As of March 5, 2026, new regulations limiting aid for refugees from Ukraine are in force in Poland. The reform affects key areas: healthcare, social benefits, and rules for legalizing stay. Free treatment is now available only to selected groups, while other refugees must be covered by standard health insurance. The changes aim to tighten the system and make state budget expenditures more realistic in the face of the prolonged conflict.
Limitation of Free Medical Treatment
Free medical care is now available only to children, pregnant women, seniors, and persons with disabilities; others must have health insurance.
Verification of Social Benefits
The government introduces a tightening of the payment system to prevent the collection of benefits by persons who have left Polish territory.
Significant Funds for Education
Despite cuts in other areas, the Ministry of National Education allocates 500 million zloty to support the education of refugee children.
Challenges for Employers
Companies must adapt to new rules for verifying the status of refugees, raising concerns about the fluidity of HR processes.
The entry into force of the new regulations on March 5, 2026 definitively ends the period of extraordinary privileges enjoyed by Ukrainian citizens who arrived in Poland after the Russian invasion. The most important change is the reform of access to the public healthcare system. The previous freedom to use specialist doctors and hospitals has been replaced by a selective model. Free medical care has been maintained exclusively for minors, pregnant women, seniors, and persons with a significant degree of disability. The remaining part of the refugee population, in order to use public healthcare, must have standard health insurance, which forces them to take up legal employment. The government justifies these steps by the need to make budget expenditures more realistic and to prevent abuses, such as the collection of benefits by persons who have permanently left Poland. The new special law also modifies the rules for paying social benefits. At the same time, the Ministry of National Education has allocated PLN 500 million to support the integration of Ukrainian children in Polish schools, which shows a shift in emphasis from immediate financial aid to long-term assimilation. Employers, however, point to logistical challenges related to verifying the legal status of employees after the expiry of previous facilitations. The Polish Special Law from March 2022 was one of the most liberal legal acts in Europe, granting refugees almost identical rights to public services as Polish citizens possess.The changes affect nearly 1.5 million people currently residing in the territory of the Republic. Foreign media, including the German "Die Welt" and the French "Sud Ouest," widely comment on the Polish decision as a signal of a gradual reduction in support in the face of societal fatigue and the need for fiscal discipline. In the background of the reform, labor law issues also appear – the National Labor Inspectorate reminds of procedures in the case of delayed return from leave caused by war actions or canceled flights, which becomes a real problem for many employed refugees and their employers. 1,5 mln — people affected by new restrictions in granting aid Experts emphasize that phasing out the previous aid does not mean completely abandoning support, but rather its professionalization and adaptation to market standards. For many refugees, a key challenge will now be confirming their right of residence, as the government announces rigorous checks on periods of absence from the country. This reform is seen as a necessary step towards normalizing the status of refugees in the Polish legal system, ending the period of temporariness and introducing clear rules for social and economic coexistence.