Conversion of UKR temporary-protection status to temporary residence

The special act provides possibility transformation of residence recognised as legal in connection with the use of temporary protection w Poland w permit na pobyt czasowy.

Within the procedure provided, the foreigner receives a residence card valid for 3 years, which contains the annotation "Previously holder of temporary protection".

Upon receipt of this card , commonly referred to as the "CUKR" residence card, the foreigner loses the right to benefit from temporary protection and is covered by operation of law with a temporary residence permit.

citizens of Ukraine and authorised members of their families holding UKR status

⇒ who arrived in Poland from Ukraine in connection with the armed hostilities and toes not hold Polish citizenship or citizenship of another EU member state;

spouse of a Ukrainian citizen; minor child of a Ukrainian citizen; minor child of a spouse of a Ukrainian citizen

a non-Ukrainian citizen who is a close family member of a Ukrainian citizen

+ on the date of submitting the application, the foreigner holds UKR status; +/- the foreigner held UKR status on 4 June 2025 (Note! Check the exception)

+/- the foreigner held UKR status continuously for at least 365 days (Note! Check the exception)

This requirement does not apply to children born in Poland from 24 February 2022 with UKR status.

++ in the case of a child with UKR status born in Poland from 24 February 2022 – the child's mother was issued a CUKR card.

the provincial governor with jurisdiction over the foreigner’s place of residence at the time the application is submitted.

Application deadline by the end of the temporary protection period;

Submitting an application by any means other than through the MOS service is not permitted.

The Special Act requires that a foreign national personally sign the application for a CUKR residence card in order for the application to be processed.

The administrative procedure is simplified —your participation in it will generally be limited to personally picking up your personalized residence card.

During the proceedings, you will not be asked to present a travel document, provide fingerprints, or submit a signature sample.

Application processing time 180 days

100 PLN – fee for issuing a CUKR residence card; 340 PLN – stamp duty for granting a temporary residence permit, into which temporary protection is converted.

If the application was submitted correctly during the period of temporary protection, the foreigner’s continued stay after submitting the application is considered legal until the day on which: ⇒ the foreign national collects the CUKR residence card or it is invalidated due to non-collection (60 days after receiving the notice to collect the card); ⇒ the decision to refuse issuance of the CUKR card or to discontinue the proceedings regarding its issuance becomes final.

⇒ This means that you can work on the same basis as Polish citizens (without a work permit).

⇒ You will still be able to receive certain benefits such as, but not limited to, social pension, family or parental benefits, provided you meet the requirements set out in the legislation establishing these benefits.

The authority competent to review the application is the provincial governor with jurisdiction over the foreigner’s place of residence at the time the application is submitted.

The authority of higher rank than the provincial governor is the Head of the Office for Foreigners.

⇒ If, when attempting to submit an application, you receive a message stating that this is not possible, contact the municipal authority to request a verification of the accuracy of the data in the registers and/or their supplementation, if necessary.

⇒ Do not attempt to circumvent the system’s requirements by submitting an application on a paper form or outside the service provided by MOS— applications submitted in this manner will not be processed.