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EU temporary protection runs until 4 March 2028. §24 permits valid on 1 Feb 2026 continue automatically to 4 Mar 2027; the rule for after that is not yet published (Oct 2026) — check with your Ausländerbehörde.

Temporary protection (PESEL UKR) is valid until 4 March 2028 (EU decision 2026/1912); no new application needed. Option: 3-year CUKR residence card (apply online by 4 March 2027).

Passport (biometric or not) or Ukrainian ID card (accepted until 23 Feb 2027); proof of family ties. Arrivals with military obligations (EU entry since 5 Aug 2026): exit stamp or Reserve+ document.

Valid passport, application form, 35×45 mm photo, fingerprints (age 6+). The Border Guard must record your entry as 'evacuation/temporary protection'. Since 5.08.2026: proof of meeting military obligations (e.g. Reserve+) if legal exit is in doubt.

Within 90 days of entry, at the foreigners' office (Ausländerbehörde) where you live — find it via BAMF-NAvI; many offices accept online applications. Without housing: your Land's reception centre.

Declare temporary protection to the Border Guard at entry, then apply in person for PESEL UKR at any municipal office (urząd gminy/miasta) within 30 days of crossing the border; children must be present. CUKR card: online only via the MOS portal.

Depends on the local Ausländerbehörde (no official average). The Fiktionsbescheinigung issued after you apply gives the same rights (incl. work) until the permit card is ready.

PESEL UKR: up to 7 days. Your data is checked against Border Guard records; correcting a wrong entry record can take from a few days to several weeks.

Ends with EU temporary protection (EU Council decision). The permit lapses earlier if you leave Germany for good or for more than 6 months (§51 AufenthG).

Over 30 days outside Poland; no PESEL UKR application within 30 days of entry; renunciation; a Polish residence permit (incl. CUKR), asylum claim or protection in another EU state; end of EU protection; PESEL UKR obtained without photo ID and not updated by 31.08.2026.

Bus, train (via neighbouring EU countries), car. No flights from Ukraine — Ukrainian airspace is closed to civil aviation.

Train: Kyiv and other cities to Przemyśl or Chełm, sleeper Kyiv Express to Warsaw; international buses; car via road border crossings. No flights: Ukrainian airspace is closed.

EU rules: microchip, rabies vaccination, then a rabies antibody test at least 30 days later and a 3-month wait from the blood sample; EU health certificate from an official vet ≤10 days before arrival.

Standard EU rules since 1 July 2023: microchip, valid rabies vaccination, rabies antibody test (≥0.5 IU/ml) in an EU-approved lab, entry no earlier than 90 days after the blood sample, EU health certificate.

German is essential (authorities, most jobs); English helps in big cities. Integration courses up to B1: admission via BAMF; fee exemption possible on application.

Polish (needed for work, school and offices). Free Polish courses are available, e.g. at the National Integration Offices (KBI).

Yes, immediately: a §24 permit or Fiktionsbescheinigung marked 'Erwerbstätigkeit erlaubt' allows any job or self-employment; no separate permit needed.

Allowed without a work permit. The employer must notify the district labour office via praca.gov.pl within 7 days of the start of work. The CUKR card gives full labour-market access, incl. running a business.

Nursing and health care, childcare educators, construction and skilled trades, professional drivers, cooks, social work. Software development is no longer a shortage job (Federal Employment Agency, 2025).

Doctors, nurses and midwives, carers for the elderly, psychologists, teachers, truck and bus drivers, electricians, welders, building installers, warehouse workers, accountants (Barometr zawodów 2026).

Yes, if on benefits: Grundsicherungsgeld recipients are in statutory health insurance (full cover, eGK card); Sozialamt recipients get a health card; employees are insured via their job.

Since 5.03.2026 free NFZ care only for children under 18, pregnant women and new mothers, victims of torture or rape and residents of collective centres; others without insurance (job, registered unemployed, voluntary NFZ) get emergency care only.

Legal right to a Kita place from age 1. Fees set by Land/municipality; free in Berlin; waived on application for recipients of Grundsicherungsgeld, social assistance, AsylbLG or housing benefit.

Public preschools are free for at least 5 hours a day (extra hours and meals are paid); in the pre-school year at age 6 there is no hourly fee.

Yes. School is compulsory from the year a child turns 6 (9–10 years of schooling); public schools charge no tuition.

Yes, public schools are free. School-age children must attend a school in the Polish system, otherwise the family loses 800+ and Dobry Start.

Jobcenter/Sozialamt pays reasonable rent and heating. Jobcenter: since 1 Jul 2026, rent in the first year is covered up to 1.5× the local limit. Get written approval before signing a lease.

No rent allowance. Since 1 July 2026 free stay in collective centres only for vulnerable people (disability, pension age, pregnancy or a baby under 12 months, war injuries etc.); others pay. The gmina may provide shelter or a targeted allowance.

No lump-sum payment. On application the Jobcenter/Sozialamt can grant one-off aid, e.g. for initial furnishing (furniture).

None: the 300 zł one-off payment has been abolished. Dobry Start: 300 zł per pupil once a year (a parent must work); 1,000 zł at birth (becikowe, income-tested).

Grundsicherungsgeld (ex-Bürgergeld) if in need, 2026: €563/month single adult, €506 per partner, €451 aged 18–24 at parents', plus rent. Planned AsylbLG (€455) for arrivals since 1 Apr 2025: not in force.

No monthly allowance for adults. Unemployment benefit only after 365 days of work in the last 18 months; in hardship the gmina may give shelter, meals or a targeted allowance; free EU food aid for low incomes.

€357 (age 0–5), €390 (6–13), €471 (14–17) per month + €25 child supplement (2026). Kindergeld of €259/child is paid to §24 permit holders but counts as income against these benefits.

800 zł/month per child (800+) if the child lives with you in Poland, attends a Polish school (school age) and, since 1.02.2026, a parent works or runs a business (not required for children with disabilities). Low-income families: family allowance 95–135 zł/month.

Approx. asking cold rent (Q3 2026): Munich €20.20/m², Berlin €13.23/m², Leipzig €9.08/m², German average €9.01/m² → 50 m² ≈ €450–1,000/month plus utilities.

Approx. 2,300 zł/month average rent for a flat in Warsaw, 2,000 zł in Gdańsk, 1,300 zł in Katowice (EURES, Q1 2025); utilities extra.

Approx. €200–250 per person per month; an average household spends €457/month on food, drinks and tobacco (Destatis, 2024).

Approx. 500–600 zł/month per person (Statistics Poland: average 507 zł per person on food and soft drinks in 2025).

Set by each Land/municipality — no national average; free in Berlin (extras up to €100/month); waived on application for benefit recipients.

Public preschool: free for at least 5 h/day, extra hours max 1 zł/hour plus meals (EURES). Crèche (under 3): the state pays up to 1,500 zł/month (Aktywnie w żłobku). Private: —.

Public schools: free. Private schools: fees vary, no reliable average (—).

Voluntary statutory insurance if not insured via a job or benefits (join within 6 months of arrival): approx. €267–283/month incl. long-term care (2026 minimum, TK).

Voluntary NFZ insurance: from 844.77 zł/month (Q4 2026) plus a one-off fee of 1,877–18,773 zł depending on time uninsured (some Ukrainians were asked ~17,000–18,000 zł); NFZ may waive it or allow instalments.

First-time EU arrivals since 5 Aug 2026 with Ukrainian military obligations get protection only with proof of lawful exit (exit stamp or Reserve+); since 9 Oct 2026 also for the 90-day visa-free stay. On 1 Jul 2026 Bürgergeld became Grundsicherungsgeld (stricter duties, sanctions). Moving arrivals since 1 Apr 2025 to lower AsylbLG is planned, not adopted. Don't apply for asylum. §24 years don't lead to citizenship; switching to a work/study permit is possible. Germany4Ukraine

Most special-law aid measures for Ukrainians ended on 5.03.2026. Leaving Poland for over 30 days ends UKR status. New arrivals since 5.08.2026 must meet Ukrainian military obligations. The 3-year CUKR card (online, 340 + 100 zł) gives full work rights, but UKR benefits (e.g. free collective housing) end and over 6 months abroad cancels it. UdSC: protection to 2028, CUKR card