What the CUKR card is

CUKR is the common name of the residence card for a Ukrainian citizen who benefited from temporary protection. The rules on it are in Art. 42c-42x of the Act on Assistance to Citizens of Ukraine. The card is issued by the voivode at your request (Art. 42c and Art. 42o para. 1). The application is submitted only online - we describe this in the guide how to submit a CUKR application.

What changes after you collect the card

On the day you collect the card, your entitlement to stay under temporary protection becomes, by operation of law, a temporary residence permit. The permit lasts until the end of the validity of the card (Art. 42r para. 1).

  • The card is valid for 3 years from the day of issue (Art. 42p para. 1).
  • The card bears the endorsement "Previously a holder of temporary protection" and information about the temporary residence permit. It does not contain the registered address (Art. 42m).
  • The card confirms your identity. Together with a travel document it entitles you to cross the border repeatedly without a visa (Art. 242 of the Act on Foreigners in connection with Art. 42k). More on travel: travel with a residence card.

Work and business

With a permit granted this way you do not need a work permit (Art. 42v). You can also run a business on the same terms as Polish citizens (Art. 42w). The rules of work are described in the guide work of a Ukrainian citizen.

Fees

  • 100 PLN - the fee for issuing the card (Art. 42n).
  • 340 PLN - the stamp duty for the temporary residence permit (Art. 42s para. 1 and part III para. 2 of the annex to the Act on Stamp Duty).

You pay the fees before the application and attach proof of payment to it (Art. 42f para. 3). The 50% reduction under Art. 237 of the Act on Foreigners does not apply (Art. 42k). The fees are not refunded when you do not collect the card or the application is left unexamined (Art. 42r para. 2 and Art. 42s para. 3).

A child born in Poland

A child born in Poland to a mother who benefits from temporary protection can also receive the card (Art. 42d). The mother must already have been issued a CUKR card. The child's card is valid as long as the mother's card (Art. 42p para. 2).

Your obligations

You notify the voivode who issued the card of every change of place of stay within 15 working days. If you do not, the voivode's letters are deemed delivered to the previous address (Art. 42u).

The permit will be withdrawn, among other cases, when you leave Poland for at least 6 months (Art. 42t para. 1 point 3).

What after 3 years

Art. 42c-42x do not describe an extension of the CUKR card after 3 years. So it is worth comparing this card with an ordinary permit now: CUKR or an ordinary residence card.