Overview of the main changes since the previous report update

The report was previously updated in July 2025.

International protection

Asylum procedure

• Statistics: in 2025, 13,232 people applied for international protection in Poland, including 11,129 first time applicants. The majority (75%) were nationals of Ukraine and Belarus. The in merit protection rate stood at 48% (see Statistics).
• Suspension of the right to asylum: On 27 March 2025, the right to apply for international protection at the Belarusian border was suspended for the first time for a period of 60 days. Since then, the suspension remained continuously in force throughout 2025. It applied both to individuals crossing the border irregularly and to those presenting themselves at official border crossing points. Not all interim measures granted by ECtHR to applicants in this context were respected by the authorities. Reports also emerged of authorities refusing to accept applications from persons already deep inside the country if they had entered through the Polish-Belarusian border. In 2025, according to the authorities applications from 420 individuals were not accepted on the basis of suspension of the right to asylum. Applications for international protection from 71 foreigners belonging to vulnerable groups were accepted. The courts of Białystok and Olsztyn came to opposing conclusions as to the compatibility of the ban with national, European and international law (see Access to the territory and pushbacks).
• Ban on access to the Polish-Belarusian border: In 2025, the ban on staying in the buffer zone along the border with Belarus remained in force and was repeatedly extended. The restrictions continued to prevent civil society organisations from effectively providing humanitarian and legal assistance to people seeking protection. Most non-governmental organisations were denied permits to enter the zone, and the access of the few entities allowed remained limited, which organisations considered insufficient in light of the ongoing crisis (see Access to the territory and pushbacks).
• Violence at the border and pushbacks: Reports of violence and pushbacks at the Polish-Belarusian border continued in 2025. Testimonies collected by civil society organisations indicate brutality by officers, including physical and verbal abuse, humiliation, intimidation, and destruction of property. Cases were documented involving the use of pepper spray, detaining people in freezing conditions after forcibly removing their clothing, as well as numerous injuries caused by razor wire and falls from the border fence. Since the beginning of the crisis in mid-2021 until 10 December 2025, at least 103 deaths have been verified, including 14 in 2025 alone. In February 2025, a hearing was held before the Grand Chamber of the ECtHR in the case of A. and Others v. Poland, concerning 32 Afghan nationals trapped in the border zone in 2021 (see Access to the territory and pushbacks).
• Criminalisation of humanitarian assistance: Significant court rulings regarding the criminalisation of humanitarian aid were delivered in 2025. On 8 September 2025, the “Hajnówka Five” activists, who were accused of facilitating illegal residence while providing aid, were acquitted. In the same month, another volunteer was acquitted after attempting to help a Somali national submit an asylum application before he was pushed back. Despite that, humanitarian workers continued to face the risk of criminalisation for their activities in the border region (see Access to the territory and pushbacks).
• Statistics at the border: According to Border Guard statistics, 2,751 individuals submitted applications for international protection at Polish border crossing points located at the EU external borders in 2025. Among those arriving from Belarus who successfully lodged an application despite the bans and pushbacks, the majority did so at the Terespol border crossing (408 persons). During the same period at the Polish-Belarusian border, the Border Guard reported 27,681 “prevented attempts of illegal border crossing”. The number of formal refusals of entry reached 25,115. Furthermore, 11,384 people were returned to Belarus on the basis of the Regulation on cross-border movement, while 2,065 orders to leave Poland were issued under the amended Law on Foreigners (see Access to the territory and pushbacks).
• Implementation of the new Pact on Asylum and Migration: In February 2025, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reiterated his opposition to the Pact on Migration and Asylum; stating his government would not implement the Pact if it involved mandatory migrant quotas. In November 2025, the European Commission officially recognised Poland as a country at risk of migratory pressure. This designation granted Poland priority access to the EU Migration Support Toolbox. Furthermore, due to the cumulative migratory pressures experienced over the previous five years, the Commission noted that Poland would have the possibility to request a full or partial deduction from its contributions to the Solidarity Pool for the upcoming year.
• Length of first instance procedure and pending cases: In 2025, Poland recorded 13,232 applications for international protection. The average processing time for a decision on the merits increased significantly to 202 days, compared with 131 days in 2024. The number of decisions issued within the standard 6-month time limit decreased sharply to 5,765, down from 11,409 in 2024. Furthermore, as of 30 September 2025, the running of statutory time limits for handling international protection cases was suspended until 4 March 2026, pursuant to the Law on Assistance to Ukrainian Nationals (see Regular procedure).
• Dublin procedure: Poland continues to be primarily a receiving country under the Dublin system. The Office for Foreigners confirmed that throughout 2025 no requests for transfers were sent to Italy or Greece. During 2025, courts in Germany and the Netherlands annulled several transfers to Poland. A court in The Hague reportedly stated there were “serious grounds to fear” that the Polish asylum procedure contains systemic flaws which could result in inhuman or degrading treatment see Dublin procedure).
• Return procedure: In November 2025, Frontex halted an operation to return Pakistani nationals from Poland. This decision was made following an intervention by an NGO, which informed the agency of a possible violation of the principle of non-refoulement and the fact that Poland had failed to ensure these migrants’ right to apply for asylum (see Return procedure).
• Identification of vulnerable applicants: in 2025, NGOs continued to highlight the lack of an effective vulnerability identification system, due to the parameters and practice of the current mechanisms (see Identification).
• Unaccompanied children: In 2025, 295 unaccompanied children applied for international protection in Poland. The law regarding age assessment remained unchanged, continuing to rely on strictly medical methods rather than incorporating psychological or environmental factors. Furthermore, while unaccompanied children are technically exempt from the suspension of the right to apply for asylum, reports indicated they were often subjected to pushbacks without undergoing proper medical age examinations (see Age assessment)

Reception conditions

• Access to reception conditions: The humanitarian crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border continued throughout 2025, leaving many individuals without access to material reception conditions, including medical assistance. Crucially, on 27 March 2025, the right to apply for international protection at the Belarusian border was suspended for the first time.This led to cases where foreigners were denied the right to apply for asylum, effectively excluding them from material assistance available to registered applicants. The ban on entering the buffer zone remained in force in 2025 and was extended, and thus continued to prevent NGOs from providing effective humanitarian and medical aid (see Access to the territory and push backs and Reception Conditions).
• Withdrawal and Reduction of Aid: In 2025, to comply with CJEU jurisprudence (Haqbin ruling), provisions allowing for the total withdrawal of material reception conditions in cases of serious breaches of center rules were repealed (see Reduction or withdrawal of reception conditions).
• Education: In September 2025, 1,112 asylum-seeking children attended public schools and kindergartens in Poland (see Access to education).
• Health care: In 2025, medical assistance for asylum applicants was provided by the current provider of medical services. No changes were made compared to the previous year regarding the working hours and availability of medical staff. A change coming into effect on 1 January 2026 ensures that children of asylum seekers born in Poland are entitled to medical care from the day of their birth, provided an application for international protection is submitted on their behalf. In 2025, monitoring reports continued to document cases of individuals in need of urgent medical care who were subjected to pushbacks and remained without access to treatment, including persons reporting serious injuries following apprehension at the border (see Health care).
• Special reception needs of vulnerable groups: Still, in 2025, finding placements in appropriate facilities for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children remained a challenge (see Special reception needs of vulnerable groups).

Detention of asylum seekers

• Detention of vulnerable applicants: Children with families are still detained and the best interest of a child principle is commonly not taken into account in court proceedings; no identification system for victims of violence is in place, and victims of torture are still in practice placed in detention centres despite the binding regulations prohibiting detention in these cases. Detention of asylum seekers often remains automatic in practice, with courts insufficiently examining individual circumstances and alternatives to detention. Foreigners are not brought before courts for a personal hearing, when detention is prolonged. Expert opinions and medical or psychological documentation submitted in the proceedings are frequently not duly taken into account, and courts rarely appoint independent experts to assess vulnerability, trauma or the impact of detention on the applicant’s health (see Detention of vulnerable applicants).
• Conditions in detention centres: Psychological services are offered in detention centres only by specialists hired by the Border Guard, which often discourages persons in need from requesting support due to lack of trust (see Conditions in detention facilities).

Content of international protection

• Naturalisation: Since 1 July 2025, certificates of completion of post-secondary schools with Polish as the language of instruction are no longer sufficient documentation to confirm knowledge of the Polish language. The Human Rights Commissioner highlighted how many people invested time and money in their education expecting the certificate to service this purpose, and will thus be negatively affected by the change, recommending that the authorities reconsider transitional provisions. Moreover, in 2025 the fee for obtaining citizenship increased from 219 PLN / approx. 52 EUR to 1,000 PLN / approx. 236 EUR. (see Naturalisation).
• Cessation and withdrawal: In 2025, 8 people had their refugee status ceased or withdrawn (7 Russian citizens, 1 Cuban citizen), 73 beneficiaries had their subsidiary protection status ceased or withdrawn (including 33 Ukrainian citizens, 27 Russian citizens, 12 Belarusian citizens, 1 Afghan citizen) (see Cessation and review of protection status and Withdrawal of protection status).
• Family reunification: as of 1 June 2025, the notion of ‘family member’ was expanded to include parents of minor beneficiaries of protection and, under certain conditions, siblings of minor beneficiaries. In 2025, according to the Office of Foreigners, 2,472 beneficiaries applied for family reunification and 233 permits were issued for family members (see Family reunification – Criteria and conditions).

Temporary protection 

The information given hereafter constitute a short summary of the Polish Report on Temporary Protection, for further information, see Annex on Temporary Protection.

Temporary protection procedure

• Extension of the temporary protection regime: Temporary protection is valid until 4 March 2027 for all temporary protection beneficiaries.
• Registration: The stay of all temporary protection beneficiaries is considered legal from the day of their entry to Poland. They are all eligible to receive ‘PESEL UKR’. The application must be submitted in 30 days from crossing the Polish border. Otherwise, the protection expires.

Content of temporary protection

• Residence permits: Since 5 March 2026, all temporary protection beneficiaries are entitled to apply for ‘PESEL UKR’ and have access to ‘Diia.pl’. No new certificates confirming enjoying temporary protection are issued starting from that date, however, the ones issued before remained valid.
• Access to asylum and other legal statuses: In 2025, the Office for Foreigners tightened its policy towards Ukrainian asylum seekers. In consequence, 2,847 Ukrainian nationals were refused international protection compared to 1,524 who were granted international protection. From 4 May 2026, some temporary protection beneficiaries can apply for a three-year residence permit called the “CUKR card”.
• Housing: Since November 2025, access to collective accommodation has been available only to some vulnerable persons. The list of eligible vulnerable persons was further limited in March 2026. Temporary protection beneficiaries can no longer access reception centres for asylum seekers.
• Access to the labour market: All temporary protection beneficiaries must have their work notified by their employer in 7 days from the commencement of their job. All temporary protection beneficiaries can run a business under (more restrictive) rules on business activity applicable to non-Polish nationals.
• Social welfare: Some of the benefits are now available to temporary protection beneficiaries only if they are active on the Polish labour market.
• Healthcare: Access to healthcare was significantly limited in March 2026 and now is provided only to torture survivors, rape victims, children, persons living the collective accommodation centres, pregnant women, and persons who were injured in the war in Ukraine.