On August 25, 2025, Polish President Karol Nawrocki vetoed the bill on extending the special statute on assistance to Ukrainian citizens in Poland. What is a special statute and what consequences of vetoing can be discussed in this article.

What is the special charter on assistance to citizens of Ukraine (PESEL UKR)?

From the very beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Poland was the country that received the largest number of refugees and was the first country to offer Ukrainian citizens preferential conditions of stay along with simplified ways of integrating into its society.

A special law on assistance to Ukrainian citizens came into force on 12 March 2022, less than three weeks after the outbreak of a full-scale war on Ukrainian territory. According to it, Ukrainian citizens who fled the war and legally resided in Poland were entitled to a number of social benefits, including the “500+” program (since January 2024 – the “800+” program), which provided the right to legal residence, work, and financial payments from ZUS for the maintenance of children. This was an exceptional decision, since other groups of foreigners generally require a residence permit and a work permit to participate in the program. Ukrainian citizens were provided with these benefits automatically – as part of humanitarian aid. According to ZUS, in July 2025, 276,600 children of foreigners received the benefit, including 224,700 Ukrainians.

Until what date is the special aid charter valid?

At the moment, the special statute has been extended until 30.09.2025, according to the current Polish law, and it was the extension of this special statute that the President refused on 25 August 2025. This topic has already raised many discussions in Polish society. Some believe that this is the right decision, made in the interests of Poland and Polish citizens, while other experts argue that the veto on the extension of the special statute will have negative consequences not only for Ukrainian citizens, but also to a very large extent for Polish employers, and will also have negative economic and social consequences. People close to the authorities also claim that a similar bill prepared by the President and published together with information about the veto is not exhaustive, does not respond to the challenges associated with foreigners, and carries the risk of paralyzing the work of voivodeship offices due to the increased number of applications for legalization of stay under the new rules.

What exactly are the consequences if the President ultimately refuses to extend the special charter on assistance to Ukrainian citizens?

For citizens of Ukraine:

• Loss of legal residence status. Temporary protection will cease to be valid, which means that hundreds of thousands of people will automatically find themselves in the position of persons without the right of legal residence. They will have to urgently look for other grounds for residence (residence card, visa, work, study, marriage), loading the departments for foreigners with such a volume of work that they will not be able to function.
• Restricting access to the labour market.
• Problems with medical care.
• Complication of legalization procedures

For employers

• The growth of bureaucracy.
• Risk of loss of employees
• The growth of illegal employment, which will lead to problems not only for some employers, but also for the state, since illegal employment is not subject to taxes that are paid to the state.

What to do in such a situation?

Failure to adopt the statute on assistance to citizens of Ukraine potentially creates many difficulties for all people in Poland in the global perspective, and the actions of the president once again remind us that the special statute on assistance to citizens of Ukraine is only a temporary solution. If you intend to stay in Poland, you must immediately choose a convenient way of legalization for yourself and start the case on suitable grounds for you in order to obtain a residence permit.

Why you should contact POLegal

If you do not want to deal with legalization yourself, then the specialists at POLegal will be happy to help. We will consult and analyze the legal basis, form a package for submission and represent you before the authorities on the basis of a power of attorney until you receive a decision. This saves time and reduces the risk of refusals due to formal errors.

Phone: +48 733 343 599 (Telegram, WhatsApp)

Office address: Tadeusza Czackiego 15/17, 00-043 Warszawa