Number of Ukrainian refugees granted Polish ID number reaches 846,000

By Wednesday afternoon, a total of 846,000 Ukrainian refugees have received a Polish PESEL personal identification number, a deputy interior minister announced.

Some 2.7 million people have crossed Poland's border with Ukraine since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, according to the most recent data of the Polish Border Guard.

Under a special act on aid to Ukrainian refugees, they can receive a PESEL number which gives them access to public services, such as healthcare and schools, and allows them to pay taxes. The new law signed by the Polish president on March 13 also permits them access to the Polish labour market.

"By 1 pm today, 846,000 PESEL numbers have been granted to Ukrainian refugees," Paweł Szefernaker said on Wednesday.

He added that around 425,000 PESEL numbers have been assigned to adults, 136,000 to children aged 12-18 and 284,000 to children under 12.

Szefernaker also said that nearly 60,000 Ukrainian nationals had already found employment in Poland since Russian invasion of their country.