Poland clarifies temporary-protection rules for Ukrainian citizens and tightens employment requirements

The Polish government has completed the long-awaited codification of immigration and labour-market rules that apply to the roughly 1.4 million Ukrainian citizens now living in the country. A package of amendments that entered into force on 5 March 2026 and was formally explained in guidance released on 1 April goes far beyond another tweak to the so-called “Ukrainian Special Act”. For the first time, statutory definitions of a “beneficiary of temporary protection” and the circumstances in which that status can be lost have been inserted directly into Poland’s Aliens Act. Under the new model, Ukrainians whose identity has already been verified and whose PESEL number carries the “UKR” annotation retain protection automatically until at least 4 March 2027, in line with the current EU Council decision. Newly arrived Ukrainians must now apply for a PESEL-UKR within 30 days of crossing the border; anyone who leaves Poland for more than 30 days or fails to confirm identity with a passport by 31 August 2026 will lose the status. Once protection lapses, the individual’s right to simplified employment and social benefits also ends. For employers, the biggest change is the three-tier system governing work notifications. 1) Ukrainians with temporary-protection status may still be hired on the seven-day online notification that Polish firms have grown used to. 2) Ukrainians resident in Poland before 24 February 2022 but without protection may use the notification route only until 5 March 2029, after which standard work-permit rules (including labour-market opinions) will apply. 3) Ukrainians arriving after 5 March 2026 without temporary-protection status must follow general third-country national procedures from day one. Fines of PLN 1,000–3,000 will be imposed on employers that miss the seven-day deadline or fail to re-notify when salary or scope of work changes.



For businesses and individuals that need practical help keeping up with these shifting requirements, VisaHQ can simplify every step—from securing PESEL numbers to filing work-permit extensions—through its dedicated Poland platform (https://www.visahq.com/poland/). The service assembles up-to-date checklists, offers document pre-screening, and handles appointment scheduling so that companies and their Ukrainian employees stay compliant without diverting internal HR resources.

The law also legalises the stay of any Ukrainian whose visa, residence card or visa-free period expired after 24 February 2022, extending validity to 4 March 2027 to match the EU decision. Transitional provisions keep existing business activities legal but limit the opening of new sole proprietorships by non-protected Ukrainians. The government argues that the reforms bring much-needed legal certainty; NGOs warn that the 30-day absences rule could trap families who travel for longer holidays or to deal with property back home. Practically, companies should audit their Ukrainian workforce and expat-policy handbooks immediately: identify who holds PESEL-UKR and who must confirm identity by August; update assignment letters to spell out the 30-day rule; and adjust HR systems so that any change in contract terms automatically triggers the new re-notification obligation. Multinationals that rely on large Ukrainian workforces in manufacturing and logistics have four years to move employees onto standard work permits or adjust head-count planning.