From March 2026, certificates confirming temporary protection are no longer issued

From 5 March 2026, the Head of the Office for Foreigners no longer issues certificates confirming the use of temporary protection. For many people this is a major practical change, because this document had so far been treated as an important way of proving rights connected with stay.

At the same time, certificates issued before that date do not automatically disappear from circulation. They remain valid until 4 March 2027, unless the foreigner is assigned a PESEL number with UKR status or grounds arise to invalidate the certificate.

The key point is that after the change, the previous path of requesting another certificate from the Head of the Office for Foreigners is no longer available. A person who had such a document but lost it should now analyse their situation through the new rules of status confirmation.

In practice, the official information indicates that in order to obtain a new document confirming the rights of a temporary protection beneficiary, a person should apply for a PESEL number with UKR status at any municipality office in Poland. This shows that the system has shifted toward a more structured model of identification.

For clients, this mainly means moving away from thinking about temporary protection only through one paper certificate. What matters more and more is how status is confirmed in the system and which data are linked to the person.

It may look like a technical amendment, but in practice it affects contact with the authorities, the collection of documents and the design of the next residence strategy. The sooner this element is organised, the lower the risk of unnecessary trouble during later formalities.