Some UKR status holders must confirm their identity in person at a gmina office by 31 August 2026, using a valid passport. Miss it, and from 1 September 2026 your UKR status in the PESEL register will be replaced with NUE status — taking your legal basis for stay under temporary protection with it. As of publication, there are around 10 days left — if you're not sure whether this applies to you, it's worth checking now rather than later.

Who does the 31 August deadline apply to?

The requirement applies only to people who received UKR status based on a declaration (oświadczenie) — that is, without presenting a valid passport. In practice, this mainly means people who registered in Poland in the first months after 24 February 2022, when many simply didn't have a valid passport on hand — registration back then was often done using an internal (domestic) passport, a birth certificate, or no document at all, based on a declaration.

If you already presented a valid passport when you received your PESEL UKR, this specific deadline doesn't apply to you — your status remains valid as is.

A separate, not always obvious case: children under 18 whose identity was confirmed using, for example, a photo attached to a parent's or guardian's passport rather than the child's own document. These cases can also fall under the confirmation requirement — it's worth checking at the gmina office separately for each child in the family, even if the parents' passports are valid.

How do you confirm your identity — what do you need to do?

Go to any gmina office — not necessarily the one for your current registered address — and present a valid passport. The procedure is free, and your PESEL number itself doesn't change — only the document data linked to your existing record is updated.

If you're not sure on what basis your UKR status was originally granted, you can go to a gmina office with your passport ahead of the deadline: staff will check the record and tell you whether formal confirmation is required.

What happens if you miss the 31 August deadline?

From 1 September 2026, UKR status in the PESEL register will be replaced with NUE status. This isn't a technicality — it means losing your legal basis for stay under temporary protection, unless you have another valid basis (a visa, a residence permit, permanent residence, or another legal title).

In practice, losing UKR status can mean:

This doesn't cancel out the extension of EU temporary protection itself to 4 March 2028 — but that extension only applies to people who formally retain UKR status. If your status has been replaced with NUE because you missed the identity confirmation, the general extension to 2028 no longer protects you.

Is there a separate rule for people whose PESEL was issued based on a Pole's Card or another document?

Yes, and it's a different mechanism, not directly tied to 31 August. If your PESEL UKR was granted based on a Pole's Card (Karta Polaka), another photo-ID document, a birth-certificate-type document, or a passport that was invalid (or later expired) — the requirement to confirm your identity with a valid passport doesn't kick in on a fixed date, but within 60 days of the date you obtain such a valid document.

So if you fall into this category and don't yet have a valid passport, the 31 August 2026 deadline doesn't directly apply to you — but as soon as you obtain one, the 60-day clock starts automatically, and that one shouldn't be missed either.

How do you check whether this applies to you?

The most reliable approach is to visit any gmina office before 31 August with a valid passport (if you have one) and ask staff to check what basis your PESEL UKR was granted on and whether formal identity confirmation is required. If you don't have a passport yet, ask which of the two regimes — the 31 August deadline or the 60-day-from-passport rule — applies to your situation.

Frequently asked questions

Does the identity confirmation requirement apply to every Ukrainian citizen with UKR status?

No. It applies only to people who received UKR status based on a declaration, without presenting a valid passport. If a passport was already presented when PESEL UKR was issued, there's no need to confirm identity again by 31 August.

By what date can identity be confirmed?

By 31 August 2026 — if this deadline applies to your situation (see above for who it covers).

Where can identity be confirmed?

At any gmina office, regardless of where you live. If in doubt, go to the nearest one.

I don't remember how my UKR status was granted — what should I do?

The safest option is to visit the nearest gmina office before 31 August 2026 with a valid passport — staff will check the record and update the status on the spot if needed.

If my status is replaced with NUE, can it be switched back to UKR?

The procedure doesn't provide for an automatic reversal — once the status is lost, the question becomes finding another legal basis for stay. That's exactly why it matters to not miss the deadline rather than deal with the consequences afterward.

Let's check whether you need to confirm

The procedure is free and takes one visit to a gmina office — but if you're not sure whether it applies to you, or don't know on what basis your PESEL UKR was issued, we'll go through your situation in a free consultation and point you in the right direction if needed.

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relocy.pro — a law and immigration consultancy office in Warsaw. Since 2020, 1,835+ cases, a 98% approval rate.

Sources

Before taking any specific action, we recommend a final review with a relocy.pro lawyer or directly with the gmina office — the legal position at the time of submission may differ from what is described here depending on individual circumstances.