Temporary Protection in Austria, Belgium, Poland and Ireland: Deadlines, Applications, and Benefits

How long does temporary protection last in 2026

The common EU framework is set by the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1460, which extended temporary protection for people displaced from Ukraine until March 4, 2027. Member states agreed unanimously; the decision affects more than 4 million people. Each country sets its own application process, document requirements, and benefit amounts.

For those who already hold status, the extension mostly requires no new application: in Poland, certificates dated through March 4, 2026 remain valid through March 4, 2027, and in Austria the right of residence applies regardless of the date on the card. People lose status not because of a deadline itself but because of unmet conditions: a missed application window, unupdated data, or an unclosed protection status in another country.

How to get or keep protection in Austria

According to BBU and Vienna's refugee information portal, Ukrainian citizens and their close family members who left Ukraine because of the armed conflict have a right of residence in Austria until March 4, 2028. This grants access to the labor market, housing, healthcare, and education.

The right applies ex lege — by law, not by card. It exists independently of whether an Ausweis für Vertriebene has been issued and remains valid after March 4, 2026, even if the card shows an older date. According to BBU, cards with the extended validity date will be mailed out automatically around February 2027 — no application is needed.

If a person already held protection in another EU or European country, they can still register as Vertriebene in Austria, but authorities require confirmation that the prior status has been closed. As of September 2026, this rule has applied since July 30, 2026, and every application is reviewed as if the person were applying for protection for the first time.

Practice around documents proving departure from Ukraine has not yet settled as of September 2026:

• at application, officials check for an exit stamp in the passport or the person's military registration status (deferral or removal from the register);
• whether a single stamp is sufficient remains unclear given the small number of cases processed so far;
• those who left without a stamp because none was issued at the border can request a certificate confirming an official, legal departure.

More on these requirements is in the article on Austria's new application rules.

What benefits and housing support are available in Austria

Basic support for displaced people in Austria is called Grundversorgung. According to the information sheet from Upper Austria, those renting housing receive rent compensation:

Displaced people are subject to health insurance through ÖGK; it can be arranged through Volkshilfe or Caritas in the relevant district.

Family allowance (Familienbeihilfe) and childcare benefit for Ukrainian evacuees applied on a limited basis through June 30, 2026. According to BBU, a new bill on extending this right is still being drafted, so applicants should check the current status on the BBU website before applying.

As of September 2026, the following practical conditions also apply:

• registration with the employment service AMS is required almost from day one — without it, a person cannot be placed in Grundversorgung;
• Vienna is not accepting new arrivals for reception: it does not run an active intake into its system;
• driving on Ukrainian license plates is allowed until June 2027, after which vehicle re-registration and tax payment become mandatory.

For more on accommodation across the federal states and working with AMS, see the overview of Austria's 2026 rules.

How to apply and what benefits are available in Belgium

According to Belgium's Immigration Office, the right to temporary protection covers:

• Ukrainian citizens and their family members whose main place of residence was in Ukraine before February 24, 2022;
• third-country nationals who legally resided in Ukraine before February 24, 2022 with a valid permanent residence permit.

Application steps:

1. Gather Ukrainian identity documents and proof of residence in Ukraine before and on February 24, 2022.
2. Appear in person at the Centre d'Enregistrement Protection Internationale, Rue Belliard 68, 1000 Brussels. The former center at Place Victor Horta 40 closed on August 1, 2025.
3. If conditions are met, a temporary protection certificate is issued immediately, granting the right to an A card valid for 1 year.
4. Optionally, receive a referral from Fedasil to temporary housing in one of Belgium's municipalities (IBZ).

As of September 2026, in practice, applicants with only a passport and no proof of residence in Ukraine are often turned away. The 1.5-month restriction on reapplying after a rejection has been lifted — a new application can be filed as soon as documents are gathered. Having held protection in another country is not by itself a reason for refusal. Reports requiring a military registration document have not been officially confirmed.

Official pages do not list benefit amounts. As of September 2026, financial assistance is reported at €800–1,000 per person per month, contingent on regular attendance of language courses, with rental deposits of two to three months' rent, and an independent apartment search typically taking six months to a year. More details in the guide to Belgium.

How to keep or obtain protection in Poland

The legal stay of Ukrainian citizens under temporary protection — that is, holders of a PESEL number with UKR status — has been extended until March 4, 2027. This was enshrined in law, signed by President Karol Nawrocki in February 2026.

Those who already hold status do not need new documents. Temporary protection certificates issued by the Immigration Office with a validity date through March 4, 2026 remain valid through March 4, 2027 without a separate application.

For new applicants, a deadline applies: anyone who entered Poland after March 5, 2026 and wants temporary protection must apply for a PESEL UKR within 30 days of entry. Missing this deadline means protection cannot be obtained through this procedure.

A separate group consists of people who received a PESEL UKR without presenting a photo ID document. They had to update their data by August 31, 2026; according to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, failing to update data means that, starting September 1, 2026, a person may lose temporary protection status — and with it, the right to stay in Poland. This deadline has already passed, so anyone in this group should check their PESEL status at their local gmina.

For more on how the law has changed and why the deadlines became stricter, see the article on the status of Ukrainians in Poland after Nawrocki's decisions.

Who in Poland qualifies for the 800+ child benefit

The 800+ benefit for Ukrainian citizens remains in place, but since February 1, 2026 it has come with an added work-activity requirement. According to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, all of the following conditions must be met simultaneously:

ZUS checks employment status automatically; no separate confirmation is needed.

A temporary exception exists for the unemployed. A Ukrainian citizen registered as unemployed and insured on that basis can receive 800+ for 3 months, or for 6 months if raising three or more children. After that period, keeping the benefit requires employment or self-employment.

A child who does not attend a Polish school (for example, studying remotely only at a Ukrainian school) does not meet the education condition. So before moving to Poland with school-age children, enrolling them in a Polish school is a separate step the benefit depends on.

What Ireland checks and what is happening with accommodation

No official Irish sources were found to verify this, so everything below reflects practice as of September 2026.

Three things are checked at application:

• presence in Ukraine at the start of the war — the main proof is a bank statement in a mobile app; officials look at the six to twelve months before the war began, looking for daily card spending in Ukraine rather than a single monthly transaction;
• a Ukrainian border service exit stamp showing departure from Ukraine — not an entry stamp into an EU country; this requirement applies to both men and women;
• a document from "Reserve+" — women need a record confirming they are not liable for military service, men need confirmation of removal from the register; outcomes have varied for those with a deferral or reservation.

More details on these requirements are in the article on what documents Ireland checks.

Housing has changed. The Department of Justice has drawn up a plan to wind down state accommodation for Ukrainians by the end of 2026, with a list of sites by county. Since 2025, termination of an accommodation contract means eviction rather than transfer to alternative housing. A special relocation form for vulnerable categories, including people with disabilities and pensioners, could be submitted until September 11, 2026 — that deadline has passed. The current accommodation program is planned to close in March 2027; moving afterward to the Temporary Protection Transition arrangement, based on available information, is possible only for those fully independent of state support. More details in the overview of Ireland's closure of accommodation centers.

How to avoid losing status when moving and what to plan for next

Status is most often lost at the intersection of countries and deadlines. Before moving or applying, check:

1. Whether prior protection has been closed. Austria only registers displaced people once confirmation is provided that status in another country has been closed. Belgium reviews applications from people who already held protection elsewhere, but still requires the same proof of residence in Ukraine.
2. Whether you have proof of departure and residence. An exit stamp, bank statements, and documents showing residence in Ukraine before February 24, 2022 are checked, in various combinations, in all four countries.
3. Whether a local deadline has passed. In Poland, there is a 30-day window to apply for a PESEL UKR after entry; the deadline to update PESEL UKR data, August 31, 2026, has already passed.
4. Whether benefits are tied to extra conditions: employment for the 800+ benefit in Poland, AMS registration in Austria, language courses in Belgium.

For those planning to stay long-term, it's worth keeping in mind that temporary protection and long-term residence in the EU are different statuses. Years spent under temporary protection do not automatically count toward the five-year period required for EU long-term resident status; rules for transitioning to other grounds — work, study, family — are set individually by each country. More details in the article on whether years under protection count toward permanent residence.