As of August 2026, the rules for obtaining temporary protection in the EU and Romania have undergone important changes. After the adoption of Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1912 by the EU Council on July 30, the temporary protection for Ukrainians was extended until March 4, 2028, and at the same time, changes were made to the procedure for granting such protection to men from Ukraine under Directive 2001/55/EC. Now, special attention will be paid to documentary confirmation of the legality of crossing the border from the Ukrainian side.
For Ukrainians who plan to obtain or extend protection status in EU countries, and especially the majority are interested in Romania, which shares a common border with Ukraine, and which is chosen by the majority of Ukrainian families fleeing Poland or planning to move in the near future due to pressure and threats on national grounds.
Therefore, it is critically important to have an understanding of the new changes and the proper package of documents in order to legally register or extend protection in a new EU country under the new rules for men under the new Directive 2001/55/EC . Below in this article, we analyze the main innovations and real practice as of August 2026, what pioneers had to deal with.
Main requirement: Proof of legal departure
According to the latest relevant information from 12.08.2026, in order to obtain temporary protection status, EU countries have already begun to require confirmation of legal departure from the territory of Ukraine . This applies to all categories of citizens who apply for social assistance and legal stay. This information is confirmed by users on social networks. For example, below is Natalia’s comment that Spain has already started checking Reserve+ and requires taking a screenshot and then translating it into Spanish.
In addition, the girl notes that they also separately ask for “tickets” (most likely they mean tickets) that confirm legal departure for verification.
We found a message of a slightly different content from a man from Ukraine who recently received temporary protection in Romania in a Telegram chat with almost 5 thousand Ukrainian participants in the city of Brasov (a city in the central part of Romania, with about 253.2 thousand inhabitants).
The man reports that the Romanian side of the reception for temporary protection did not ask for an official document on the legality of crossing the border, although he had a military ID and showed it several times. Instead, it was important to continue temporary protection in the new country, closing the old protection in Germany, where the man came from.
According to him, representatives of the temporary protection registration center reported that Reserve+ and a military ID or other document confirming the legality of crossing the border are not required if you previously had temporary protection registered in another country.
What documents are accepted in the EU as proof of legal departure?
The main document confirming the legality of crossing the state border of Ukraine by men is the exit stamp in the passport , which is affixed by the Ukrainian State Border Service (SBGS) or a border crossing certificate issued by the SBGS if you were not given a stamp.
Important: EU migration authorities pay attention to the presence of a mark in the Reserve+ application, which certifies the fact of a deferment or official exclusion from military registration if the military service record is printed and translated.
What to do if there is no stamp in the passport?
In cases where the departure was carried out using an internal passport or there is no mark in the international passport for some reason, there is an alternative option:
- It is necessary to provide an official certificate from the State Border Service of the Republic of Belarus about crossing the state border.
- Provide a statement from Reserve+ about exclusion from military registration.
- Provide a physical military ID with a certificate of deregistration.
We also previously wrote: CCC recruiters at Embassies and Consulates abroad may start checking men for military registration and legality of departure
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