Ukrainian Citizens in Poland 2026: UKR Status, CUKR Card, Work, Benefits, and What Comes Next After the Special Act

The year 2026 brought the most significant overhaul of the residence rules for Ukrainian citizens in Poland since the beginning of the war – and many misunderstandings have arisen around these changes. The special act was formally expired on March 5, 2026, temporary protection now operates under a different legal basis, 800+ is conditional on work and school attendance, healthcare for non-working adults has been limited, and the long-awaited 3-year CUKR residence card was launched on May 4, 2026. This guide – for Ukrainian citizens themselves, but also for Poles who employ and support them – organizes everything according to the legal status as of July 22, 2026, with each fact verified in the texts of the laws.

What Actually Happened on March 5, 2026

The law of January 23, 2026 (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 203) expired the special act – repealed its key articles and transferred the entire system of protection for Ukrainian citizens to the 2003 law on granting protection to foreigners on the territory of the Republic of Poland (new articles 106–113g). Practical effects:

• A person with UKR status is formally a “beneficiary of temporary protection", and their residence is legal until March 4, 2027 (according to the extension of temporary protection by the EU Council for the entire Union).
• Continuity by law: UKR status, PESEL UKR, Diia.pl document, trusted profiles, and temporary guardians automatically retained their validity.
• Qualification rules unchanged: protection covers Ukrainian citizens (and certain family members) who arrived in Poland from February 24, 2022, due to the war, and their children born in Poland. It does not apply to individuals who already have another residence title (temporary/permanent residence, international protection) or temporary protection in another EU country.
• Leaving Poland for more than 30 days still terminates UKR status – this rule survived the transfer of regulations.

Diia.pl – Still a Valid Document

The electronic document Diia.pl in the mObywatel application continues to function – as of March 5, 2026, on a new basis (art. 110d of the protection law), with automatic continuity. Importantly, the law explicitly confirms its border function: Diia.pl (also the version for children) along with a valid travel document allows for multiple border crossings without a visa. To have it, you need PESEL UKR, a trusted profile, and the mObywatel application.

CUKR Residence Card: The Most Important Decision of 2026

This is the government's response to the question “what next after the special act”: a special, simplified pathway to a 3-year residence card annotated “Previously held temporary protection.” Upon receiving the card, your residence status transforms from temporary protection to a full temporary residence permit.

An application submitted on time legalizes residence until the card is collected or a final decision is made – even after March 4, 2027. Note the compromise: transitioning from UKR to CUKR means losing benefits related to temporary protection (e.g., places in collective accommodation) – in exchange, you receive a stable, “normal” residence status.

Alternative: holders of UKR status can also immediately apply for regular permits (temporary residence and work, Blue Card, business, family member of a Polish citizen, family reunification) – also through MOS and without personal attendance. A complete map of permits is described in the guide Legalization of residence and work in Poland.

800+ and Benefits: New Conditions from June 2026

Two laws (Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1301 and Dz.U. 2026 poz. 203) fundamentally changed the rules for benefits for foreigners – applied for the first time to the benefit period starting June 1, 2026:

• Work condition: 800+ is granted for the month in which the parent was professionally active in Poland in the previous month (contributions from a base of at least 50% of the minimum wage; for JDG – 30%; maternity and sick leave benefits also count). Exceptions: child with Polish citizenship, child with moderate or severe disability. Registered unemployed individuals have a “buffer”: 3 months of benefits (6 with three children) once per benefit period.
• School condition: 800+ only if the child is genuinely fulfilling preschool preparation or compulsory schooling – ZUS checks this automatically in the Educational Information System; lack of confirmation = suspension of payment.
• Presence condition: for individuals with UKR status, there is an additional requirement to reside with family in Poland; ZUS may call for personal attendance within 3 working days, and leaving Poland by the parent or child suspends payment (Border Guard continuously provides ZUS with data on border crossings).
• Good Start 300+ – an analogous requirement for professional activity from the 2026/2027 school year. The former one-time allowance of 300 PLN from the special act has been abolished.

Health: Who Lost, Who Kept

As of March 5, 2026 (art. 112c of the protection law), the system divides beneficiaries of temporary protection into two groups:

• Working, running JDG, and registered unemployed – insured in NFZ like Polish citizens, unchanged.
• Uninsured adults – lost state budget funding for treatment. Full benefits are retained only by: individuals under 18, pregnant women, those in childbirth and postpartum, residents of collective accommodation centers, and victims of torture and violence (with a certificate from the Head of UDSC) – even for them, certain treatments such as spa therapy, in vitro, and joint replacements have been excluded. Emergency and medical rescue services remain available to all.

The practical conclusion: for a non-working adult with UKR status, the shortest path to NFZ is legal work, JDG, or registration at the labor office as unemployed.

Work and Business

• Employment: the employer must notify the labor office within 7 days of starting work – exclusively through praca.gov.pl (new forms from June 1, 2026, including PSZ-PPPC). A new notification is required when changing the type of contract, position, reducing working hours, or rate. Penalty for the employer for failure to notify: fine of 1000–3000 PLN. Notifications are not needed at all for the CUKR card.
• Own business: beneficiaries of temporary protection can establish and run JDG under the same rules as Poles (PESEL required); losing legal residence means removal from CEIDG.
• Qualifications: simplified “conditional consents” for doctors and nurses from Ukraine are being phased out (transitional regulations with restrictions); diploma nostrification has returned to general rules.

School: Compulsory with Teeth

The compulsory education of Ukrainian children is enforced from September 2024 and is linked to 800+ (see above). New developments from 2026: a foreign student completes primary school only after taking the eighth-grade exam (otherwise, they repeat the eighth grade); preparatory classes continue to operate (inter-school groups – until August 31, 2026), and from September 1, 2027, a separate curriculum for additional Polish language learning will be introduced. We discuss the rights of foreign students more broadly in the guide on returning to Poland (the same regulations apply to Polish and foreign children).

Housing: End of 40 PLN, Narrowed Centers

• The benefit of 40 PLN/day for hosting refugees has not existed since July 1, 2024 – in 2026, there is no compensation for private individuals.
• Collective accommodation from March 5, 2026, is only available to: newly arrived individuals (maximum 60 days from the first entry) and vulnerable groups (people with disabilities and their caregivers, seniors without income and families in Poland, pregnant women and those with infants, evacuated foster care, individuals just after longer hospitalizations).
• Facilitated occasional rental (without specifying a replacement location) has been maintained.

Long-Term Perspective: From UKR to Residency and Citizenship

1. Now: CUKR Card (or regular permit)

   Time on UKR status does not count towards the 5-year period for EU long-term resident status – only residence on a permit (including on the CUKR card) builds the period. This is the strongest practical argument to submit an application for CUKR early.

2. After 5 years on permits: EU long-term resident

   Requirements: stable income for 3 years, insurance, and officially certified Polish at level B1.

3. Citizenship: recognition as a citizen

   Among others, 3 years continuously on permanent residence or residency + stable income, title to premises, and B1 certificate (2 years with at least 3-year marriage to a Polish citizen). Holders of the Karta Polaka have a faster path through permanent residence – we describe it in the guide Karta Polaka and repatriation.

Ukrainian passports: consular services for men aged 18–60 have been subject to restrictions related to military registration in recent years – the situation is changing dynamically, so check the current rules directly with the Ukrainian consulate before your visit.

What After March 4, 2027?

By decision of the EU Council, temporary protection is valid until March 4, 2027 – no further decisions are currently available. However, Poland has already set up an exit architecture: the CUKR pathway (applications until March 4, 2027), and in the law on foreigners, a provision granting 30 days to leave Poland or submit a residence application after the end of temporary protection (residence during this period is legal) and a delegation for the government for regularization programs. The EU direction (Council recommendation from 2025) is a gradual transition from temporary protection to national residence statuses – exactly what the CUKR card is. The practical conclusion: do not wait until the last minute – submit your CUKR application in 2026.

Where to Seek Help

Related Guides

• Legalization of residence and work in Poland – complete map of permits and the MOS system
• Karta Polaka and repatriation
• Foreign spouse and family of a Polish citizen
• Polish e-offices – login.gov.pl and trusted profile

Sources

Legal status: July 22, 2026. Regulations concerning Ukrainian citizens are currently changing more frequently than any others – check gov.pl/web/udsc and mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl before making decisions. The number of individuals with UKR status (approximately 1 million) is a significant figure; current data can be found at migracje.gov.pl. This informational guide – does not replace legal advice.