Starting in August, Ukrainians who were granted asylum in Poland will be able to process identification cards through the foreign division of Ukraine’s State Migration Service. The Polish government has absolutely nothing to do with this new program.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February and millions of people were displaced, Kremlin propaganda has begun constructing an insidious narrative about Poland, a country that has welcomed millions of refugees from Ukraine. The narrative suggests that somehow Ukraine is letting Poland take over various administrative functions of the Ukrainian state, and that Ukraine is surrendering aspects of statehood to Poland. The latest version of this narrative claims that Ukraine has allegedly granted Poland the right to issue Ukrainian passports.
This is a complete distortion of the facts. Yes, Ukrainian passports will be issued in Poland, but they will not be issued by Poland, but by an official Ukrainian government agency.
The Ukrainian government’s new pilot project is being launched in Warsaw in August. The Ukrainian Migration Service through its new abroad divisions will issue identification cards and passports to Ukrainians living outside Ukraine. Ukraine´s Cabinet of Ministers enacted an executive order for the project earlier in June. Ukrainian refugees in Poland can submit applications for these documents through mobile units which will travel throughout Poland, the processing time, according to a Ministry spokesperson, will be no more than 20 days.
Ukraine’s Migration Service plans to open similar centers in other countries.
Claims that Polish authorities will be issuing passports to Ukrainian citizens is completely false. Foreign consulates issue passports to their citizens outside the home country throughout the world, this is normal operating procedure. This project that Ukraine has undertaken aims to ease the already difficult position Ukrainian refugees find themselves in, by providing an expedited service for necessary documents. According to Ukrainian law, these documents can only be processed and issued in official Ukrainian government offices, the project simply makes those office, a part of Ukraine’s Migration Service, mobile.
