What happens after EU temporary protection ends

The EU has extended temporary protection until 4 March 2028 and asked countries to move people onto regular residence permits in advance. Poland issues a 3-year card, Czechia a special 5-year residence, the Netherlands is preparing a 3-year transition document, and Spain lets people apply for other permits without leaving the country. Here is what works in each country and what to do now.

In detail

Temporary protection for people who left Ukraine because of the war has been extended until 4 March 2028. The EU Council decided this in Implementing Decision 2026/1912 of 30 July 2026. Protection does not turn into a residence permit by itself: once it ends, people stay on an ordinary ground - work, studies, family, business or investment. Back in September 2025 the EU Council recommended that countries move people onto such grounds in advance, and the 2026 decision asks them to speed this up.

Below is what already works in Poland, Germany, Czechia, the Netherlands and Spain, and what to do now while the status is valid.

What the EU decided

EU Council Implementing Decision 2026/1912 extended temporary protection by one more year: from 5 March 2027 to 4 March 2028. For people already under protection, each country extends the status under its own rules: automatically in some, through online registration in others.

Since August 2026 new applicants face one condition: people who have military obligations in Ukraine confirm that they have met them, for example with data from the Reserv+ app. The condition does not apply to those who received protection earlier and keep it without a break in the same country.

Protection is granted in only one EU country. For the time after it ends, the EU Council recommendation of 16 September 2025 sets out three routes:

• a national residence permit for work, studies or family;
• EU statuses, such as the EU Blue Card for specialists;
• voluntary return with a support programme, usually for one year, with the right to live in the country legally until departure.

Poland: the CUKR residence card for 3 years

Poland has introduced a separate residence card for people under temporary protection - CUKR. Applications are accepted from 4 May 2026 to 4 March 2027, online only, in the electronic system of the Office for Foreigners with a login through the government portal.

Conditions:

• a PESEL number with UKR status, valid on the day of application and on the day the card is issued;
• UKR status on 4 June 2025;
• UKR status without a break for at least 365 days.

The card is issued for 3 years. With it you work and run a business without a separate permit. The fees come to about $120, including the card itself. If you earlier applied for temporary residence on another ground, the CUKR application replaces it, so compare first which one suits you better. Conditions, fees and filing steps are in the article CUKR card in Poland.

The Office for Foreigners has announced that protection in Poland is extended until 4 March 2028. Three years on the card is a good margin to prepare the next step calmly: permanent residence or another ground from the overview Poland residence permit in 2026.

Germany: Section 24 extended until 4 March 2027

Permits under Section 24 of the Residence Act that were valid on 1 February 2026 have been extended automatically until 4 March 2027. There is no need to visit the foreigners authority: this is stated on the federal government's official portal for people from Ukraine. What Section 24 gives and how to switch to another ground is covered in Section 24 in Germany.

Protection in the EU has been extended to March 2028, but a Section 24 permit remains temporary. It is safer to move in advance to a ground that does not depend on extensions:

• employment, including the EU Blue Card for specialists with a university degree;
• studies or vocational training;
• family reunification, if a husband, wife or parent lives in Germany on another ground;
• your own business.

All routes, timelines and salary requirements are collected in the article how to get residency in Germany. German citizenship is granted after 5 years of legal residence, with German at B1 level and a test on the country - more on the German passport page.

Czechia: protection until 31 March 2028 and a special 5-year residence

Czechia will extend protection until 31 March 2028. The extension takes two steps, as in previous years: online registration on the Interior Ministry portal and a visit to one of its offices for a new visa sticker. The ministry will announce the dates separately. Military records are not needed for the extension.

For those who work in Czechia and support themselves, there is a special long-term residence permit. It is granted for 5 years, lets you work without a work permit, and later you can apply for permanent residence. The 2026 conditions:

• at least 2 years under temporary protection in Czechia in 2026;
• income for 2025 of about $21,000 or more, plus about $5,100 for each family member;
• a clean criminal record, registered housing and health insurance without arrears;
• no humanitarian benefit from 1 October 2025 to 31 March 2026;
• children aged 6 to 14 attend a Czech school.

The family is assessed as a whole and switches all at once. Interest had to be registered by 30 April 2026, and those selected register from 1 October to 31 December 2026. About 13,000 households, or 21,900 people, were selected. Everyone else lives in Czechia under protection and can switch to residence for work, business or studies - more in the article Czech residence permit.

Netherlands: a 3-year transition document

Protection in the Netherlands is valid up to and including 4 March 2028. If the sticker in your passport has no end date, you do not need to do anything. You work without a work permit: the employer only notifies the employment agency. Self-employment requires a permit.

For the period after March 2028 the government is preparing a transition document. It will let people live and work in the Netherlands for up to 3 more years after protection ends, without a work permit. There is no need to apply: the immigration service will contact the person itself, check that they have not disturbed public order and ask them to withdraw an asylum application if one was filed.

Those who want to stay longer switch to a regular residence permit - for work, studies or family. The government is looking at how to make this switch easier. Special allowances and insurance for people under protection will be phased out gradually, and holders of a residence permit or transition document take out regular health insurance.

Spain: other permits without leaving the country

In Spain the temporary protection permit gives the right to live and work as an employee or self-employed, and it is valid for the full term of protection. Foreigner identity cards were extended by an Interior Ministry order until 4 March 2027, and the EU decision extending protection to 2028 has been published in Spain's official gazette and applies directly.

The key point for switching: since 16 April 2026, under the new version of the Foreigners Regulation, a holder of temporary protection applies for other stay and residence permits right from Spain - for all of those that the law allows to be processed inside the country. Grounds and conditions are collected in the article Spain residence permit.

On 30 June 2026, 353,009 Ukrainian citizens lived in Spain with residence documents, 76% of them under temporary protection.

If you have savings: residence that does not depend on protection

Temporary protection and a work-based permit are tied to one country and one employer or school. Residence by investment works differently: you obtain it for yourself and your family, and it does not depend on extensions of protection. In the EU this route exists, for example, in Greece - residence by real estate investment. All countries are in the overview of European golden visas.

How to move savings out of Ukraine

Almost any residence permit requires proof of income or money in an account. Since 11 August 2026 the National Bank of Ukraine has raised the main limits: payments abroad from a hryvnia account up to 200,000 hryvnias (about $4,500) a month, payments for studies and medical treatment with no limit on the sum. All legal routes are in the article how to transfer money out of Ukraine, and a plan for a large sum is on the capital relocation page.

What to do now

1. Check the date on your document and the extension procedure in your country: in some it is automatic, in others registration is needed.
2. Choose a ground that does not depend on protection: work, studies, family, business or investment.
3. Collect documents in advance: passport, proof of income, rental contract, health insurance, criminal record certificate.
4. If the ground requires money in an account, start moving your savings early: the National Bank of Ukraine's monthly limits spread a large sum over several months.
5. Plan a move to another EU country through a new ground: protection is valid only in the country that granted it.

Not sure which ground suits you? Ask us in the chat - a manager will compare the options for your country, income and family.

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