Temporary Protection for Ukrainians in Poland Extended Until September 2025

The long-awaited news for Ukrainians in Poland: temporary protection has been extended until 30 September 2025. As a reminder, temporary protection for Ukrainians who received PESEL UKR was already extended in February, but only for four months.

The law signed on 7 June by Polish President Andrzej Duda not only extends temporary protection but also introduces other important changes.

The press office of the Polish Presidential Chancellery announced that Andrzej Duda had signed amendments to the law on assistance to Ukrainian citizens in connection with the armed conflict on its territory.

Under this document, Ukrainian refugees may legally remain in Poland until 30 September 2025. In addition, Ukrainians retain access to medical services, family benefits, and social payments.

Temporary Residence Instead of Temporary Protection

One of the most important changes in the amended legislation is the possibility of changing one's residence status in Poland.

Ukrainians may change their current temporary protection status to temporary residence for up to three years. To do so, three conditions must be met simultaneously:

🔹 hold a PESEL UKR as of 4 March 2024; 🔹 hold a PESEL UKR on the date of submitting the application for a status change; 🔹 have held a PESEL UKR continuously for the last 365 days.

If a person meets all three conditions and wishes to obtain temporary residence status for up to three years, they must: ✔ update their data in the PESEL UKR database, ✔ submit an application electronically to the voivode (regional governor) competent for their place of residence.

Other changes concern the PESEL number itself. The law provides that: ✅ to obtain a PESEL number, Ukrainians are required to present a valid Ukrainian travel document (passport), ✅ the application for a PESEL with UKR status must be submitted immediately upon arrival in Poland (and not within 30 days as was previously the case).

Child Benefits for Ukrainians in Poland

The law also links the payment of child-raising benefits and payments under the "Good Start" programme to compulsory school attendance. This means that parents will be able to receive funds only if the child attends Polish pre-school institutions or a school. As a reminder, "Good Start" is an annual payment of 300 zlotys received by parents of school-age children to help prepare them for the new school year.

Another change concerns free Polish language classes for pupils who began their education in Polish schools in the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 school years. These children may participate in free classes for three years only – 36 months.

We are monitoring changes in Polish legislation that affect Ukrainians and will continue to keep you informed of new developments.

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