By 31 August 2026, a large group of Ukrainian nationals holding a PESEL number with UKR status must appear in person at any urząd gminy or urząd miasta (municipal office) and present a valid travel document. Those who do not will lose temporary protection from 1 September 2026: the register switches the status from UKR to NUE, and with it goes the legal basis for staying in Poland.
The update is free and does not change your PESEL number - only the document data are refreshed. It can only be done in person; there is no remote route.
Who is affected
The requirement hits people registered in the first months after February 2022, when a PESEL was issued in practice on the strength of a declaration. You must update if:
- you received the PESEL UKR without presenting a photo identity document - on a declaration alone;
- you had no passport at the moment of registration;
- you have since received a new passport, or your document data changed (number, surname after marriage, validity);
- your children were entered in the register without their own travel document.
If you attended the office with a passport, its data went into the register, and nothing has changed since - you need do nothing. The easiest check is the mObywatel app, or simply ask at the office whether the PESEL register holds your travel document details.
What happens on 1 September 2026
The mechanism is automatic. The UKR status in the register becomes NUE. In practice:
| What is lost | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Temporary protection | the stay stops being legal, unless another basis exists |
| Work on the notification route | the employer must end the employment |
| Benefits | 800+ and social payments stop |
| NFZ access through UKR status | health cover on that basis lapses |
| Continuity of residence | a gap appears in your legal stay |
Losing the status does not mean deportation the following morning. It does mean staying in Poland without a legal basis - which blocks a residence card application, employment, and any future count of continuous residence.
How to update, step by step
- Bring a valid travel document - a biometric or ordinary passport. For a child, their own passport.
- Go to any municipal office. Territorial jurisdiction does not apply, so pick the office with the shortest queue.
- Say you are updating the travel document data in the PESEL register for UKR status. The form is completed on the spot.
- No stamp duty applies.
- Verify the result in mObywatel or request a certificate of register data.
If appointments in your city run weeks ahead, book now rather than in the last week of August. In large voivodeship cities the nearest free slots already fall after the deadline.
If you have no passport
The most common scenario: the document expired, was lost, or stayed in Ukraine. Options, fastest first:
- The consulate or a "Dokument" office in Poland for a new passport. Timelines in 2026 fluctuate, so register immediately.
- Another basis of stay. If you hold a national D visa, a residence card, or a filed MOS application with a UPO receipt, UKR is no longer your only basis.
- An urgent residence card application. The most durable answer, but it has to be filed while your current basis is still valid.
A Ukrainian internal ID card does not count as a travel document for PESEL register purposes.
Context: what changed on 5 March 2026
The obligation did not appear in isolation. The Act of 23 January 2026 winding down the special Ukraine legislation entered into force on 5 March 2026 and is gradually closing the 2022 framework.
Key dates:
- Temporary protection for Ukrainian nationals with PESEL UKR runs until 4 March 2027.
- Documents (visas, residence cards, Polish travel documents) that expired after 24 February 2022 are extended to the same date.
- The work notification is filed by the employer within 7 days of the start of work through praca.gov.pl - we covered the new employment rules separately.
- Moving to a CUKR card requires an uninterrupted UKR status of at least 365 days plus grounds: work, business or family. Details in our piece on the CUKR card.
Why 31 August is a good reason to leave UKR behind
The UKR status is a temporary construction with a known end date. 4 March 2027 will arrive faster than it looks, and voivodeship queues will look very different by then.
Three reasons to move to an ordinary residence permit now:
- Residence count. Time under temporary protection does not count towards the five years required for EU long-term resident status. The clock starts only from a temporary residence permit - we explain it in the article on EU long-term resident status.
- Processing times. Mazowieckie Voivodeship runs 8-14 months. An application filed today resolves roughly when the special act finally winds down.
- Stability. A residence card does not depend on the next amendment to the assistance act.
The first step is your address: the wojewoda asks where you live. Without registration, start there - we complete zameldowanie in one to two days.
What we do
- Register check - whether the obligation applies to you and what the PESEL register currently holds.
- Office assistance with an interpreter, including booking the appointment.
- Transition to a residence card or CUKR - choosing the grounds, assembling the file, filing through MOS v2.0 and running the case to a decision.
- Recovery after a missed deadline: assessing what can still be done and through which procedure.
A situation review takes 20 minutes - get in touch, especially if fewer than two weeks remain.
Frequently asked questions
Will my PESEL number change after the update? No. The number stays the same; only the travel document data are refreshed.
Must I attend the office where I am registered? No. Any municipal office in Poland will do.
I arrived in 2024 and showed my passport straight away. Does this apply to me? No, provided the passport data are in the register and have not changed. If you have replaced the passport since, you do need to update.
My child has no passport of their own. What now? It must be issued through the consulate. Children entered without their own travel document fall under the same requirement.
What if I miss 31 August? From 1 September the status changes to NUE. What follows depends on whether another basis of stay exists. The situation needs individual review, and quickly - the longer the gap, the harder it is to explain to the wojewoda.
I have already filed for a residence card through MOS. Do I still need the update? Yes, it is worth doing. Register data feed into other procedures, and a mismatch with your passport ends in a formal request to supplement the file.
The update costs zero zloty and one visit. A missed deadline costs the status - and then months of rebuilding a legal stay.
If you are unsure whether the requirement covers you, send us the details and we will check within 20 minutes and, if needed, pick the grounds for a residence card straight away.
This material is informational. Every residence case is assessed individually - consult a lawyer about your situation.