Professional-services firm EY used its 4 March "Taxówka" legal bulletin to alert businesses that Poland’s Special Act on Assistance to Citizens of Ukraine has now been formally phased out. While temporary protection at EU level runs until 4 March 2027, the national extraordinary measures disappear today, initiating a one-year transition period. From 5 March 2026, Ukrainians must regularise their stay through standard channels—work permits, study visas or residence cards—or obtain the new long-term "CUKR" card announced by the Ministry of Interior.
![Special Act sunset starts one-year countdown: EY warns employers to act now]()
For employers or individuals seeking expert assistance in navigating Poland’s fast-evolving immigration framework, VisaHQ provides an online one-stop shop for visa and residence-permit processing, document checklists and filing support. Their Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) lets companies track multiple applications at once and can be particularly useful when coordinating the transition from temporary protection to standard work or study permits.
EY immigration manager Michał Wysłocki stresses that “it is only a year; missing the deadline will cost both employee and employer legal status.” Practical steps recommended include verifying whether every Ukrainian national on payroll holds either a still-valid PESEL-UKR or other residence document; initiating residence-card filings well before early-2027 consular bottlenecks; and updating posted-worker policies, as long business trips abroad (over 30 days) may now terminate temporary-protection status. EY also underlines indirect risks: loss of insurance, benefits and tax residency can spill over into social-security non-compliance and corporate-tax permanent-establishment exposures. Companies that rely heavily on Ukrainian talent—particularly in manufacturing, logistics and shared-services centres—should budget for additional legal fees and potential downtime during document renewals. Although Parliament is discussing a simplified post-2027 labour-migration route for Ukrainians, no draft has yet been tabled. Employers are therefore advised to "hope for facilitation but plan for full compliance" during the transition.
For employers or individuals seeking expert assistance in navigating Poland’s fast-evolving immigration framework, VisaHQ provides an online one-stop shop for visa and residence-permit processing, document checklists and filing support. Their Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) lets companies track multiple applications at once and can be particularly useful when coordinating the transition from temporary protection to standard work or study permits.
EY immigration manager Michał Wysłocki stresses that “it is only a year; missing the deadline will cost both employee and employer legal status.” Practical steps recommended include verifying whether every Ukrainian national on payroll holds either a still-valid PESEL-UKR or other residence document; initiating residence-card filings well before early-2027 consular bottlenecks; and updating posted-worker policies, as long business trips abroad (over 30 days) may now terminate temporary-protection status. EY also underlines indirect risks: loss of insurance, benefits and tax residency can spill over into social-security non-compliance and corporate-tax permanent-establishment exposures. Companies that rely heavily on Ukrainian talent—particularly in manufacturing, logistics and shared-services centres—should budget for additional legal fees and potential downtime during document renewals. Although Parliament is discussing a simplified post-2027 labour-migration route for Ukrainians, no draft has yet been tabled. Employers are therefore advised to "hope for facilitation but plan for full compliance" during the transition.
