Changes in the residency rules for Ukrainian nationals in Poland

Obligatory PESEL for Ukrainians

An important piece of information for Ukrainian citizens living in Poland is the change regarding the acquisition of a PESEL number – as of 28 January, obtaining such a number is obligatory. This obligation must be fulfilled within the 30-day period foreseen by the law, which begins from the day of arrival on Polish territory. Ukrainians who arrived in Poland prior to the entry into force of the amendment have 30 days to submit an application for a PESEL number from the day the act enters into force. The deadline for the aforementioned group of persons is therefore Monday 27 February.

Applications for residence permits may not be processed

The second most important change from the point of view of Ukrainian citizens is the revocation of the provision allowing applications for a temporary residence permit to be submitted 9 months after entry to the territory of Poland.

The justification of the proposed law indicates that this change is dictated by the ineffectiveness of the revoked solution. Obtaining a temporary residence permit is a highly formalised and arduous procedure, and due to the current migration situation in Poland, voivodes have been overwhelmed by the number of applications for temporary residence permits. Last year, a record 228 921 applications were submitted. In addition, due to the introduction of the electronic DIIA document and its recognition as an official residence document, Ukrainians protected by the special law are able to present the DIIA document throughout the European Union, which was considered by the legislature as a more simplified solution for Ukrainians, as well as for officials.

Therefore, a relevant temporary regulation has been introduced, which allows the voivode to abandon without examination applications for temporary residence permits submitted on the basis of the revoked regulation.

Should you have any questions related to the issue of foreigners’ legal residency in Poland, you are welcome to contact our team specialising in migration law.