Poland’s long-running Special Act on Assistance to Ukrainian Citizens—adopted in March 2022 days after Russia invaded Ukraine—will formally expire on 4 March 2026. In a bill signed by President Karol Nawrocki on 19 February and published on 3 March 2026, lawmakers repealed most temporary protections that had given Ukrainians fast-track access to residence, work and social benefits. The new law, analysed by Warsaw firm Wardyński & Partners, confirms that Ukrainians already registered with the PESEL UKR identifier will keep temporary-protection status until 4 March 2027.
![Poland repeals Ukraine-specific Special Act, shifting refugees to general migration regime]()
For individuals or employers needing help with Polish visa or residence formalities during this transition, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Through its dedicated Poland page (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), the platform offers online document checks, appointment scheduling and end-to-end application support, making it easier to move from temporary protection to standard permits without missing critical deadlines.
After that date they must transition to mainstream immigration categories such as temporary-stay, EU long-term resident or permanent-residence permits. Deadlines in pending residence-permit cases remain suspended, but identity verification using a valid passport becomes mandatory by 31 August 2026; failure to comply will trigger automatic loss of UKR status and the right to remain. For employers the change is significant. From 5 March 2026, Ukrainians may continue to work on the basis of PESEL UKR notifications, yet new business activity on Polish territory will be possible only for holders of a standard residence title (temporary protection, permanent residence, EU Blue Card, etc.). Posted-worker assignments exceeding 30 days abroad will now terminate temporary-protection rights, creating additional compliance risk for multinationals that send staff from Polish entities to EU clients. The phase-out is meant to equalise rules for all foreign nationals and to ease administrative pressure on voivode offices, which have struggled with a two-year backlog. Critics, including NGOs, warn that tens of thousands of Ukrainians who entered without passports may be unable to secure travel documents from war-torn regions in time, risking irregular status next year. HR teams are therefore advised to audit employee files, initiate passport renewals, and map transition paths to work/residence permits well before the August identity-verification deadline. For corporate mobility programmes the message is clear: 2026-2027 will be a high-volume re-application cycle. Companies should budget for additional legal fees and potential work-disruption contingencies as case queues grow once suspended time-limits are reinstated.
For individuals or employers needing help with Polish visa or residence formalities during this transition, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Through its dedicated Poland page (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), the platform offers online document checks, appointment scheduling and end-to-end application support, making it easier to move from temporary protection to standard permits without missing critical deadlines.
After that date they must transition to mainstream immigration categories such as temporary-stay, EU long-term resident or permanent-residence permits. Deadlines in pending residence-permit cases remain suspended, but identity verification using a valid passport becomes mandatory by 31 August 2026; failure to comply will trigger automatic loss of UKR status and the right to remain. For employers the change is significant. From 5 March 2026, Ukrainians may continue to work on the basis of PESEL UKR notifications, yet new business activity on Polish territory will be possible only for holders of a standard residence title (temporary protection, permanent residence, EU Blue Card, etc.). Posted-worker assignments exceeding 30 days abroad will now terminate temporary-protection rights, creating additional compliance risk for multinationals that send staff from Polish entities to EU clients. The phase-out is meant to equalise rules for all foreign nationals and to ease administrative pressure on voivode offices, which have struggled with a two-year backlog. Critics, including NGOs, warn that tens of thousands of Ukrainians who entered without passports may be unable to secure travel documents from war-torn regions in time, risking irregular status next year. HR teams are therefore advised to audit employee files, initiate passport renewals, and map transition paths to work/residence permits well before the August identity-verification deadline. For corporate mobility programmes the message is clear: 2026-2027 will be a high-volume re-application cycle. Companies should budget for additional legal fees and potential work-disruption contingencies as case queues grow once suspended time-limits are reinstated.
