How to apply for a CUKR card: grounds, requirements and a step-by-step guide
An application for a CUKR card is submitted exclusively electronically via the MOS portal, and to obtain the card four conditions must be met at the same time — including a valid PESEL UKR as of a specific date, 4 June 2025. The application may be submitted until 4 March 2027.
International Law Firm "Zahist" supports CUKR card applications for clients in Poland. In our practice, most refusals occur precisely because one of the four mandatory conditions is overlooked — the applicant meets three of the four and simply does not know about the specific date of 4 June 2025.
We explain who may file an application, which conditions must be met simultaneously, and how to complete the filing via MOS step by step.
Who may apply for a CUKR card
The right to apply belongs to two groups of persons whose stay in Poland is legalised through temporary protection and confirmed by PESEL UKR.
- Ukrainian citizens and certain family members — spouses, minor children, minor children of a spouse, closest relatives holding a Pole’s Card — who arrived in Poland after 23 February 2022 because of the war and wish to remain
- Children born in Poland after 23 February 2022 whose mothers arrived in Poland after that date and already hold a CUKR card
For the second category — children born in Poland — the procedure is tied to the mother’s status: without the mother’s CUKR card, the child cannot obtain this card independently.
Family members file applications separately, each in their own name — a joint “family” application is not provided for in the procedure, even if all family members submit documents at the same time and on the same day.
Four conditions that must be met simultaneously
The key feature of the procedure is that all four conditions apply concurrently, not alternatively: failure to meet even one of them means refusal to issue the card.
- A valid PESEL UKR as of the date of filing the CUKR card application
- A valid PESEL UKR as of 4 June 2025 — this specific date, not any other
- A valid PESEL UKR as of the date the voivode actually issues the card
- Uninterrupted UKR status for at least 365 days
The date of 4 June 2025 is the least obvious of the four conditions and at the same time the most common reason for unexpected refusals: even if the status was valid on the other dates, an interruption on this particular day closes access to a CUKR card.
Slightly different conditions apply to children born in Poland after 23 February 2022. These are a valid PESEL UKR as of the date of filing, a valid PESEL UKR as of the date the card is issued, and confirmation that the mother arrived in Poland after 23 February 2022 and already holds a CUKR card.
Step-by-step guide to filing via MOS
- Create an account in the new MOS system — even if an account existed in the previous version of the portal, a new one is required
- Log in personally via login.gov.pl and complete the application form for a residence card for Ukrainian citizens under temporary protection
- Attach a current photograph in digital format
- Attach proof of payment of the stamp duty (PLN 340) and the fee for producing the card (PLN 100) — these are two separate payments to different accounts
- Sign the application electronically — with a trusted profile, a qualified signature or a personal signature
After the application is correctly signed and submitted, the system allows you to save the document in PDF and XML formats and obtain an Official Confirmation of Receipt (UPO) — this confirms that the application was actually filed.
There is no need to book an appointment for in-person filing or wait in a queue — everything is done online, at a convenient time, and completing the form can be paused and resumed later without losing data already entered.
Documents and costs
The full list of attachments is short: a digital photograph and two separate proofs of payment — for the temporary residence permit and for producing the card itself.
Both payments — PLN 340 stamp duty and PLN 100 for the card — must be made to different accounts, not as a single payment; a mixed or combined payment may delay the proceedings.
Access to the MOS system itself is free of charge and the application can be filed entirely independently — paid intermediary services are not required for this.
Before logging into the system, it is advisable to check with the gmina whether passport data in the PESEL register are up to date — if the number of a new passport has not yet been updated, MOS will not be able to match the applicant’s data correctly and filing will be blocked at the first step.
What happens after filing — invitation to collect the card
An in-person visit to file the application is not required — the applicant is summoned to the voivodeship office only once, to collect the finished card.
The finished card must be collected within 60 days of the voivodeship’s notice that it is ready for collection — if this deadline is missed, the temporary residence permit will not be granted and the card itself will become invalid.
After receiving a CUKR card, UKR status automatically changes to CUKR status — and with it, rights linked specifically to temporary protection cease, in particular free accommodation and meals in collective accommodation facilities.
Any change of place of residence after receiving the card must be reported to the same voivodeship that issued it, within 15 working days — this is a new requirement that did not apply in this form during temporary protection.
Leaving Poland for more than 6 months means loss of the temporary residence permit under the CUKR card — this threshold is substantially longer than the 30-day rule for UKR status, but it is likewise not unlimited.
A further temporary residence permit after the 3-year CUKR card period expires will have to be obtained under general rules. That is, on a specific ground, such as work or business, not through the simplified transition from temporary protection.
Advantages of a CUKR card compared with continued stay under temporary protection
Full access to the labour market without an additional work permit and the ability to conduct business on the same terms as Polish citizens — the key practical advantage of the card.
A CUKR card together with a valid travel passport entitles the holder to travel in the Schengen area for up to 90 days within any 180-day period — the same as any other temporary residence permit.
The period of stay under a CUKR card also counts towards the period required for a future application for EU long-term resident status — this creates a direct perspective for those who plan to remain in Poland long term.
Legal assistance with a CUKR card application
Verifying that all four conditions are met in advance and completing the MOS application correctly is far easier than correcting an error after a refusal.
Lawyers at International Law Firm ZAHIST help verify continuity of UKR status, especially as of 4 June 2025, prepare documents and support filing via the MOS portal.
We also advise which benefits will actually be lost after receiving a CUKR card in your specific situation — so that the decision to apply is considered, not rushed.
If you plan to apply for a CUKR card and wish to verify that all conditions are met in advance, contact International Law Firm ZAHIST — we will discuss your situation at a consultation.
