20 жовтня 2021 року Урядовим Центром Легалізації зареєстровано законопроєкт про внесення змін до Закону «Про допомогу громадянам України у зв’язку зі збройним конфліктом на території цієї країни» та деяких інших нормативних актів («Проект»). Проект передбачає низку змін, що стосуються становища іноземців, у тому числі їх перебування на території Польщі.

Цей алерт інформує про найважливіші зміни, що регламентовані Проектом, які стосуються легалізації перебування іноземців та змін до правил працевлаштування громадян Росії.

 

СКАСУВАННЯ ПРОДОВЖЕННЯ ДІЇ ОКРЕМИХ ВИДІВ ДОКУМЕНТІВ ЩОДО ПРАВ НА ПРОЖИВАННЯ У ЗВ’ЯЗКУ З COVID-19

Проект передбачає скасування чинного механізму продовження дії документів, які надають дозвіл на проживання іноземців, термін дії яких закінчився під час стану епідемічної загрози або стану епідемії, та продовження яких було запроваджено Законом «Про спеціальні заходи, спрямовані на запобігання та протидію поширенню COVID-19, інших інфекційних захворювань та спричинених ними надзвичайних ситуацій» («Закон про спеціальні заходи щодо COVID-19»). Перш за все, це стосується національних віз і шенгенських віз (включаючи візи, видані іншими країнами Шенгенської угоди), посвідок на проживання та тимчасових посвідчень особи іноземця.

Звертаємо увагу на те, що з набранням чинності вищезгаданих змін припиняються також існуючі права щодо продовження терміну дії документів, які включають не лише право легального перебування в Польщі, але в деяких випадках також, наприклад, доступ до ринку праці (звільнення від обов’язку отримання дозволу на працю) або право вести підприємницьку діяльність в Польщі в певній формі (наприклад, у формі фізичної особи-підприємця).

Стосовно громадян України та їх подружжя продовження строку дії посвідки на проживання передбачено також іншим нормативно-правовим актом – Законом «Про допомогу громадянам України у зв’язку зі збройним конфліктом на території цієї країни» («Спеціальний закон»). Проект передбачає зміну засад продовження перебування громадян України та їх подружжя підставі Спеціального закону, про що йдеться нижче.

 

ВИЗНАЧЕННЯ СТРОКУ ПРОДОВЖЕННЯ ДОКУМЕНТІВ НА ПРОЖИВАННЯ ЗГІДНО ЗІ СПЕЦІАЛЬНИМ ЗАКОНОМ

Виключно стосовно громадян України та їх подружжя Спеціальний закон детально регулює продовження строку дії посвідок на проживання, термін дії яких закінчився після 24 лютого 2022 року.

Законопроект передбачає продовження терміну дії національних або шенгенських віз (у тому числі виданих іншими державами Шенгенської зони) і дозволів на тимчасове перебування (включаючи видані на їх основі посвідки на проживання) до 24 серпня 2023 року.

 

ДОЗВОЛІВ НА ТИМЧАСОВЕ ПРОЖИВАННЯ ДЛЯ ГРОМАДЯН УКРАЇНИ СПЕЦІАЛЬНИМ ЗАКОНОМ НЕ ПЕРЕДБАЧЕНО

Спеціальний закон у чинній редакції надає право громадянам України та їхнім подружжям, які прибули до Польщі починаючи з 24 лютого 2022 року, подати заяву на отримання окремого виду дозволу на тимчасове проживання строком на 3 роки. Право подати заяву на отримання дозволу на тимчасове проживання відповідно до Спеціального закону набувається не раніше ніж через 9 місяців з дати в’їзду та не пізніше 24 серпня 2023 року.

Проект передбачає відкликання можливості подання заяви на отримання вищезазначеного дозволу на проживання в спеціальному режимі на підставі Спеціального закону. Обґрунтуванням запропонованих змін є надання електронному документу (доступному за допомогою diia.pl) характеру дозволу на перебування в розумінні ст. 2  п. 16 літ. b розпорядження Європейського Парламенту та Ради (ЄС) 2016/399 від 9 березня 2016 року щодо уніфікованого кодексу правил, що регулюють пересування осіб через кордони (прикордонний кодекс Шенгену). Зважаючи на вищезазначене, не буде необхідності подавати заяву на отримання посвідки на тимчасове проживання за спеціальною процедурою відповідно до Спеціального закону.

 

ПРОПОНОВАНА ДАТА НАБРАННЯ ЧИННОСТІ ЛЕГАЛІЗАЦІЙНИХ ЗМІН

Законопроект передбачає набуття чинності положеннями про продовження терміну дії документів, що надають дозвіл на проживання на підставі Закону про спеціальні заходи щодо COVID-19 зі спливом 30 днів з дня опублікування акта у Віснику Законів.

Стосовно продовження терміну дії документів, які надають дозвіл на проживання та відкликання можливості подання заяви про тимчасове перебування на підставі Спеціального закону, проектом передбачено набрання чинності змінами з дня опублікування закону у Віснику законів.

 

ЗМІНИ В ПРАВИЛАХ ПРАЦЕВЛАШТУВАННЯ ГРОМАДЯН РОСІЙСЬКОЇ ФЕДЕРАЦІЇ

На підставі Розпорядження Міністра у справах сім’ї та соціальної політики від 25 жовтня 2022 року, про внесення змін до Розпорядження стосовно країн, до громадян яких підлягають застосуванню деякі положення про дозвіл на сезонну роботу та положення щодо декларації про доручення роботи іноземцю («Розпорядження»), з каталогу громадян країн, яким дозволено працювати в Польщі в спрощеному порядку, на підставі декларації про доручення роботи, вилучено громадян Російської Федерації.

Вказані зміни набули чинності 28 жовтня 2022 року. Їх запровадження по суті означає необхідність отримати дозвіл на працю перед тим, як довірити роботу громадянину Росії в Польщі.

Також інформуємо, що декларації про доручення роботи іноземцю, внесені до реєстру декларацій до 28 жовтня 2022 року, залишаються в силі. Доручення роботи громадянину Росії на підставі декларації про доручення роботи буде можливе виключно протягом строку і на умовах, зазначених у декларації. Подальша зміна умов працевлаштування вимагатиме отримання дозволу на працю.

Внаслідок запроваджених змін наразі право працювати в Польщі на підставі декларації про доручення мають лише громадяни п’яти країн, що не входять до ЄС, а саме громадяни Вірменії, Білорусі, Грузії, Молдови та України (громадяни України додатково мають окремий режим працевлаштування, передбачений Спеціальним законом).

У разі виникнення питань, пов’язаних з освітленою проблематикою, будь ласка, зв’яжіться з Анною Матієвською з команди M&A.

We do not want to be indifferent to the situation of our colleagues who overnight lost the opportunity to practice their profession – we have started a secondment programme for lawyers from Ukraine, marking the beginning of one of the most important stages in WKB’s 18-year history.

The WKB team has been joined by: Tetiana Vasina (lawyer), Liudmyla Deyneko (attorney-at-law), and Yuliia Petrenko (last year’s graduate of Kyiv University).

The knowledge and experience of lawyers from Ukraine will help us to better understand the needs of clients operating in eastern markets, and in the future will contribute to comprehensive support for Polish clients in Ukraine.

We hope that more lawyers from Ukraine will join us soon and the internship programme will become a good foundation for the creation of the Ukrainian Desk in WKB.

On 24 March 2022, the Law of Ukraine “On the Arrangement of Employment Relations under the Martial Law” No. 2136-IX of 15 March 2022 (“Law No. 2136“), which defines the peculiarities of employment relations during martial law, entered into force.

According to paragraph 2 of Section “Final Provisions” of Law No. 2136, Chapter XIX “Final Provisions” of the Labour Code of Ukraine (the “Labour Code“) was supplemented by provisions stating that the restrictions and peculiarities defined by Law No. 2136 apply to the labour relations during the martial law, imposed in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On Legal Regime of Martial Law”. That said, in relation to certain labour issues during martial law the provisions of Law No. 2136 will prevail over the provisions of the Labour Code.

 

  1. Form of an Employment Agreement and Probation Period 

According to Article 2 of Law No. 2136, during martial law the parties can agree on the form of the employment agreement. Thus, temporarily, the provisions of Article 24 of the Labour Code, according to which the employment agreement is generally concluded in writing, do not apply.

In addition, Law No. 2136 amended the provisions of Article 26 of the Labour Code regarding the ban on setting the probation period for certain categories of employees (in particular, persons under the age of eighteen, pregnant women; single mothers with a child under the age of fourteen or a child with a disability, etc.). Specifically, during martial law, any category of employees may be put on probation at the time of their recruitment.

Also, according to Law No. 2136, the employer may enter into fixed-term employment agreements with new employees for the period of martial law or for the period of replacement of temporarily absent employees, including in cases of actual absence of employees who were evacuated to another area, employees on leave, employees during downtime, temporarily disabled employees or whose location is temporarily unknown.

 

  1. Change of Essential Working Conditions

According to Article 3 of the Law No. 2136, during martial law, the employer has the right to transfer the employee to another work, which is not stipulated in a respective employment agreement, without the employee’s consent (except for the transfer to work in another area where active hostilities are taking place). Also, the requirement of Article 32 of the Labour Code to provide a 2-months’ prior notice regarding a change of essential working conditions does not apply.

Law No. 2136 provides for the following mandatory conditions for change of essential working conditions:

 

  1. Working Hours and Rest Period

According to Law No. 2136, the following provisions of the Labour Code do not apply during the martial law: Article 53 (work duration before holidays, non-working days, and weekends), part 1 of Article 65 (overtime limits), parts 3 to 5 of Article 67 (transfer of weekends), and Articles 71-73 (holidays and non-working days).

Importantly, during martial law an employee’s normal working hours shall not exceed 60 hours per week and 50 hours per week for employees to whom the law applies the reduced working hours (such as employees involved in work with harmful working conditions – in accordance with Article 51 of the Labour Code, etc.).

The employer sets out the start and end time of a working day (shift) and may reduce the duration of the weekly uninterrupted rest to 24 hours (to compare, under Article 70 of the Labour Code the duration of the weekly uninterrupted rest must be at least 42 hours).

 

  1. Vacations

Law No. 2136 introduces important alterations in relation to vacations, namely:

 

  1. Suspension of Employment Agreement

Article 13 of the Law No. 2136 provides for a new concept of suspension of the employment agreement. According to Article 13 of the Law No. 2136, suspension of the employment agreement is a temporary release of the employer from the obligation to provide the employee with work and a temporary release of the employee from his/her obligation to perform work under the employment agreement. The employment agreement may be suspended due to the military aggression against Ukraine which prevents the employee from performing his/her duties under the employment agreement.

As noted by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine in its commentary to the Law No. 2136- (commentary as of 23 March 2022), the main condition for suspension of the employment agreement is an absolute impossibility for the employer to provide the work, and for the employee – to perform the same. Thus, any absence of work or downtime cannot serve as a reason for suspension of the employment agreement. Importantly, suspension of the employment agreement does not entail termination of employment relations, thus, the parties shall comply with other terms of the employment agreement (for instance, concerning confidentiality of information or intellectual property rights).

The Law No. 2136 does not establish neither a procedure for suspension of the employment agreement nor notification deadlines. At the same time, the Law No. 2136 provides that the employer and the employee should, to the extent possible, inform each other in any available way. Thus, both the employer and the employee can initiate the suspension of the employment agreement. Given that a lot of employment agreements were concluded in writing (which was the general rule before imposition of martial law in Ukraine), in our opinion, the suspension of the employment agreement should be formalised in writing as well (for instance, as applicable, by written notice to the relevant party, an additional agreement to the employment agreement (contract) or via e-mail).

The Law No. 2136 provides that expenses for reimbursement of salary, guarantee and compensation payments to employees for the period of suspension of the employment agreement shall be borne by the country conducting military aggression. However, the procedure and mechanism for such reimbursement is not established yet. In addition, in the case of non-payment of salary, the employer will face an issue regarding single social contribution (the “single contribution“). In the opinion of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, if in case of suspension of the employment agreement the employer suspends the payment of salary, there is no ground for charging the single contribution. At the same time, there are no additional official clarification from the tax authorities how to reflect the grounds for non-payment of the single contribution in case of suspension of the employment agreement.

 

  1. Termination of Employment Agreement

Termination of the employment agreement at the initiative of the employee

Law No. 2136 provides that the employee may terminate the employment agreement upon employee’s own initiative without two-weeks prior notice due to the hostilities in areas where an enterprise, institution, or organisation is located, as well as due to the existence of a threat to life and health of the employee. In this case, the employee may terminate the employment agreement on its own initiative within the time specified in the employee’s application.

As an exception, the abovementioned amendments do not apply to employees that are engaged to perform socially useful works during martial law or work at critical infrastructure facilities. According to the Law of Ukraine “On Critical Infrastructure” No. 1882-IX of 15 November 2021, critical infrastructure objects are infrastructure objects, systems, their parts, and totality, which are important for the economy, national security and defence, disruption of which may harm vital national interests, in particular, energy and water supply facilities, transport and information communications facilities, chemical and healthcare facilities, etc.

Termination of the employment agreement at the initiative of the employer

During martial law, the employee may be dismissed at the initiative of the employer even during an employee’s leave or temporary disability (except for maternity leave or parental leave to care for a child up to the age of three). The date of dismissal has to be the first working day after the end of the temporary disability, specified in the document on temporary disability, or the first working day after the end of the employee’s leave.

In case of any questions please contact Yevheniy Deyneko, Managing Partner and Andriy Olenyuk, Partner.

 

The alert can be downloaded HERE.

 

Driven by our commitment to Ukraine and Ukrainian people, we decided to share our pages with our colleagues from EVERLEGAL, the law firm from Kyiv. From now on, we will be publishing materials prepared by them both on our website and on our social media profile. By doing this, will not only give voice to those, who need our assistance right now but also we are giving the most complimentary legal knowledge to our clients.

EVERLEGAL,  established in 2015, is the independent Ukrainian sector-focused law firm, one of TOP-10 in Ukraine and consists of 50 lawyers and attorneys who provide clients with high quality legal services. EVERLEGAL expertise and experience are evidenced by the leading positions in international rankings (Chambers Europe & Global, Legal 500 EMEA, IFLR1000, Best Lawyers) in Energy, Corporate and M&A, Employment, Banking & Finance and Dispute Resolution practices. EVERLEGAL team joins forces and continues to work, support the army, help the people who suffered during the full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine.

In first EVERLEGAL information, you can find the summary on employment matters made in a Q&A format in Ukrainian and English languages. 

At the same time, we would like to warmly welcome the EVERLEGAL team who is preparing the information: 

EMPLOYMENT DURING WAR IN UKRAINE – Q&A

Can an employer on its own initiative dismiss a mobilised employee during martial law?

No. According to Part 3 of Article 119 of the Labour Code of Ukraine (the “Labour Code“), a mobilised employee (until the end of a special period or until the day of an actual dismissal of such an employee from military service) retains the place of his/her work, position and average salary. The average salary of such an employee has to be calculated in accordance with the Procedure for Calculating the Average Salary, approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine № 100 dated 8 February 1995 (as further amended).

According to Article 1 of the Law of Ukraine “On Defence of Ukraine”, a special period commences from the moment of announcement of mobilisation or martial law in Ukraine and covers mobilisation time, wartime and partial reconstruction period after the end of hostilities. On 24 February 2022 the President of Ukraine by his Orders imposed martial law and declared mobilisation.

There is a special ground in the labour legislation of Ukraine, which provides for the possibility of dismissal of an employee in case of enlistment in the military (paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Article 36 of the Labour Code), but it does not apply during a special period.

Can an employer dismiss a mobilised employee if the fixed-term employment agreement (contract) expires during martial law?

No. During the special period, such an employee retains the place of work, position and average salary (part 3 of Article 119 of the Labour Code), even if the term of the employment agreement (contract) has expired. Once the special period ends, the employer has the right to dismiss such an employee.

Can an employer dismiss a mobilised employee due to liquidation of the company?

Yes. The liquidation of the company constitutes the ground for dismissal, inter alia, of mobilised employees (paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Article 40 of the Labour Code).

Ukrainian law does not oblige the employer to further employ such dismissed mobilised employees. However, the employer is still obliged to ensure other labour guarantees provided for in the event of dismissal of employees due to company’s liquidation (for example, employer’s obligation to notify employees of dismissal in two months prior to such dismissal, to submit the information on the planned mass dismissal to local authorities of the State Employment Service of Ukraine, etc.).

What actions should the employer take in case of mobilisation of the company’s director?

The director has to issue an order on transfer of the director’s powers to the deputy director or other employee for the period when the director is absent, if the company’s charter (articles of association) provide for the possibility of transferring powers by the director. If such an employee (deputy director) is not registered as an authorised person (a “signatory”) in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs and Public Associations (the “Register”), it is advisory to additionally issue a power of attorney to such an employee (deputy director).

If the company’s charter (articles of association) does not provide for the director’s right to transfer powers and the relevant employee (deputy director) is not recorded as an authorised person (a “signatory”) in the Register, the transfer of the director’s powers to another employee (deputy director) will require a decision of the general (shareholders’) meeting or supervisory board (if the supervisory board has the relevant authority to approve such decisions). If possible, it is advisable to record information on such an employee (deputy director) as an authorised person (signatory) in the Register.

The transfer of the director’s powers to the other employee (deputy director) does not require a legal change of director or introduction of the changes to the information on the director in the Register, because the mobilised director remains employed and retains his position.

Can an employer dismiss an employee who has entered into a territorial defence under a volunteer contract?

No. Volunteers of territorial defence (who has entered into the relevant contract) retain their work places, positions and average salaries (Part 3 of Article 119 of the Labour Code). If the territorial defence volunteers have not entered into the relevant contracts, the said guarantees of labour legislation do not apply to them.

Can an employer dismiss an employee for “absenteeism” because of the employee’s absence at work due to hostilities and related circumstances?

No. The dismissal of an employee who does not show up at work due to hostilities and related circumstances for “absenteeism” is prohibited (paragraph 4 of Part 1 of Article 40 of the Labour Code).

The law does not explicitly prohibit the dismissal for “absenteeism” of an employee who does not show up for work in an area where there are no active hostilities. However, dismissal for “absenteeism” is possible when there is no “valid reason” for an employee’s absence at work. Although currently there is no official interpretation of “valid reasons” in the context of martial law in Ukraine, the State Labour Service of Ukraine does not recommend dismissing employees for “absenteeism” during the martial law.

What actions should an employer take if an employee is absent at work due to hostilities and related circumstances?

If employees have moved or gone abroad, are volunteering or cooperating with the territorial defence(but have not signed a contract of the volunteer of territorial defence), or are otherwise unable to perform their labour duties due to other circumstances related to hostilities, the employer has the following several options for formalising the status of such employees:

to record the absence of the employee as “absence for unknown reasons” (Ukrainian symbol “НЗ”) or as “other reasons for absence” (Ukrainian symbol “I”) and adjust the timesheet accordingly after establishing that the reasons for absence were valid;

to formalise paid leave (annual, social) or unpaid leave (under agreement of the parties or mandatory unpaid leave in accordance with the list and terms of such leave provided by law);

What actions should the employer take if the company stops working due to hostilities?

The employer must declare a business interruption (downtime) (Part 1 of Article 34 of the Labour Code). During the downtime, the employer has to pay salaries to the employees in the amount of at least two-thirds of the tariff rate set for the employee category in accordance with Part 1 of Article 113 of the Labour Code.

In case of downtime, the employer may, taking into account the speciality and qualifications of employees and upon their consent, transfer them:

Even during downtime, the mobilised workers and/or volunteers of the territorial defence (under the contract) retain their workplaces, positions and average salary until the end of the special period.

In case of any questions please contact Yevheniy Deyneko, Managing Partner and Andriy Olenyuk, Partner.

The alert can be downloaded HERE

What does carriage of goods for humanitarian purposes mean? Does it require a license?

Carriage of goods for humanitarian purposes means carriage by means of a vehicle in order to provide aid and support needed due to the existence of a crisis. The goods which may be carried in this respect are all goods understood to be necessary aid and support to persons. In case of doubts as to whether given goods satisfy the conditions for humanitarian transport, one can send the appropriate request to a local humanitarian aid coordinator indicated by the National Revenue Administration Information Centre (Krajowa Informacja Skarbowa)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also offered to coordinate humanitarian aid efforts, which will simplify the supply and receipt of humanitarian aid and coordinate such activities. Once notified, the Ministry will deal with all customs formalities related to export and transit.

No permit is required for carriage by means of a road vehicle weighing less than 2.5 tons.

What constitutes carriage of goods for hire or reward and other than for hire or reward? What counts as carriage?

In principle, carriage is a paid activity, constituting an element of a given entity’s business. In order to engage in carriage in Poland, one must hold the appropriate licenses and/or permits, and in the case of carriage by air, one must also hold the appropriate certificate (an Air Operator’s Certificate; Certyfikat Przewoźnika Lotniczego). Documents concerning carriage by road are issued by the appropriate county administrator (starosta) for the entrepreneur’s registered office or the General Inspector of Road Transport (Główny Inspektor Transportu Drogowego), or, in the case of carriage by air, the President of the Civil Aviation Authority (Prezes Urzędu Lotnictwa Cywilnego). In principle, carriage is a paid activity, which means that it should have financial value and the entity engaging in it must earn income from doing so.

The circumstances are different with respect to non-commercial transport or carriage. Insofar as they are constitute non-commercial activities, one can engage in both road and air transport without holding the relevant permits (so-called, carriage on own account). Note that transport will not have commercial value where the principal covers certain costs, such as fuel. Such cases will also be regarded as activities other than for hire or reward, and thus they will not require one to hold additional authorisations.

Is a special permit required to engage in the carriage of goods within the European Union?

Yes. In order to engage in such carriage between Member States, one must hold a community licence. Such a licence will be required where the carriage is for hire or reward. If a person engages in carriage by road on own account (i.e., not for hire or reward, but within their business activities), such an entrepreneur must give notice of such circumstances to the supervisory authority. This also applies to non-commercial air operations undertaken by an air carrier or other entrepreneur. However, in the latter case, the entity must also prepare detailed procedures, including procedures covering the differences between operations engaged in for hire or reward and other than for hire or reward.

The duty to hold a licence does not cover carriage by motor vehicles weighing less than 2.5 tons (until 22 May 2022, less than 3.5 tons).

I am from Ukraine, is a permit required to engage in the carriage of goods by road from Poland to Ukraine?

Yes. In such circumstances a permit issued by the Polish authorities is necessary. Such permits are issued by the General Inspectorate of Road Transport (Główny Inspektor Transportu Drogowego). This body is currently processing applications around the clock.

Is a permit required to engage in the humanitarian transport of goods by road if one does not have an enterprise in Poland?

In principle, yes. Foreign entities without a registered office in Poland are required to hold a permit in order to engage in the international carriage of goods by road. This also applies where one transits a given route without any goods.

However, where one intends to engage in humanitarian transport, such a permit may not be necessary. In such cases, an application must be submitted to the General Inspector of Road Transport. Merely engaging in carriage by road in order to provide humanitarian or medical aid alone is insufficient to substantiate a road hauler’s exemption from the duty to obtain the necessary permit. Such an exemption is granted by way of an administrative decision issued by an administrative authority. Specific documents are required in order to receive such a decision (see “What documents are required to receive an exemption from the duty to obtain a permit for the humanitarian transport of goods by road” below).

It should also be noted that exemptions for Ukrainian entities are currently issued on an expedited basis. One can contact the authority even outside of its opening hours.

What if a Polish entity is planning to engage in humanitarian transport to Ukraine?

In such circumstances, it is also necessary to receive an exemption from the permitting requirements for carriage. Polish entities can receive such exemptions from the Ukrainian Embassy. However, based on current information, it appears that, on account of the war, Polish entities have been entirely exempted from the requirement to obtain such a permit with respect to humanitarian transport to Ukraine. One can contact the Ukrainian Embassy around the clock in this regard.

What documents are required to receive an exemption from the duty to obtain a permit for the humanitarian transport of goods by road?

  1. Application form.
  2. A declaration issued by the entity organising carriage no more than 7 days prior to the departure date.
  3. A copy of the articles of association or statute of the entity ordering such carriage, or a certificate issued by the appropriate commune administrator (wójt), mayor, or city president for the registered office of the entity organising carriage which confirms that they have organised such carriage, or a document confirming the same issued by a diplomatic mission or foreign consular office or by a consul of the Republic of Poland.

What information should be included in the declaration issued by the entity organising humanitarian transport? Who can order such transport?

The entrepreneur’s business name, the vehicle’s details and the dates on which such carriage will take place, as well as the names of all border crossings transited in the case of international carriage. Additionally, the purpose and scope of carriage must be indicated. A document confirming that a given entity may organise such transport should also be included, which can take the form of a:

Any entity which is allowed to render humanitarian aid within its activities can act as the entity organising carriage, and thus also the entity issuing the necessary declaration.

Who can act as the driver of humanitarian transport by road?

In the case of the non-commercial carriage of humanitarian aid, only the requirements regarding the entitlement to drive a vehicle of a given type and category must be satisfied, in accordance with the requirements for the drivers of vehicles in road traffic.

However, in the case of carriage of humanitarian goods for hire or reward, the driver must also hold a medical certificate issued by a doctor stating that there are no health or psychological contraindications regarding transport activities, have completed the necessary training, and received a special qualification to engage in transport activities.

In case of any questions please contact Jadwiga Stryczyńska.

 

The alert can be downloaded HERE.

Ukrainian citizens and certain categories of third-country nationals and stateless persons have been granted temporary protection under Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/382 of 4 March 2022. Working on the foundations of this temporary protection and in order to implement the Council’s decision, Poland has adopted the Act of 12 March 2022 on support for citizens of Ukraine in connection with the armed conflict in the territory of the said country (the “Special Law”). The Special Law grants Ukrainian citizens a longer period of legal stay in Poland, simplifying procedures related to their employment, decentralizing the registration of Ukrainian citizens and assigning them a Polish national identification number (PESEL), as well as giving access to medical care and many financial benefits, including parental benefits.

STATUTORY LEGALIZATION OF STAY IN POLAND UNDER THE SPECIAL LAW

For a period of 18 months (i.e., until 24 August 2023), the stay of any Ukrainian citizen and their spouse, who entered the territory of Poland from 24 February 2022 directly from Ukraine and declares their intention to stay within the territory of Poland is deemed to be legal. This legalization of stay also covers children born in Poland after 24 February 2022 to mothers being Ukrainian citizens, who crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border after that date. Furthermore, the Special Law legalises the stay of Ukrainian citizens holding a Polish Card (Karta Polaka) and their close relatives without having to satisfy the condition of direct entry into the territory of Poland.

The departure of a Ukrainian citizen from the territory of Poland for a period of more than 1 month deprives them of their right to legally stay in Poland under the Special Law.

MANDATORY REGISTRATION

If a person whose stay is deemed legal under the Special Law and who entered the territory of Poland on the basis of a national passport, birth certificate, or any other document not being a biometric passport, or without any documents whatsoever, they are obliged to register with any executive authority of a given municipality (gmina) within 60 days of their date of entry, in order to be assigned a national identification number (PESEL). This obligation does not apply to persons who entered Poland on the basis of a biometric passport.

OBTAINING A NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (PESEL)

Possessing a PESEL significantly aids a foreigner’s ability to act within Poland and communicate with state authorities, as well as simplifying the practical provision of medical care in Poland. Therefore, it is recommended that all persons intending to stay in Poland on the basis of the Special Law apply for a PESEL to be assigned to them. Such applications, signed by the applicant themselves, are submitted in writing to any municipality administrative office (urząd gminy) in person. In the case of a minor (i.e., persons under the age of 18), it is sufficient for such applications to be submitted only by one parent/caretaker, a legal guardian, or a person deemed to be a temporary caretaker under the Special Law or a person acting as a minor’s de facto guardian.

The application form will be available as a bilingual document, in Polish and Ukrainian. The application can be completed by either the applicant or an employee of the municipality administration office in which it is submitted on the basis of data supplied by the applicant. The application should include a photograph and documents confirming the person’s identity (translation of these documents into Polish is not necessary). Persons applying for the assignment of a PESEL shall also submit a declaration stating that they arrived in Poland directly from Ukrainian territory and that the details they supplied are correct, subject to criminal liability for making a false declaration. The municipality administration office will take the applicant’s fingerprints and keep a copy of the documents submitted confirming the applicant’s identity (note that cancelled or expired documents can also be used for this purpose if they allow for the applicant’s identity to be confirmed).

The details of persons who apply for a PESEL under the Special Law shall be kept in a special register maintained by the Minister for Digitization. As part of the process of obtaining a PESEL, it is also possible to automatically create a Trusted Profile (Profil Zaufany) on the Polish public e-services platform (ePUAP), which facilitates communication with public authorities and courts (in the future, it would be useful to also enable access to government portals in Ukrainian).

EXTENSION OF STAY BY OBTAINING A TEMPORARY PERMIT

Persons whose stay has been deemed to be legal may apply, no earlier than 9 months from their date of entry to the territory of Poland and no later than 24 August 2023, for a temporary permit to extend their legal stay in Poland for an additional 3 years, as of the date on which the decision is issued. Such a permit is issued by the appropriate Voivode (provincial governor; wojewoda), effective from the application’s filing date. Persons holding a temporary permit are entitled to work in Poland without being subject to the usual restrictions concerning foreigners (i.e., the requirement to hold a work permit/statement on the delegation of work, or the employer being subject to a notification duty under the Special Law).

EMPLOYMENT

Under the Special Law, Ukrainian citizens may enter into employment in Poland. This applies both to persons whose stay has been deemed to be legal under the Special Law as well as persons whose stay in Poland is legal on other grounds.

This is done by way of a delegation of work by a particular entrepreneur. The entity delegating work to a Ukrainian citizen must notify the appropriate county labour office (powiatowy urząd pracy) within 14 days of said citizen beginning their employment. The entity delegating work must give such notice electronically through the praca.gov.pl system. This notice must include, among others, the entity’s taxpayer identification number (NIP) and statistical number (REGON) (or their national identification number (PESEL)). This means that the system does not allow for the delegation of work by foreign entrepreneurs. Thus, only Polish entrepreneurs, or local branches of foreign entrepreneurs, as holders of a NIP and REGON, will be able to delegate work to Ukrainian citizens in Poland.

UNDERTAKING BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

Persons whose stay in Poland has been deemed to be legal under the Special Law or the Act on foreigners (thus, excluding those whose legal stay is governed by the Act on granting protection to foreigners within the territory of the Republic of Poland), can undertake business activities on the same terms as Polish citizens (i.e., as a sole proprietorship, by means of an entry in the Central Registration and Information on Business (Centralna Ewidencja i Informacja o Działalności Gospodarczej; CEIDG), as well as an unregistered business activity or through partnerships and capital companies). In such cases, obtaining a national identification number (PESEL) is a prerequisite to undertake business activities in Poland under the provisions of the Special Law.

At the same time, we would also note that, even before the Special Law came into effect, Ukrainian citizens were able to undertake business activities in accordance with Article 4 of the Act of 6 March 2018 on the principles for the participation of foreign entrepreneurs and other foreign persons in business activities in the territory of the Republic of Poland (the “Act on the principles of participation”). This Act permits persons lacking a PESEL to undertake business activities.

In light of the above, there exist doubts as to whether the obligation to possess a PESEL arises solely to the extent that the provisions of the Special Law are more favourable than those of the Act on the principles of participation, or rather that the Special Law imposes a duty to possess a PESEL on all Ukrainian citizens whose stay has been deemed legal under the Special Law or who are legally staying in Poland under the Act on foreigners (e.g., by holding a temporary residence permit), regardless of the form by which they undertake business activities in Poland.

BENEFITS AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The Special Law provides for a number of benefits for Ukrainian citizens, including medical care (i.e., access to doctors, hospitals, etc.), a one-time financial payment of PLN 300 (an application for this payment can be submitted at a local social welfare centre (ośrodek pomocy społecznej)), as well as many parental benefits. Accessing most benefits is conditional on a person being assigned a PESEL.

TRAVELLING WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION

The Special Law does not serve as a legal basis under which Ukrainian citizens may apply for a travel document authorising them to travel within the EU. Therefore, in principle, only Ukrainian citizens holding a biometric passport (thus falling within the visa-free regime) or who have been issued a visa by an EU Member State have the right to move freely within the EU for 90 days within a 180-day period. The absence of such provisions in the Special Law may limit the free movement of Ukrainian citizens within the EU in respect of their ability to choose their final destination.

Ukrainian citizens will have the possibility to apply, 9 months after their date of entry into Poland, for a temporary residence permit valid for 3 years, which would entitle them to receive a residence card once a decision is issued granting them a residence permit. However, there remains no basis to issue a foreigner with a Polish travel document that would remedy their lack of a biometric passport as a travel document.

Contact: Anna Matsiyeuskaya

Alert can be downloaded HERE

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