Polish Deputy Interior Minister Paweł Szefernaker said on Twitter that the government would on Saturday launch a large-scale PESEL-processing centre for Ukrainian refugees at Warsaw’s National Stadium.
He called on Ukrainian citizens “not to apply for PESEL in mass numbers on the first day” so as to avoid congestion at the offices.
A similar appeal has been issued by Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland, Andrii Deshchytsia, according to the statement.
Legal protection from day of arrival
Szefernaker said that "regardless of when the application for PESEL is made," Ukrainian citizens “are guaranteed legal protection from the day of their arrival in Poland.”
The granting of the PESEL number is part of wide-ranging support available to refugees from Ukraine under new legislation that was signed into law by Poland’s President Andrzej Duda last Saturday.
Wednesday is day 21 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24.
Poland on Tuesday reported it had admitted 1.83 million refugees fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, gov.pl