Temporary protection for Ukrainians now runs to March 2028 — but not everyone can apply anymore
EU member states agreed to extend temporary protection for people fleeing Ukraine until 4 March 2028. Current beneficiaries keep everything; new applications from men aged 23-60 with pending military obligations are excluded.
Anyone who fled the war in Ukraine and now lives in the European Union can breathe a little easier: temporary protection has been extended until 4 March 2028. Member states sealed the decision this week, covering the roughly 4.38 million people who held the status at the end of May.
For those already here — including Ukrainians settled in Portugal — the essentials stay the same: the status rolls over, with the access to residence, work, healthcare and schooling they already have. In Portugal, documents and renewals still go through AIMA, whose service levels we follow in our dedicated tracker.
Who is excluded from temporary protection now?
The change concerns new applications: from 15 July, member states agreed not to grant temporary protection to men aged 23 to 60 who have unfulfilled military obligations in Ukraine. The restriction applies only to those arriving and applying now — it does not strip the status from any man already covered in the EU. The full decision is in the Council’s official press release.
Why this change, and why now?
Two readings, both true. Brussels wants to give predictability to millions of families who have rebuilt their lives in Europe — nobody falls into a legal limbo before 2028. And European governments are aligning with Kyiv, which needs men of mobilisation age, at a time when Europe’s own military effort is accelerating — see Britain’s bet on a new missile for Ukraine.
For Ukrainian families in Portugal the practical message is simple: documents remain valid, renewals stay with AIMA, and the horizon is now 2028.
Image: Brayden A. / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
