Karta CUKR for Ukrainians 2026: Full Guide

CUKR is what UdSC calls the karta pobytu marked "Poprzednio posiadacz ochrony czasowej", issued to Ukrainian citizens with UKR status under art. 42c of the special act (ustawa o pomocy obywatelom Ukrainy, consolidated text Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1293). Applications have been accepted since 4 May 2026, and UdSC asks people to file by 4 March 2027. The card gives a three-year residence permit with no salary test and no need for a basis such as employment or business; the fees are 340 PLN for the permit and 100 PLN for the card.

Below - how CUKR differs from an ordinary karta czasowego pobytu, who it suits, how to get it and what comes after it.

At a glance: CUKR vs regular karta pobytu

The main advantage of CUKR: you can work for any employer without a work permit and run a business on the same terms as Polish citizens (art. 42w). The one serious drawback: on the day you collect the card your UKR status ends, and so do the benefits tied to it.

Who is eligible for CUKR

Conditions under art. 42c of the special act and UdSC guidance:

1. Ukrainian citizenship.
2. UKR status on 4 June 2025. This is the condition that rules out people who got the status later.
3. UKR status on the day you file the wniosek.
4. At least 365 days of continuous UKR status.
5. UKR status on the day the card is issued - UdSC lists this condition on its procedure page.

If you did not have UKR status on 4 June 2025, you will not get CUKR however long you have lived in Poland since; the route then is a regular karta czasowego pobytu based on work, business or family.

There is also a technical condition (art. 42g): the wniosek counts as filed only if the PESEL register holds the details of a valid passport and the UKR register holds your fingerprints and a specimen signature (for anyone aged 12 or over). If your passport has expired or was never entered in the register, update your data at the gmina first.

A child born in Poland gets CUKR if the child has UKR status on the filing day and the mother has already been issued a CUKR card (art. 42d). The child's card is valid for as long as the mother's.

Step 1. Documents

The set is shorter than for a regular karta pobytu, because the voivode takes most of the data from the PESEL register. Only three files are attached to the wniosek (art. 42f(3)):

• a digital photo, no older than 6 months;
• proof of payment of the 340 PLN opłata skarbowa for the permit;
• proof of payment of the 100 PLN card fee.

The two fees go as separate transfers to different accounts; MOS does not take payments. To sign you need a profil zaufany, a qualified electronic signature or the podpis osobisty in an e-dowód.

A lease, meldunek, passport scans, ZUS certificates, PIT-11 and the employer's Załącznik nr 1 are not needed for CUKR. The card itself shows no address (art. 42m).

Step 2. Filing via MOS

The CUKR wniosek is filed only online at mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl, logging in through login.gov.pl. A paper application is left unexamined (art. 42f(7)). No appointment is needed, and you can save a draft and come back to it.

In MOS:

1. Choose the CUKR karta pobytu application.
2. Check the data the system has pulled from PESEL and add the rest: height, eye colour, marital status, address in Poland, criminal record information.
3. Upload the photo and the two payment confirmations.
4. Sign the wniosek.
5. Save the UPO and a PDF copy of the wniosek.

For a minor, one parent or a guardian files and signs the wniosek (art. 42f(4)).

If the wniosek is filed by 4 March 2027, your stay is treated as legal until you collect the card or until a refusal becomes final (art. 42x). You cannot file a second wniosek while the first is pending (art. 42g(5)).

Step 3. Processing

There is no separate biometrics appointment: the voivode receives your fingerprints and signature from the PESEL UKR register (art. 42h). For applicants aged 13 or over, the voivode asks the Border Guard, the Police and the Internal Security Agency (ABW), which have 30 days to reply, or 60 in special cases (art. 42j).

The voivode must issue the card or refuse it within 180 days of a complete wniosek (art. 42l). Watch for letters in eDoręczenia: if the voivode asks for something, you usually get 7 days to reply.

Step 4. Collecting the card

There is no positive decision for CUKR: the card is simply produced, and a formal decision is issued only on refusal (art. 42o). When the card is ready you get a notice, and you must collect it in person within 60 days. Miss that and the card is cancelled, with no refund of the fees (art. 42r(2)).

On the day you collect the card, your right of stay under UKR status becomes, by law, a zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy for the card's validity (art. 42r). The card is valid for 3 years from issue. With it you can:

• work for any employer without a work permit (art. 42v);
• run a business on the same terms as Polish citizens (art. 42w);
• travel within Schengen for up to 90 days in any 180.

There are obligations too. You must report every change of address to the voivode who issued the card within 15 working days (art. 42u). If you live outside Poland for 6 months or more, the permit is revoked (art. 42t). UKR-only benefits such as free collective accommodation and meals end; 800+ and other benefits follow the general rules.

What happens after CUKR expires

CUKR is not issued twice: it requires UKR status on the filing day, and once you collect the card you no longer have it. Within the card's 3 years, plan the next step:

1. A regular karta czasowego pobytu based on work, business, family or study. File before your CUKR expires.
2. EU long-term resident permit (zezwolenie na pobyt rezydenta długoterminowego UE): 5 years of continuous legal stay before filing, stable income, health insurance and Polish at B1 or above (art. 211 ustawy o cudzoziemcach). The law does not say outright whether years with UKR status count toward those 5 years, so we work it out from your residence history.
3. Karta stałego pobytu if you have a separate basis: Polish descent, a Karta Polaka, marriage to a Polish citizen.

Temporary protection itself has been extended: Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1912 of 30 July 2026 runs it to 4 March 2028. Polish law, however, ties legal stay during the CUKR procedure to 4 March 2027 (art. 42x), so file before that date.

One point people often mix up: UKR status is temporary protection, a collective mechanism for Ukrainian citizens. Refugee status and subsidiary protection (ochrona uzupełniająca) are something else - they are granted individually by the Head of UdSC after a separate procedure. How the forms of international protection in Poland differ is set out on a dedicated page.

Deadlines set by law

Most common mistakes when applying for CUKR

1. Filing without 365 days of continuous UKR or without status on 4 June 2025. The voivode refuses the card by decision (art. 42e).
2. Incomplete data in the PESEL register. Without a valid passport, fingerprints or signature on record, the wniosek does not count as filed (art. 42g).
3. Leaving Poland for more than 30 days before filing. Temporary protection then ends (art. 109b ustawy o udzielaniu cudzoziemcom ochrony), and CUKR is off the table.
4. A parallel regular procedure. Filing for CUKR discontinues, by law, any pending case for a zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy (art. 42i). And if a regular permit has already been granted, your UKR status ended on that day and CUKR is no longer available.
5. Missing the 60 days to collect the card. The card is cancelled and the fees are not refunded.

When to get help

You can handle CUKR yourself if your PESEL UKR data is in order, you have a profil zaufany and you are sure about your travel history.

Help makes sense if:

• you have travelled outside Poland and are not sure your UKR status was continuous;
• you are already waiting for a decision on a regular karta pobytu and need to choose between keeping it and filing for CUKR;
• your passport has expired or the PESEL register data is incomplete;
• the voivode refused: an odwołanie goes to the Head of UdSC through the voivode within 14 days; we prepare it and you file it;
• you need CUKR for a child born in Poland.

Get help with your CUKR application →

This article is an overview. Specific timelines and decisions depend on your situation; we go through it at a consultation.

Related articles:

• How to get a karta pobytu: the procedure step by step
• The path to permanent residence in Poland, explained
• Legalisation in Poland: Pathways for Foreigners in Warsaw
• Service: CUKR and other residence cards for Ukrainians