Under the currently applicable provisions, the validity period of travel documents issued to beneficiaries of international protection, i.e., foreign nationals who have been granted refugee status or subsidiary protection in the territory of the Republic of Poland, is two years, and the validity period of residence cards depends on the type of protection granted. Foreign nationals who have been granted refugee status are issued residence cards for a period of three years and persons eligible for subsidiary protection are issued residence cards for a period of two years, while other member states generally apply longer validity periods.
In view of the growing number of beneficiaries of international protection in Poland, it was considered justified to extend the validity period of travel documents and residence cards issued to foreign nationals who have been granted refugee status in the territory of the Republic of Poland.
According to the proposed regulations, travel documents would be issued for a period of up to five years. In turn, residence cards for foreign nationals who are granted subsidiary protection in the territory of the Republic of Poland would be issued for a period of up to three years.