without the child's presence, it is now proposed to introduce mandatory presence of children when obtaining a PESEL number. The use of biometric identification based on a facial image will also be permitted. The requirement to collect a signature in registers has been removed and replaced with fingerprint collection. Municipalities will receive broader powers to register citizens with UKR status.

Changes to accommodation conditions

Several changes are planned for collective accommodation facilities housing Ukrainian citizens who fled the war. The minimum number of persons required for a facility to be classified as collective accommodation will increase from 10 to 20. The intake of new refugees to such centres is to end on 31 October 2025. There is an exception — for vulnerable groups, intake will continue. The conditions under which a voivode may evict a Ukrainian citizen from such accommodation will be clearly defined.

Legal changes and oversight

Residence permits for 1 year (note: Art. 42a — permits that Ukrainians can receive even if they do not meet the standard requirements for staying in Poland) are to be issued only once. Grounds have been added for cancelling such a permit, including submission of false documents or entering into a sham marriage. Support for Ukrainians applying for CUKR status also continues — until a decision on that status is issued, their stay is considered legal.

Important: none of these proposals has yet entered into force — all changes will be discussed by Polish authorities at various levels before being adopted.