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Refugee status (1951 Geneva Convention)
Persecution on grounds of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or social group membership.
TZTC · refugee status
International Protection
Asylum and subsidiary protection in Poland
If returning to your country of origin endangers your life, freedom or health, you have the right to Poland's protection. Two forms exist: refugee status (1951 Geneva Convention) and subsidiary protection.
Application
via the Border Guard
restricted at the Belarus border since 27.03.2025TZTC
90 days
then renewed for 6 monthsDecision
6 months
extendable to 15 monthsCost
free
no state feesGrounds for international protection
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Subsidiary protection
Real risk of serious harm: death penalty, torture, inhuman treatment, threat to life from armed conflict.
03 / 04
Tolerated stay
When deportation is impossible but refugee / subsidiary grounds are insufficient. No path to PR.
04 / 04
Temporary protection
Active for Ukrainian nationals since 2022. PESEL UKR, work, education, healthcare, benefits.
Procedure timeline
- 01
Application
day 1Filed in person, only through the Border Guard (Straż Graniczna). At the Belarus border the right to apply has been restricted since 27 March 2025, with exceptions for unaccompanied minors, pregnant women, people in poor health and those at real risk of serious harm. We prep you for the life-story interview.
- 02
TZTC issued
day 1The Border Guard issues it for 90 days, then the Head of UdSC issues the next ones for 6 months. Legalises stay throughout the procedure.
- 03
Accommodation
procedureReception centre or off-site with PLN 750/month aid.
- 04
Medical exam
14 daysMandatory - health certificate.
- 05
Interview
1-4 monthsWith UdSC officer. Our immigration consultant present. Transcript kept.
- 06
Decision
3-6 monthsUdSC Head. Denial - appeal to Refugee Board.
/ documents
Documents at filing
- Identity documents (passport, ID, birth certificate)01
- Evidence of persecution: photos, medical reports, witness statements, media02
- Party/religious/social group membership documents03
- Country-situation reports (Amnesty, HRW, UNHCR)04
- Documents on family members already in the EU05
- Medical records (PTSD, injuries)06
- Any other evidence of risk on return07
From our case files
What decides protection cases and the status of Ukrainians: the interview, trips abroad, key dates and deadlines.
The interview decides the case
A decision on international protection usually rests on the record of the UdSC interview. If the story told at the border, in the application and at the interview differs in dates, names or the order of events, that goes straight into the reasons for refusal. We lay out the story chronologically beforehand, check it against the documents and prepare the client for the questions. The record is read back before you sign it: fixing an inaccuracy later is much harder.
Leaving Poland breaks the procedure
You may not leave Poland while the procedure is running: the case can be discontinued (umorzenie), and under Regulation 2024/1351, which replaced Dublin III on 12 June 2026, another EU country will send you back to Poland. The same goes for Ukrainians with UKR status: a trip of more than 30 days can cost the status, and with it the right to CUKR. Please message us before any trip. We check what it means for your specific status.
Work only after 6 months
The right to work arises only if there is no decision after 6 months and the delay is not your fault. You then receive a certificate (zaświadczenie) that lets you work. If the applicant caused the delay (missed the interview, ignored a summons), that time does not count. The deadline for a decision is 6 months, extendable to 15. Throughout, your stay is covered by the TZTC, and if you live outside a reception centre (ośrodek) you can receive 750 PLN a month.
UKR: who lost the status on 1 September
People who got PESEL UKR without a passport, or changed passports and did not update their data by 31 August 2026, were switched to NUE status on 1 September. That removes the legal basis for stay and the right to work on a notification (powiadomienie). The PESEL number stays. First we check for another basis: a D visa, a residence card or an MOS application with UPO. If there is none, we act at once: the longer the gap, the harder it is to explain to the voivode.
CUKR: we check four dates
An active UKR status today is not enough for the CUKR card. It must have been active on 4 June 2025, on the day of filing and on the day the card is issued, and held without a break for at least 365 days. If UKR was granted after 4 June 2025, CUKR is not available and a standard temporary residence card is the route. Applications close on 4 March 2027, and a decision in Mazowieckie usually takes 3-6 months.
Refusal: 14 days and the Refugee Board
An appeal against a protection refusal is usually due within 14 days of service (less in the accelerated procedure) and goes to the Refugee Board (Rada do Spraw Uchodźców). You do not win there by retelling the story but by closing the gaps UdSC pointed out: medical records of injuries, witness statements, UNHCR, Amnesty and Human Rights Watch reports on your country. After that come the WSA and NSA.
Our work
Consultation
300 PLN
Document review and written plan · credited towards the servicePopularProcedure representation
from 3,000 PLN
Prep + representationAppeal
from 2,500 PLN
Refugee Board* Procedure itself is free from state fees. Our fee is payable; state-funded legal aid exists for the indigent. We don't represent clients before the WSA: an adwokat or radca prawny handles the court stage.
Legal basis
- §01Act of 13 June 2003 on Protection of Foreigners
- §021951 Geneva Convention on refugee status
- §03Regulation (EU) 2024/1347 (qualification, replaced Directive 2011/95/EU in 2026)
- §04Regulation (EU) 2024/1348 (procedure, replaced Directive 2013/32/EU on 12.06.2026)
- §05Regulation (EU) 2024/1351 (asylum and migration management, replaced Dublin III 604/2013 on 12.06.2026)
/ questions
Frequently asked
TZTC (Tymczasowe Zaświadczenie Tożsamości Cudzoziemca - Temporary Foreigner ID Certificate) legalises your stay during the procedure and entitles you to accommodation and medical care. After 6 months without a decision - labour market access.
Get in touch
Need protection in Poland - we start today
Strategy and filing in 24 hours. Every day of irregular stay reduces your chances.
- +48 506 55 07 21
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
- Mon-Fri · 8:30 - 19:00
- ul. Świętokrzyska 30/63, 00-116 Warszawa
Form · 01
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