When temporary protection expires

Temporary protection expires in the cases under Art. 109b para. 1 of the Act on Granting Protection to Foreigners. The most important of them:

  • you do not submit an application for a PESEL with UKR status within 30 days of crossing the border,
  • you leave Poland for a period of over 30 days,
  • you submit a written notice at the municipal office that you give up the protection,
  • you were granted a permanent residence permit, an EU resident permit or a temporary residence permit, refugee status, subsidiary protection or consent to tolerated stay or stay for humanitarian reasons,
  • you submit an application for international protection in Poland,
  • you obtain temporary protection in another EU state,
  • you acquire Polish citizenship or the citizenship of another EU state.

Protection expires on the day of the event (Art. 109b para. 2). After an application for international protection you again benefit from temporary protection only after the final decision (Art. 109b para. 3).

Leaving for over 30 days

The provision speaks of leaving "for a period of over 30 days" and gives no further rules of counting. Keep your travel documents and tickets. Do not confuse this deadline with the CUKR card: a permit from CUKR is withdrawn after leaving for at least 6 months (Art. 42t para. 1 point 3).

What happens to the UKR status

The Border Guard passes on information about a decision under Art. 109, about the circumstances under Art. 109a or about the expiry of protection by virtue of an EU Council decision. The UKR status in the PESEL register is then changed to another status. If there is no change, any municipal office can make it (Art. 110f). The electronic document in mObywatel is then invalidated (Art. 110d para. 10).

The end of temporary protection altogether

When the maximum period of protection under the EU Council decision expires, you must leave Poland before 30 days from that day have passed (Art. 299 para. 6a of the Act on Foreigners). During this time your stay is legal. An exception: an application for a visa extension or for a temporary, permanent or EU long-term resident permit submitted after the period of stay deemed legal has ended (Art. 299 para. 7).

What you can do

  • Check whether you meet the conditions for the CUKR card. It requires UKR status on the day of the application.
  • You can apply for an ordinary temporary residence permit despite temporary protection only if you have UKR status and a legal stay under Art. 106 (Art. 45 of the Act of 23 January 2026). Comparison: CUKR or an ordinary residence card.
  • If you can enter without a visa, check the rules of stay: visa-free travel and the limit of 90 days in 180 days.

The reason for the loss of status and your deadlines depend on the dates in the documents. Help with a residence matter is described in the residence card service.