CUKR Card 2026 — Complete Guide

If you are a Ukrainian national with PESEL UKR status, the CUKR residence card lets you move from temporary protection to a stable, 3-year temporary residence permit. Applications open in the MOS portal (Moduł Obsługi Spraw — the government case-handling portal) from 4 May 2026, and the window closes on 4 March 2027 — the day temporary protection status ends.

Watch the deadlines: the Voivode has up to 180 days to decide on your application. If you file right before the window closes, the decision may arrive after your UKR status has already expired. So file with a buffer, ideally by autumn 2026. This guide shows you how to do it yourself, without intermediaries.

What is the CUKR card?

The CUKR card (full name: karta pobytu z adnotacją „Poprzednio posiadacz ochrony czasowej” — residence card annotated "Former holder of temporary protection") confirms that the Voivode has granted you a temporary residence permit on special terms, for 3 years.

The moment you collect the card, your status changes from UKR to CUKR. You lose the entitlements that came with UKR status, but you gain a stable residence permit that:

• gives full access to the labor market with no separate work permit and no employer notification requirement,
• lets you run a business on the same terms as Polish citizens,
• lets you travel inside the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period (with a valid passport),
• counts toward the residence period required for an EU long-term resident permit.

The hard deadline: 4 March 2027. UKR status expires on this date, and with it the right to file the application. Add the up-to-180-day processing time on top — don't leave your application for the last few weeks.

Who can get the card?

You must meet all four of these conditions at the same time:

1. You hold a valid PESEL UKR on the day you submit the application.
2. You held a valid PESEL UKR on 4 June 2025.
3. You will still hold UKR status on the day the Voivode issues the card.
4. You have held UKR status continuously for at least 365 days — broken periods cannot be added together.

If even one condition is not met, the card will not be issued.

A child born in Poland after 23 February 2022 can get the card on simplified terms — but there's one sequencing condition: the mother must first receive her own CUKR card. Only once her card has been issued can an application be filed for the child. That's another reason not to delay the mother's application — it sets the timeline for the child's.

Required documents

The whole procedure is electronic. You will attach:

• A digital photograph meeting the official requirements: taken within the last 6 months, color, sharp, on a plain light background, frontal pose, no headgear or dark glasses (religious or medical exceptions require a written statement); file up to 2.5 MB, at least 684 × 883 pixels.
• Proof of payment of both fees (a scan or transfer confirmation) — see below.
• An electronic signature on the application: Trusted Profile (Profil Zaufany), a qualified electronic signature, or a personal signature (podpis osobisty). An application printed and sent by post or email is left unprocessed — it does not count as filed. No one can sign the application for you; power of attorney is not accepted here (someone can help you fill in the form while sitting with you, but cannot sign it).

Your fingerprints and signature specimen are pulled automatically from the registers created when you were issued your PESEL UKR. If they're missing, MOS will ask you to update your data at the commune office (urząd gminy) before you can submit.

How to apply, step by step

1. Create a MOS account. You need your own, individual account — only the applicant can create it.
2. Log in personally via login.gov.pl. Never share your login credentials, even with paid intermediaries.
3. Fill in the form. You can pause, save, and come back to it later.
4. Attach the photo and proof of payment.
5. Sign the application electronically.
6. Submit through MOS. You'll get the application as PDF and XML, plus an official confirmation of receipt (Urzędowe Poświadczenie Odbioru — UPO) — your proof of filing.

Good news: during the procedure the office doesn't summon you for fingerprints, a signature, or your passport — it pulls that data from the registers. You'll only need to visit the voivodeship office once — to collect the finished card. One more thing: once you file a correct application, your stay remains legal while it is being processed. If you had a regular temporary residence permit case underway, filing a CUKR application discontinues it by operation of law — don't run both at once.

Fees

Using MOS is free. The statutory fees are two separate payments to two separate accounts (MOS makes a point of this):

• PLN 340 — stamp duty (opłata skarbowa) for granting the temporary residence permit.
• PLN 100 — fee for issuing the residence card.

Pay both (PLN 440 total) before submitting the application and attach the transfer confirmations. There are no exemptions or reductions in the CUKR procedure — the Voivode cannot apply any. A missing payment results in refusal, and the stamp duty is not refunded. It is also not refunded if you fail to collect the card on time after a positive decision. So pay both amounts correctly before you file.

Common reasons for refusal

The Voivode will refuse to issue a CUKR card if:

• you do not meet the requirements (e.g. even one of the four cumulative conditions is missing);
• your details appear in the register of foreigners whose stay in Poland is undesirable;
• your details are entered in the Schengen Information System (SIS) for the purpose of refusing entry;
• your stay threatens national defense, state security, or public order;
• you did not pay the required fees.

For children born in Poland after 23 February 2022, only the first and last grounds apply. You can appeal a refusal decision to the Head of the Office for Foreigners (Szef UDSC) within 14 days, filed through the Voivode.

Validity and what comes next

The CUKR card is issued once, for 3 years. After collecting it:

• you have 15 working days to notify the Voivode of any change of address;
• do not leave Poland for more than 6 continuous months — this risks having the permit withdrawn;
• collect the card within 60 days of being notified it's ready — otherwise it will be voided and you will not obtain the permit (the fees are forfeited).

After 3 years you apply for the next permit on general terms, and the time spent on the CUKR card counts toward the period required for an EU long-term resident permit. The CUKR card is a solid foundation for a long-term life in Poland.

If you're not sure you meet all four conditions, Dopomo's Pathfinder will walk you through the CUKR criteria in a few short questions and prepare an action plan — free, no account needed.

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