Residence of citizens of Ukraine

1. citizens of Ukraine who, as a result of Russian aggression, left their homeland and, arriving in Poland, declared their intention to stay in Poland in connection with military operations conducted on the territory of Ukraine,
2. citizens of Ukraine who have the Pole's Card, who came to Poland with their immediate family because of these warfare,
3. spouses of Ukrainian citizens who do not have Ukrainian citizenship, if they came to Poland from Ukraine in connection with military operations conducted on the territory of that country and are not Polish citizens or citizens of another European Union Member State,
4. minor children of Ukrainian citizens who do not have Ukrainian citizenship, if they came to Poland from Ukraine in connection with hostilities carried out on the territory of this country and are not Polish citizens or citizens of another European Union Member State,
5. minor children of spouses of Ukrainian citizens who do not have Ukrainian citizenship, if they came to Poland from Ukraine in connection with hostilities carried out on the territory of this country and are not Polish citizens or citizens of another European Union Member State,
6. children born in Poland to mothers referred to in point 1.

If you entered Poland on February 24, 2022 or later and you meet the above-mentioned conditions, you can legally stay in Poland until September 30, 2025.

Remember that your one-time trip outside of Poland for a period longer than 1 month will result in the loss of your legal residence rights.

Attention! If you are covered by temporary protection in a Member State of the European Union other than Poland granted due to military operations conducted in the territory of Ukraine and you came to Poland, your stay is not considered legal under the provisions of the Act on assistance to Ukrainian citizens in connection with the armed conflict in the territory of this country countries.

Immediately after entering Poland, obtain a PESEL number with the "UKR" status - yes you will receive it.

The PESEL number is an eleven-digit numeric symbol that allows for easy identification of the person who has it. The PESEL number is commonly used in contacts with various institutions and in legal circulation, e.g.:

• all official matters, e.g. wedding, registration, court cases,
• use of the number in connection with the commencement of work in the form of: employment contract, contract for specific work or contract of mandate
• tax returns of people who do not run a business,
• financial services, e.g. opening a bank account, taking a loan,
• setting up your own company, e.g. a sole proprietorship or a civil partnership,
• medical care - verifying whether the person has insurance or indicating the PESEL number on the sick leave,
• and other...

In order to facilitate access to online public services, it is envisaged that citizens of Ukraine may obtain a trusted profile when they are assigned a PESEL number.

With the assignment of a PESEL number with the status of "UKR", you gain access to Diia.pl.

Diia.pl is an electronic document issued to Ukrainian citizens who crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border after February 24, 2022, which has been added to the catalog of residence documents. This means that from July 23, 2022, together with a valid travel document (e.g. passport), it entitles you to cross Polish borders. It also enables free movement within the Schengen area.

You gain access to Diia.pl via the mObywatel mobile application.

How to activate the mObywatel application?

• in the office where you received your PESEL number, activate your trusted profile
• if you have already been assigned a PESEL number, but you have not immediately applied for access to a trusted profile, apply for it at any office - preferably in the same one where you received your PESEL number,
• download and run the mObywatel application,
• activate the application using the login and password issued for the trusted profile,
• if you forget your trusted profile password, you can always recover it by providing your username or e-mail address.

What does Diia.pl give you?

• is a document confirming your identity, e.g. in offices, before services,
• makes it possible to obtain assistance due to persons covered by temporary protection,
• serves as a residence document,
• together with a valid travel document entitles you to cross the external borders of the EU,
• allows you to move within the Schengen area for 90 days in any 180-day period.

If you are:

• a citizen of Ukraine or the spouse of a citizen of Ukraine and you have the citizenship of another country and you came to Poland from Ukraine from February 24.02.2022, XNUMX and want to stay in Poland,
• a citizen of Ukraine and you stay in Poland legally on the basis of other documents, e.g. a temporary residence permit, visa - it does not matter since when you are in Poland, you can legally work for any employer in Poland without additional permits.

Special regulations do not apply to citizens of other countries who came from Ukraine from February 24.02.2022, XNUMX.

Your employer only notifies the poviat employment office about entrusting you with work within 14 days from the date of taking the job.

You can then work legally in Poland.

Employer notice sends electronically.

If you have changed employer, it is enough for the new employer to notify the poviat employment office of entrusting you with work.

You do not need a new work permit, a statement on entrusting work or a change in a temporary residence and work permit.

If:

• you are a stateless person or a third-country national and before 24.02.2022 you had refugee status or equivalent protection on the territory of Ukraine, or you are a family member of such a person, provided that they lived together in the territory of Ukraine,
• a stateless person or a third-country national and before February 24.02.2022, XNUMX. you lived legally in Ukraine on the basis of a permanent residence permit and you cannot return to your country of origin,
• you have been granted temporary protection on the basis of Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/382 of 4 March 2022 stating the existence of a mass influx of displaced persons from Ukraine within the meaning of Art. 5 of Directive 2001/55/EC and resulting in the introduction of temporary protection on the territory of the EU

The Head of the Office for Foreigners will issue you a certificate confirming the use of temporary protection in Poland.

With a certificate confirming temporary protection, you can perform work without the need for a work permit and undertake and conduct business activity on the same terms as Polish citizens.

In order to confirm the fulfillment of the conditions for temporary protection, contact the Office for Foreigners. Here you will find additional information.

If you are a citizen of Ukraine and you are staying in Poland on the basis of one of the following documents and the period of validity of this document was from February 24.02.2022, XNUMX, this document was extended by law for the period:

• National visa - until September 30.09.2025, XNUMX
• Temporary residence permit - until March 30.09.2025, XNUMX
• Residence card - until March 30.09.2025, XNUMX
• Polish foreigner's identity document - until March 30.09.2025, XNUMX
• Document "permit for tolerated stay" - until 30.09.2025/XNUMX/XNUMX

If you are a citizen of Ukraine and the last day of the allowed period of stay in Poland:

• on the basis of a Schengen visa issued by a Polish authority,
• on the basis of a visa issued by another Schengen state,
• on the basis of a residence permit issued by the competent authority of another Schengen state entitling to travel within the territory of other states of this area,
• as part of visa-free travel, falls in the period from February 24.02.2022, 30.09.2025. Your stay in Poland is considered legal until March XNUMX, XNUMX.

You do not complete any formalities.

You do not exchange documents because they are extended by law.

The residence card and the national visa in the extension period do not entitle to cross the border.

Extended by law until September 30.09.2025, 24.02.2022 are also due from February XNUMX, XNUMX:

• deadlines for leaving the territory of Poland resulting, for example, from final decisions refusing to grant a permit,
• deadlines for voluntary return resulting from final decisions on the obligation to return.

If you are not subject to the Act on assistance to citizens of Ukraine in connection with an armed conflict in the territory of this country and you have submitted an application for temporary residence under the provisions of the Act on Foreigners, and during the proceedings it is determined that you do not meet the requirements for granting a temporary residence permit due to:

• declared purpose of stay
• the circumstances that are the basis for applying for this permit do not justify your stay in Poland for a period longer than 3 months,

in the period until August 30.09.2025, 1, you will be granted a temporary residence permit for a period of XNUMX year from the date of the decision.

Such a permit will also be granted to you if there are circumstances in your case justifying the refusal to grant a temporary residence permit other than:

• inclusion of your data in the list of undesirable persons on the territory of Poland,
• listing your data in the Schengen Information System for the purpose of refusing entry,
• considerations of defense or state security or protection of public safety and order or obligations arising from the provisions of ratified international agreements binding the Republic of Poland,
• in the procedure for granting you a temporary residence permit, you submitted an application containing untrue personal data or false information, or you attached documents containing such data or information to it, or you testified untruthfully or concealed the truth, or you forged or altered a document in order to use it as an authentic document or you used as authentic
• you got married in order to circumvent the regulations defining the rules and conditions of entry of foreigners to Poland.

The stamp duty paid by you in the amount corresponding to the stamp duty rate applicable to the basis for granting a temporary residence permit due to the declared purpose of stay in your application is not refundable if you have been granted the permit referred to above.

From November 2, 2022 at the Department of Foreigners of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship Office, through the mWerizator tool, it is possible to confirm the electronic identity of customers in the mObywatel application - the mObywatel document for Polish citizens and the DIIA document for Ukrainian citizens who came to Poland after February 24, 2022. and have a trusted profile.
 
The Mazowieckie Voivode is the first government administration unit that introduces the verification of the mObywatel application and accepts electronic IDs for general use in the office.

You will find detailed information here

Due to the growing influx of war refugees from Ukraine to the territory of the Republic of Poland, the Ministry of Justice indicates that a system of free assistance remains at their disposal. The system of free legal aid operates on the basis of the Act of 5 August 2015 on free legal aid, free civil counseling and legal education (Journal of Laws of 2021, item 945, hereinafter: "the Act"). Free assistance is available to any person who is unable to bear the costs of obtaining it.

You will find detailed information here

The current situation on the Polish-Ukrainian border gives an opportunity to activate various types of criminal groups seeking to achieve quick profit by taking advantage of the dramatic situation of people fleeing military aggression and a humanitarian catastrophe. The background of war and the movement of large groups of refugees requires special attention to the problem of crime and counteracting pathological attitudes or unfair treatment of people. In the face of these particular threats, it is necessary to focus primarily on the group of children and women who can relatively easily become victims of trafficking in human beings.

In connection with the above, the Presidial Office of the Border Guard Headquarters and the Department of International Affairs and Migration of the Ministry of Interior and Administration jointly developed a leaflet addressed to Ukrainian citizens crossing the Polish-Ukrainian border. In case of any suspicion of trafficking in human beings - citizens of Ukraine, as well as of all other countries, may ask the National Information and Consulting Center for assistance.
In addition to Poland's involvement in providing comprehensive assistance to Ukraine and its citizens, measures should also be taken to disseminate materials concerning the threat of human trafficking and drawing attention to it. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the prepared content message published on the website of the Border Guard Headquarters and the distribution of the attached leaflet.