The special act provides for the possibility of obtaining a temporary residence permit after 9 months from the date of arrival in Poland. Is it necessary to meet the conditions set out in the Act on foreigners to obtain such a permit, i.e. have a source of income, place of residence etc.?

The amendment to the Special Act signed by the President of the Republic of Poland in January 2023 repealed Art. 38 of the Act, which indicated that a Ukrainian citizen whose stay on the territory of the Republic of Poland is or was considered legal will be granted a temporary residence permit. In the then wording of the Act, the permit was to be granted at his request once for a period of 3 years, counting from the date of issuing the decision.

Pursuant to the currently applicable regulations, citizens of Ukraine covered by the special act have the possibility to apply for a temporary residence and work permit, a temporary residence permit for the purpose of conducting business activity, a temporary residence permit for the purpose of performing work in a profession requiring high qualifications. However, it is not possible to apply for a temporary residence permit in other cases. Submission of these applications will be possible from 1 April 2023.

If the applications of Ukrainian citizens for a temporary residence permit are considered, but they do not meet the conditions for granting this permit (justification for the purpose of stay in Poland, longer than 3 months) or there are some premises justifying the refusal, such persons will be granted a temporary residence permit for a period of 1 year from the date of the decision.