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

How long does temporary protection last in 2026

The overall framework is set by the EU. EU Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1912 of 30 July 2026, published in the Official Journal of the EU on 4 August 2026, extended temporary protection for people displaced from Ukraine until 4 March 2028. The previous decision, 2025/1460, ran until 4 March 2027. Each country sets its own application procedure, document requirements, and benefit amounts.

Directive 2001/55/EC provides for temporary protection lasting up to 3 years in total. The EU Council extends it by qualified majority based on a proposal from the European Commission, each time for no more than 1 year. For Ukrainians, protection has been in place since 2022, meaning it has already lasted longer than that period in practice.

New restriction for new applicants. Decision 2026/1912 ties the granting of protection to fulfilling military service obligations in Ukraine (where confirmation exists). It does not apply to those who have been continuously under protection since before the decision took effect. Dates in official descriptions vary:

• according to the text of the decision on EUR-Lex, the restriction applies from 5 August 2026 and does not apply to those continuously under protection through 30 July 2026 inclusive;
• the Polish Office for Foreigners cites 31 July 2026 as the application date and 4 August 2026 as the cutoff for continuous status.

For those who already hold status, the extension generally doesn't require a new application. In Austria, the right of residence applies regardless of the date on the card. In Poland, UDSC confirms the extension of protection until 4 March 2028. In Ireland, those who hold another residence permit, such as a student or work permit, remain on it until it expires. After that, they can either renew that permit or switch to temporary protection for the remaining period set by the EU Council.

Status is lost not because of a date but because of unmet conditions: a missed filing deadline, 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 status in Poland

According to the Office for Foreigners (UDSC), EU Council Decision 2026/1912 took effect in Poland on 5 August 2026. It extends temporary protection for people displaced from Ukraine by 1 year — until 4 March 2028. Before that, a Polish law signed by President Karol Nawrocki in February 2026 had extended the legal stay of Ukrainian citizens with temporary protection — that is, those with a PESEL number with UKR status — until 4 March 2027.

Those who already hold the status don't need new documents. Temporary protection certificates issued by the Office for Foreigners with a validity date up to 4 March 2026 remain valid until 4 March 2027 without a separate application. How documents for the period through 2028 will be issued is worth monitoring on the UDSC website.

For new applicants, a deadline applies: anyone who entered Poland after 5 March 2026 and wants to obtain temporary protection must apply for a PESEL UKR within 30 days of the day of entry. Missing the deadline means protection won't be granted under this procedure. In addition, new applicants are subject to the EU restriction tied to military service obligations in Ukraine. According to UDSC, it applies from 31 July 2026, but not to those who had continuous protection status through 4 August 2026 inclusive.

A separate group consists of those who received a PESEL UKR without presenting a photo ID document. They were required to update their data by 31 August 2026. According to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, failing to update by 1 September 2026 could result in losing temporary protection and, with it, the right to stay in Poland. That deadline has already passed, so people in this group should check their PESEL status at their local gmina office.

For more on how the law changed and why the deadline became stricter, see our 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 does Ireland check, and what's happening with housing?

No official Irish sources were found to confirm this, so everything below reflects the situation as of September–October 2026 based on practical experience.

Three things are checked when applying:

• presence in Ukraine at the start of the war — the main proof is a bank statement from a mobile banking app; officials look at the six months to a year before the war began and check for daily card spending in Ukraine, not just occasional transactions once a month;
• a Ukrainian border service exit stamp from Ukraine — not an entry stamp into an EU country; this requirement applies to both men and women;
• a document from the "Reserve+" app — women need a record confirming they're not liable for military service, men need confirmation of deregistration from military records; decisions on deferrals or exemptions ('bronia') have varied.

For more details on these requirements, see what documents Ireland checks.

The housing situation has changed. Ireland's Department of Justice has drawn up a plan to phase out state accommodation for Ukrainians by the end of 2026, with a list of facilities by county. Almost all hotels and hostels where Ukrainians stayed for free are set to close by March 2027. The IRP program, which has housed around 42,000 Ukrainians, runs only until 31 March 2027.

Since 2025, terminating an accommodation contract means eviction rather than a transfer to other housing. A special relocation form for vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities and pensioners, could be submitted until 11 September 2026 — that deadline has now passed.

Funding is also being cut. As of October 2026, Ireland's migration budget is planned to be reduced by €682 million (38%), of which €430 million comes from programs for Ukrainians. Aid for Ukrainians is set at €177 million from 1 January 2027, down from €1.2 billion in 2024.

An alternative to state accommodation is the Temporary Protection Transition Scheme. According to available information, applications can be submitted from September 2026, status is granted for 2 years, but only on condition of full financial self-sufficiency, meaning no reliance on state support.

For more details, see the breakdowns on the closure of accommodation centers for Ukrainians in Ireland and cuts to aid for Ukrainians in Ireland in 2027.

How to avoid losing your status when relocating, and what to plan next

Status is most often lost at the border between countries and deadlines. Before relocating or applying, check:

1. Whether your previous protection is closed. Austria registers relocating people only with confirmation that status in another country has been closed. Belgium reviews applications from those who already had protection elsewhere, but still requires documents about residence in Ukraine.
2. Whether you fall under the EU's new restriction. For new applicants, Decision 2026/1912 ties the granting of protection to fulfillment of military service obligations in Ukraine. Continuous status from the period before late July–early August 2026 is exempt from this restriction. Interrupting your status when relocating may turn you into a new applicant.
3. Whether you have proof of departure and residence. An exit stamp, bank statements, and documents confirming residence in Ukraine before February 24, 2022, are checked in all four countries in various combinations.
4. Whether a local deadline has passed. In Poland, you have 30 days after entry to apply for a PESEL UKR. The deadline for updating PESEL UKR data, August 31, 2026, has already passed.
5. Whether benefits are tied to additional conditions: employment for the 800+ payment in Poland, registration with AMS in Austria, language courses in Belgium.

Those planning to stay long-term should keep in mind that temporary protection and long-term residence in the EU are different statuses. Years spent under temporary protection are not automatically counted 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. For more details, see the article on whether years of protection count toward permanent residence.

The transition is already being discussed at the EU level. According to a European Parliamentary Research Service briefing791473.html), the EU is preparing an orderly exit from the temporary protection regime alongside its extension, for when circumstances allow it.

On October 13, 2026, the EU Committee of the Regions, at its 173rd plenary session, adopted an official opinion on preparing a gradual transition of Ukrainians from temporary protection to other residence permits. As of October 2026, the opinion is known to contain nine recommendations. Among them is a simplified status for pensioners and mothers with children, with no income or employment contract requirements.

The Committee is an advisory body, so these recommendations are only proposals to EU institutions and member states. There is currently nowhere to apply for such a status. The deadlines and procedures described above remain in force until the EU Council or individual states adopt relevant decisions.

For more details, see the articles on the Committee of the Regions' position on the transition from temporary protection, on what will happen to Ukrainians after 2028, and on the transition from temporary protection to permanent residence in the EU.