Stay, documents, children, driving, work, business, benefits, disability, healthcare and Erasmus+ in one place. Every answer was checked against official pages and links to them.
85 answers in 12 parts
This is not legal advice. The rules change often. Before you decide anything, open the official page linked under the answer or call the information line. The foundation does not handle residence cases.
Apply at any commune office within 30 days of entering Poland. Without registration you may lose the right to temporary protection.
The full answer and sourcesAn electronic document in the mObywatel app for adult citizens of Ukraine with UKR status, a PESEL number and a trusted profile. Since 5 March 2026 it is called the Temporary Protection Document. Together with a valid passport it lets you cross the Polish border and travel in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180.
The full answer and sourcesYes, if you stay longer than 30 days: a foreigner from outside the EU registers within 4 days of moving in, at the commune or district office. It is free. Bring a separate form for each person, children included, your passport, the document of your right to stay and proof of your right to the flat, for example the lease; the owner confirms on the form that you live there. You cannot register for longer than your legal stay lasts.
The full answer and sourcesYes. Anyone who stays legally in the EU and has no other payment account in Poland has the right to a basic payment account: keeping it and the card are free, with five free transfers and five free withdrawals from other banks’ cash machines a month. The bank needs a valid identity document and an address in Poland, and it can refuse only for reasons listed in the law. Banks also offer ordinary accounts on their own terms.
The full answer and sourcesSince 5 March 2026 it depends on insurance. Insured are, among others, employees, people on a contract of mandate, sole traders, the registered unemployed and students, and they can add family members. Without insurance, people with UKR status keep free care only in these groups: children under 18, women who are pregnant, giving birth or in the postpartum period, residents of collective accommodation centres, and victims of torture or rape. In an acute emergency help is given to everyone.
The full answer and sourcesYes. With temporary protection you can work, and your employer must notify the labour office through praca.gov.pl within 7 days of your first day. With the CUKR card no work permit is needed.
The full answer and sourcesYes. Since 1 September 2024 children from Ukraine are covered by the same duties as Polish pupils: one year of pre-school preparation, primary school and further education in a secondary school. Learning online in a Ukrainian school does not replace it. The 800+ and Dobry Start benefits are paid only when the child attends a Polish pre-school class or school.
The full answer and sourcesWith UKR status: it ends automatically if you leave Poland for more than 30 days. With the CUKR card: a stay outside Poland of more than 6 months means losing the permit.
The full answer and sourcesYes. Women with UKR status who are pregnant, giving birth or in the postpartum period keep the right to publicly funded care even without insurance. After the birth, register the child at the civil registry office within 21 days.
The full answer and sourcesTo the civil registry office (USC) of the place where the child was born. The hospital sends the birth card there within 3 days, and a parent must report the birth within 21 days: in person or online. It is free. You receive a short copy of the birth certificate and a notice of the child’s PESEL. If the parents are not married, the father first acknowledges paternity; foreign marriage documents need a sworn translation into Polish.
The full answer and sourcesAsk the USC for a full copy of the Polish birth certificate (odpis zupełny) and have it translated. With it and a parent’s passport, register the child’s Ukrainian citizenship by birth at the consulate for the district where the child was born: one parent is enough, it is free, and the certificate is ready within about a month. After that you can apply for the child’s passport. Whether a Ukrainian birth certificate will also be issued in your case, ask the consulate: by the Ministry of Justice’s explanation a consul registers the birth of a Ukrainian’s child abroad free of charge when it is reported within a month.
The full answer and sourcesA parent or other legal representative applies for a child under 16 and brings the child’s birth certificate and their own passport. You can apply at the Passport Service "Document" or at a consulate. For a child born in Poland, first register the child’s Ukrainian citizenship at the consulate.
The full answer and sourcesThe child needs its own basis of stay. If you have temporary protection, a parent applies for the child’s PESEL with UKR status at the commune office; fingerprints are not taken from children under 6. Do it right after the birth is registered and ask the office about the deadline in your case.
The full answer and sourcesYes, if they have no insurance of their own: children up to 26, your spouse, and parents or grandparents who live in one household with you. Report them through your employer, or yourself at the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) if you run a business. It costs nothing extra.
The full answer and sourcesYes, for a child who lives with you in Poland; a school-age child must attend a school in the Polish system. Since 1 February 2026 the parent must work or run a business (ZUS checks this); parents of children with disabilities are exempt.
The full answer and sourcesContact the nearest Ukrainian consulate; if the passport was stolen, also report it to the police. If you must go to Ukraine urgently, the consulate issues an identity card for return to Ukraine, valid for 30 days. A new passport can be ordered at the Passport Service "Document" or at the consulate. Keep a photo or copy of your documents separately: it speeds everything up.
The full answer and sourcesThrough the e-Consul system; booking is free. You sign in with Diia.Signature, an electronic signature or BankID. New slots open every day at 9:00 local time, and when there are none you can join the waiting list. Never pay intermediaries for a slot.
The full answer and sourcesAt the Passport Service of the state enterprise "Document", Monday to Saturday 9:00-18:00: Warsaw (Blue City, Al. Jerozolimskie 179, 2nd floor, +48 517 573 010), Kraków (Galeria Krakowska, ul. Pawia 5, 2nd floor, entrance from the car park, sector C, +48 573 744 601), Wrocław (Pasaż Grunwaldzki, plac Grunwaldzki 22, level 0, +48 451 106 881) and Gdańsk (Al. Grunwaldzka 415, +48 786 587 951), or at a Ukrainian consulate. In Poland you apply only with an advance booking in the electronic queue, confirmed with Diia.Signature or BankID; ready documents are collected without booking. A passport takes up to three months.
The full answer and sourcesTell the voivode who issued the card within 3 days of the loss: you get a free certificate that replaces the card for up to 2 months. Apply for a new card at the same office within 14 days; the fee is higher when the loss was your fault. If the card was stolen, report it to the police too.
The full answer and sourcesYes. The Passport Service "Document" exchanges Ukrainian licences and restores lost or stolen ones in Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdańsk and Kraków. You get a new Ukrainian licence, not a Polish one.
The full answer and sourcesBe careful. The MOS portal is free and you can apply yourself, without an appointment or an intermediary. Never give anyone the login details to your trusted profile or to MOS.
The full answer and sourcesA 3-year residence card for people who had temporary protection. You need a valid PESEL UKR on 4 June 2025, on the day you apply and on the day the card is issued, and UKR status without a break for at least 365 days. It gives work without a permit and the right to run a business like Polish citizens.
The full answer and sourcesApply in advance: the new passport is made in Ukraine and delivery to Poland takes weeks. A valid travel document is needed for many matters in Poland, for example to confirm your identity for PESEL UKR or to apply for the CUKR card.
The full answer and sourcesOnly online, in the MOS portal, since 4 May 2026. Fees: 340 zł stamp duty and 100 zł for the card, to two different accounts. You need a digital photo and an electronic signature (trusted profile, qualified signature or e-ID). The portal is free and no intermediary is needed.
The full answer and sourcesUKR status is cancelled and the entitlements tied to it end. Report a change of address to the voivode within 15 working days, collect the card within 60 days of the notice, and remember that more than 6 months outside Poland means losing the permit.
The full answer and sourcesFree full-time studies in Polish and the social stipend continue while you keep UKR status. Getting the CUKR card or another residence permit ends UKR status, and the university may then charge tuition. Ask your university about its rules before you apply for the card.
The full answer and sourcesYes: the card lets you travel in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
The full answer and sourcesYes. With temporary protection you can work, and your employer must notify the labour office through praca.gov.pl within 7 days of your first day. With the CUKR card no work permit is needed.
The full answer and sourcesPublic job offers and the services of labour offices are on praca.gov.pl; your district labour office (PUP) also helps in person. Offers across Europe are on the EURES portal. The Green Line of the labour offices answers questions at 19524.
The full answer and sourcesIn 2026 it is 4806 zł gross a month on an employment contract and 31.40 zł gross an hour on a contract of mandate. From 1 January 2027 it rises to 4950 zł a month and 32.30 zł an hour. An employer may not pay less, whatever your citizenship.
The full answer and sourcesIf your stay is legal, yes, at the labour office. A registered unemployed person has health insurance, whether or not they receive an allowance.
The full answer and sourcesTo the National Labour Inspectorate (PIP): it gives free advice and accepts complaints from every worker, including foreigners. Keep your contract, messages and proof of the hours you worked.
The full answer and sourcesIf you earned income in Poland, the annual PIT return for the previous year is filed by 30 April. For employees the tax office prepares it in the Twój e-PIT service, open from 15 February: log in to e-Urząd Skarbowy and check it. If you do nothing, a PIT-37 is accepted automatically on 30 April. For your own situation ask the National Tax Information line.
The full answer and sourcesThe gold line shows where we are today.
The Passport Service centres and the consular posts of Ukraine in Poland. Hours change around holidays, so check the post’s page before you travel.
Sources: the Passport Service site and the catalogue of Ukraine’s foreign ministry, checked on 13 November 2026. pasport.org.ua poland.mfa.gov.ua
How long protection lasts, how to get and keep UKR status, and what changed in 2026.
The EU has extended temporary protection until 4 March 2028. The Polish act of 23 January 2026 extended national visas and residence cards that expired after 24 February 2022 until 4 March 2027. Ask the Office for Foreigners which date applies to your document.
Apply at any commune office within 30 days of entering Poland. Without registration you may lose the right to temporary protection.
Yes. The deadline to confirm identity with a valid travel document was 31 August 2026; without it the UKR status could be changed from 1 September 2026. If you have not done it, go to a commune office as soon as you can.
With UKR status: it ends automatically if you leave Poland for more than 30 days. With the CUKR card: a stay outside Poland of more than 6 months means losing the permit.
UKR status can be granted again after a new application at the commune office when you return to Poland; the date of re-granting is the date of your new entry. Note that since 31 July 2026 a new grant of temporary protection requires fulfilled military obligations in Ukraine; only people who have held protection without a break since before 30 July 2026 are exempt, so a break in status matters. Ask the Office for Foreigners’ information line about your case.
For new applications, yes: since 31 July 2026 temporary protection is granted on condition that the person has fulfilled military obligations in Ukraine, and a document confirming it may be requested. It does not apply to people who already had protection before 30 July 2026 and have kept it without a break.
Two dates matter. The Polish act keeps the special rules and the extended documents until 4 March 2027, and the EU has extended temporary protection until 4 March 2028 (Council decision of 30 July 2026). How Poland will apply it after 4 March 2027 is not yet in our notes, so follow the Office for Foreigners and think about another basis of stay in advance: the CUKR card or a residence permit.
An electronic document in the mObywatel app for adult citizens of Ukraine with UKR status, a PESEL number and a trusted profile. Since 5 March 2026 it is called the Temporary Protection Document. Together with a valid passport it lets you cross the Polish border and travel in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180.
The Office for Foreigners has an information line: 47 721 76 75, weekdays 9:00-16:00. The foundation does not handle residence cases. Free legal information for refugees is also on the UNHCR help page.
Be careful. The MOS portal is free and you can apply yourself, without an appointment or an intermediary. Never give anyone the login details to your trusted profile or to MOS.
The three-year card for people who had temporary protection, other permits, and what to do if a card is lost.
A 3-year residence card for people who had temporary protection. You need a valid PESEL UKR on 4 June 2025, on the day you apply and on the day the card is issued, and UKR status without a break for at least 365 days. It gives work without a permit and the right to run a business like Polish citizens.
Only online, in the MOS portal, since 4 May 2026. Fees: 340 zł stamp duty and 100 zł for the card, to two different accounts. You need a digital photo and an electronic signature (trusted profile, qualified signature or e-ID). The portal is free and no intermediary is needed.
UKR status is cancelled and the entitlements tied to it end. Report a change of address to the voivode within 15 working days, collect the card within 60 days of the notice, and remember that more than 6 months outside Poland means losing the permit.
Yes: the card lets you travel in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Since 5 March 2026 holders of a PESEL UKR can apply for a temporary residence permit for work, for highly qualified work, for running a business, as a family member of a Polish citizen and for family reunification. Applications go to the voivode.
Tell the voivode who issued the card within 3 days of the loss: you get a free certificate that replaces the card for up to 2 months. Apply for a new card at the same office within 14 days; the fee is higher when the loss was your fault. If the card was stolen, report it to the police too.
Free full-time studies in Polish and the social stipend continue while you keep UKR status. Getting the CUKR card or another residence permit ends UKR status, and the university may then charge tuition. Ask your university about its rules before you apply for the card.
Where to make a passport or an ID card without going to Ukraine, the rules for men aged 18 to 60, and lost documents.
At the Passport Service of the state enterprise "Document", Monday to Saturday 9:00-18:00: Warsaw (Blue City, Al. Jerozolimskie 179, 2nd floor, +48 517 573 010), Kraków (Galeria Krakowska, ul. Pawia 5, 2nd floor, entrance from the car park, sector C, +48 573 744 601), Wrocław (Pasaż Grunwaldzki, plac Grunwaldzki 22, level 0, +48 451 106 881) and Gdańsk (Al. Grunwaldzka 415, +48 786 587 951), or at a Ukrainian consulate. In Poland you apply only with an advance booking in the electronic queue, confirmed with Diia.Signature or BankID; ready documents are collected without booking. A passport takes up to three months.
Passport Service (DP "Document")Embassy of Ukraine in Poland
Yes, but only at the Passport Service "Document": it issues the ID card, also together with the passport for travel abroad in one visit, from the age of 14. Consulates do not issue ID cards.
Passport Service (DP "Document")Embassy of Ukraine in Poland
A passport for travel abroad can be made from birth. It is valid for 4 years for a child under 16 and for 10 years from the age of 16. You can hold no more than two valid ones at a time.
Passport Service (DP "Document")Embassy of Ukraine in Poland
Men aged 18 to 60 must show a military registration document that is valid on the day of the visit: the electronic one from the Reserve+ app is enough. The service is refused if the document is missing, invalid or its data need updating. It is not required for the identity card for return to Ukraine.
Passport Service (DP "Document")Embassy of Ukraine in Poland
Apply in advance: the new passport is made in Ukraine and delivery to Poland takes weeks. A valid travel document is needed for many matters in Poland, for example to confirm your identity for PESEL UKR or to apply for the CUKR card.
Passport Service (DP "Document")Embassy of Ukraine in Poland
A parent or other legal representative applies for a child under 16 and brings the child’s birth certificate and their own passport. You can apply at the Passport Service "Document" or at a consulate. For a child born in Poland, first register the child’s Ukrainian citizenship at the consulate.
Passport Service (DP "Document")Embassy of Ukraine in Poland
Contact the nearest Ukrainian consulate; if the passport was stolen, also report it to the police. If you must go to Ukraine urgently, the consulate issues an identity card for return to Ukraine, valid for 30 days. A new passport can be ordered at the Passport Service "Document" or at the consulate. Keep a photo or copy of your documents separately: it speeds everything up.
Passport Service (DP "Document")Embassy of Ukraine in Poland
There are six in the foreign ministry’s catalogue. Warsaw: ul. Malczewskiego 17, +48 22 621 39 79. Kraków: al. Beliny-Prażmowskiego 4, +48 12 429 60 66. Gdańsk: ul. Chrzanowskiego 60A, +48 58 346 06 90. Wrocław: pl. Biskupa Nankiera 7, +48 71 712 76 00. Lublin: ul. Spokojna 2, +48 81 531 88 89. Poznań: ul. Marcelińska 90, +48 61 307 06 75. Each serves its own district and has its own reception hours, so check them and book through e-Consul. A vice-consulate also works in Rzeszów.
Through the e-Consul system; booking is free. You sign in with Diia.Signature, an electronic signature or BankID. New slots open every day at 9:00 local time, and when there are none you can join the waiting list. Never pay intermediaries for a slot.
It is a record of Ukrainian citizens who live abroad. Temporary registration is voluntary, is usually made for a year and can be extended, up to five years; you can be registered at one consular post only. The application is considered within 10 working days, and registering children under 16 is free. It is obligatory only for adopted children.
A consulate does not put an apostille: it is issued by the authorised body of the country where the document comes from. A consul can certify powers of attorney, statements, wills, signatures and copies, but not contracts selling real estate in Ukraine.
Yes. Since 2026 an application for the taxpayer card (RNOKPP) can be filed electronically through e-Consul, and also through a consular post, including for children through their legal representatives.
Step by step: the Polish birth certificate, Ukrainian citizenship and passport, the child’s legal stay, school.
Yes. Women with UKR status who are pregnant, giving birth or in the postpartum period keep the right to publicly funded care even without insurance. After the birth, register the child at the civil registry office within 21 days.
To the civil registry office (USC) of the place where the child was born. The hospital sends the birth card there within 3 days, and a parent must report the birth within 21 days: in person or online. It is free. You receive a short copy of the birth certificate and a notice of the child’s PESEL. If the parents are not married, the father first acknowledges paternity; foreign marriage documents need a sworn translation into Polish.
Ask the USC for a full copy of the Polish birth certificate (odpis zupełny) and have it translated. With it and a parent’s passport, register the child’s Ukrainian citizenship by birth at the consulate for the district where the child was born: one parent is enough, it is free, and the certificate is ready within about a month. After that you can apply for the child’s passport. Whether a Ukrainian birth certificate will also be issued in your case, ask the consulate: by the Ministry of Justice’s explanation a consul registers the birth of a Ukrainian’s child abroad free of charge when it is reported within a month.
Passport Service (DP "Document")Embassy of Ukraine in Poland
A parent or other legal representative applies for a child under 16 and brings the child’s birth certificate and their own passport. You can apply at the Passport Service "Document" or at a consulate. For a child born in Poland, first register the child’s Ukrainian citizenship at the consulate.
Passport Service (DP "Document")Embassy of Ukraine in Poland
The child needs its own basis of stay. If you have temporary protection, a parent applies for the child’s PESEL with UKR status at the commune office; fingerprints are not taken from children under 6. Do it right after the birth is registered and ask the office about the deadline in your case.
For the 800+ and Dobry Start benefits a school-age child must attend a school in the Polish education system. Ask the school or the education department of your commune about enrolment.
When a Ukrainian licence is enough, when and how to exchange it for a Polish one, and how to restore a lost one.
With temporary protection: yes, an EU regulation recognises Ukrainian licences for as long as temporary protection lasts (the EU has extended it until 4 March 2028). If you stay on another basis, for example a residence card, you must exchange the licence for a Polish one after 185 days of living in Poland. Paid passenger transport, such as a taxi, requires a Polish licence.
Apply at the county office (starostwo), the city office or, in Warsaw, the district office for your address. Bring the application, a photo, your passport or residence card, proof of address and a copy of the licence; some offices ask for a sworn translation. The fee is 100 zł. The office confirms your data with Ukraine, which can take from weeks to months, and you hand in the Ukrainian licence when you collect the Polish one. The theory exam is required only when a licence does not follow the international convention template.
Yes. The Passport Service "Document" exchanges Ukrainian licences and restores lost or stolen ones in Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdańsk and Kraków. You get a new Ukrainian licence, not a Polish one.
Passport Service (DP "Document")Embassy of Ukraine in Poland
The right to work, pay, where to look for a job, the labour office, taxes and what to do when an employer cheats.
Yes. With temporary protection you can work, and your employer must notify the labour office through praca.gov.pl within 7 days of your first day. With the CUKR card no work permit is needed.
Public job offers and the services of labour offices are on praca.gov.pl; your district labour office (PUP) also helps in person. Offers across Europe are on the EURES portal. The Green Line of the labour offices answers questions at 19524.
In 2026 it is 4806 zł gross a month on an employment contract and 31.40 zł gross an hour on a contract of mandate. From 1 January 2027 it rises to 4950 zł a month and 32.30 zł an hour. An employer may not pay less, whatever your citizenship.
To the National Labour Inspectorate (PIP): it gives free advice and accepts complaints from every worker, including foreigners. Keep your contract, messages and proof of the hours you worked.
If your stay is legal, yes, at the labour office. A registered unemployed person has health insurance, whether or not they receive an allowance.
Registration at the labour office gives health insurance in any case. The benefit itself requires at least 365 days of work in the last 18 months, paid at least at the minimum wage and with contributions paid. Women over 60 and men over 65 can no longer register; those registered before 5 March 2026 keep their status.
If you earned income in Poland, the annual PIT return for the previous year is filed by 30 April. For employees the tax office prepares it in the Twój e-PIT service, open from 15 February: log in to e-Urząd Skarbowy and check it. If you do nothing, a PIT-37 is accepted automatically on 30 April. For your own situation ask the National Tax Information line.
Who can register a business, how to do it, the residence permit for business, taxes and social insurance.
With the CUKR card: yes, on the same terms as Polish citizens. The government portal Biznes.gov.pl says the same about a Ukrainian citizen who stays legally and has a PESEL, but parts of that guide may show older dates, so confirm with the CEIDG helpline: 801 055 088.
A sole proprietorship is registered in CEIDG: online at Biznes.gov.pl or in person at any commune office, free of charge. Online you need an Entrepreneur Account and a trusted profile or a qualified signature. Companies are registered in the court register (KRS).
Yes, people with UKR status can apply for a temporary residence permit for running a business. For sole traders registered in CEIDG the income and employment requirement is not applied until 4 March 2027.
The business is removed from CEIDG. This can happen, for example, after leaving Poland for longer than the rules allow, so check the rules for your status before a long trip.
The National Tax Information line answers at 22 330 03 30 (mobile) and 801 055 055 (landline). The foundation does not give tax advice.
ZUS has a contact centre at 22 560 16 00. ZUS also pays the 800+ benefit and checks its conditions.
The 800+ benefit, the 300 zł school payment, and help from the commune when money is short.
Yes, for a child who lives with you in Poland; a school-age child must attend a school in the Polish system. Since 1 February 2026 the parent must work or run a business (ZUS checks this); parents of children with disabilities are exempt.
A parent registered as unemployed can receive the benefit for 3 months, or for 6 months when raising three or more children. Parents of children with disabilities are exempt from the work requirement.
Yes. Applications for the 2026/2027 school year opened on 1 July 2026, and from that date the parent must work or run a business. The child must attend a school in the Polish education system.
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People with a PESEL UKR in a hard financial situation can ask the social assistance centre of the commune where they actually live. Help can be shelter, a meal, clothing or a targeted allowance. Free food aid under the EU programme is available when monthly net income is below 2676.50 zł for a single person or 2180.95 zł per person in a family.
A Ukrainian certificate is not recognised, so you need a Polish one. Here is the whole path: application, hearing, degrees, appeal and what the certificate gives.
No, Ukrainian certificates are not recognised. You need a Polish certificate: apply to the disability assessment team of your district or city.
Apply to the district disability assessment team (powiatowy zespół do spraw orzekania o niepełnosprawności) for the place where you live. The procedure is free. You need the application form, a medical certificate filled in by the doctor who treats you, your medical records (hospital discharge summaries, test results, specialist consultations), a passport and your PESEL. Records from Ukraine must be translated by a sworn translator. Ask the team how long the medical certificate stays valid before you file: the official page gives two different periods.
The team sets a hearing within a month of a complete application, or within two months in a complicated case, and sends the decision within 14 days after the hearing. If you miss the hearing, explain why within 14 days to get a new date. You can appeal within 14 days of receiving the decision: the appeal is addressed to the voivodeship team and filed through the district team. The next step is the labour and social insurance court, within a month.
There are three. Significant (znaczny): the person cannot work or needs an adapted workplace and depends on the care of others. Moderate (umiarkowany): the person cannot work or needs an adapted workplace and needs partial or temporary help. Mild (lekki): the person has significant limits but can work and needs aids in daily life. A certificate can be permanent or for a set time, and the team can also decide that no degree applies.
For a child under 16 the same district team issues a disability certificate without a degree; a parent or guardian applies with the child’s medical records. From 16 the person receives a certificate with a degree. For anyone under 18 the documents are filed by a parent or legal guardian.
Nothing comes automatically: the certificate opens the way to support that you apply for separately. This can be supported or sheltered employment, extra leave and shorter working time, care benefits, a parking card, funding for rehabilitation, equipment and removing barriers, care services, tax relief for rehabilitation costs, and discounts on public transport and in cultural and sports venues. Many of these have their own conditions.
When the certificate is final, file an application with the certificate and a current photo 35 x 45 mm at the city office or the county office where you live. The first card is free.
Since 5 March 2026 citizens of Ukraine with disabilities use support on the same terms as other foreigners living in Poland legally. An employer who hires a person with a Polish certificate can receive a monthly subsidy from the PFRON fund, from 575 zł to 2760 zł depending on the degree. Parents of children with disabilities do not have to meet the work requirement for the 800+ benefit, and a child with a significant degree can be added to a parent’s health insurance without an age limit.
Who has free care since 5 March 2026, how to get insured, how to reach a doctor and where to call.
Since 5 March 2026 it depends on insurance. Insured are, among others, employees, people on a contract of mandate, sole traders, the registered unemployed and students, and they can add family members. Without insurance, people with UKR status keep free care only in these groups: children under 18, women who are pregnant, giving birth or in the postpartum period, residents of collective accommodation centres, and victims of torture or rape. In an acute emergency help is given to everyone.
There are three ways: take up work or a contract with contributions, register as unemployed at the labour office, or be added as a family member by an insured spouse, parent or child. If none fits, you can sign a voluntary insurance contract at a branch of the National Health Fund (NFZ) and pay a monthly contribution.
Yes, if they have no insurance of their own: children up to 26, your spouse, and parents or grandparents who live in one household with you. Report them through your employer, or yourself at the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) if you run a business. It costs nothing extra.
Choose a primary care clinic (POZ) near you and sign a declaration there: the family doctor treats you and refers you to specialists. At night and on holidays there is night and holiday care; in a life-threatening situation call 112 or go to a hospital emergency department (SOR). The National Health Fund’s free line 800 190 590 works around the clock, also in Ukrainian.
Yes. Women with UKR status who are pregnant, giving birth or in the postpartum period keep the right to publicly funded care even without insurance. After the birth, register the child at the civil registry office within 21 days.
Registering your address, renting, a bank account, compulsory school, diplomas, pension, a car on Ukrainian plates, pets and going back to Ukraine.
Yes, if you stay longer than 30 days: a foreigner from outside the EU registers within 4 days of moving in, at the commune or district office. It is free. Bring a separate form for each person, children included, your passport, the document of your right to stay and proof of your right to the flat, for example the lease; the owner confirms on the form that you live there. You cannot register for longer than your legal stay lasts.
Sign a written lease and keep your copy: you need it to register your address and often for a residence case. Before you pay a deposit, check that the person is the owner or has the right to rent the flat out, and pay by bank transfer so that there is a trace. The foundation does not look for housing; in a hard situation ask the social assistance centre of your commune.
Yes. Anyone who stays legally in the EU and has no other payment account in Poland has the right to a basic payment account: keeping it and the card are free, with five free transfers and five free withdrawals from other banks’ cash machines a month. The bank needs a valid identity document and an address in Poland, and it can refuse only for reasons listed in the law. Banks also offer ordinary accounts on their own terms.
Yes. Since 1 September 2024 children from Ukraine are covered by the same duties as Polish pupils: one year of pre-school preparation, primary school and further education in a secondary school. Learning online in a Ukrainian school does not replace it. The 800+ and Dobry Start benefits are paid only when the child attends a Polish pre-school class or school.
Yes: a Ukrainian certificate of complete secondary education gives the right to apply for first-cycle and long-cycle studies in Poland. For other purposes a certificate issued since 20 June 2006 is recognised by a decision of the education superintendent (kurator oświaty).
It depends on the date and the purpose. Diplomas of master and specialist issued before 20 June 2006 are recognised under international agreements. Later diplomas give access to further studies in Poland (a bachelor to second-cycle studies, a master to doctoral school), but for other purposes they need nostrification at a Polish university. Regulated professions such as doctor, dentist, pharmacist, nurse, midwife, veterinarian and architect always require nostrification.
Poland and Ukraine have a social security agreement: the periods of insurance in both countries are added together to check the right to a pension, and each country pays for the years worked there. An application filed at the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) counts as filed with the Ukrainian institution on the same day. The pension age in Poland is 60 for women and 65 for men. Ask ZUS about your case: 22 560 16 00.
For now a car registered in Ukraine can be used in Poland as a vehicle in international traffic, with valid insurance. A law is being prepared that would require re-registration in Poland: after one year in the country, or within 30 days of settling here permanently, with a technical inspection and Polish insurance. In May 2026 it was a draft, so check the current state at the vehicle department of your county office before you plan anything.
The animal needs a microchip that meets the ISO standards and a valid rabies vaccination: the first one is given no earlier than at 12 weeks and counts from 21 days after the shot. Ukraine is a country outside the EU, so the rules also require a rabies antibody test done in an approved laboratory and a veterinary certificate; no more than five animals may travel with one person. Read the full conditions on the page of the Chief Veterinary Inspectorate before the trip.
Check your travel document: without a valid passport you need an identity card for return from the consulate, valid for 30 days. Remember what ends with the move: UKR status after more than 30 days outside Poland, the CUKR permit after more than 6 months, and the 800+ benefit, which is paid only while you live in Poland with the child. Close or suspend your business, tell your employer, the school and your landlord, and keep your Polish documents and tax papers: you may need them for a pension or a return.
Passport Service (DP "Document")Embassy of Ukraine in Poland
Free legal aid, integration offices, a psychologist, support lines and organisations that help Ukrainians.
Poland has a state system of free legal aid for anyone staying in the country who cannot afford a lawyer. You declare that you cannot pay and sign up by phone at your county office or online. Most points advise in Polish, so ask about other languages when you sign up.
At the National Integration Offices (KBI): support is free, you can talk to an adviser or a psychologist and sign up for a Polish language course. They do not provide accommodation and do not pay money. The addresses are on the ministry’s page.
You do not have to carry it alone. The 116 123 line supports adults in an emotional crisis, and 116 111 is for children and young people; both are free, anonymous and open around the clock. If your life or someone else’s is in danger, call 112. Free psychological support is also available at the National Integration Offices.
112, the single European emergency number: police, ambulance and fire brigade. The call is free.
Start with the UNHCR help page for Poland: it lists services and partner organisations by topic. In Warsaw the city keeps a list of support offers. Large organisations that work with refugees include the Polish Red Cross, Caritas Polska and Polish Humanitarian Action; for social help, ask the social welfare centre (OPS) of your commune. What each one offers changes, so check with them directly.
Not now. Humanitarian aid was part of our work in 2022. Today we work with young people through Erasmus+ projects, training, culture and the radio. Ask the organisations in the next answer about aid.
The MOS portal is free. Never give anyone your login details, and be careful with paid intermediaries.
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