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Frequently asked questions

General information

Saxony has a number of independent, non-governmental institutions and counselling centres offering support. There are organisations operating right across Saxony, and there are counselling centres right in your local city. A list of them can be found here:

www.integrationsakteure.sachsen.de

The most important partners for all queries relating to your legal residency and social benefits are the local foreigners' office and housing and social welfare authorities at the district offices/city administrations of the independent municipalities of Chemnitz, Dresden and Leipzig. These are often all combined into one 'immigration office' or 'foreigners' office'. Housing and social welfare authorities are sometimes also structured as part of a 'social welfare office'.

The Free State of Saxony is divided into 10 administrative districts and 3 independent cities. Each administrative district and independent city has an aliens’ registration authority and an accommodation authority. Enquire whether your local area has a welcome centre and, if so, visit this first.

City of Dresden

Foreigners' Office

Visiting address:
Theaterstr. 13/15
01067 Dresden

E-mail: auslaenderbehoerde@dresden.de

Website: https://www.dresden.de/de/leben/gesellschaft/migration/hilfe-fuer-die-ukraine.php

Bautzen District Office

Foreigners' Office

Visiting address:
Macherstraße 55
01917 Kamenz

E-mail: auslaenderamt@lra-bautzen.de

Website: https://www.landkreis-bautzen.de/ukraine-hilfe-28077.php

City of Chemnitz

Citizens' Office / Foreigners' Office

Visiting address:
Düsseldorfer Platz 1
09111 Chemnitz

E-mail: auslaenderbehoerde@stadt-chemnitz.de

Website: https://chemnitz.de/chemnitz/de/aktuell/aktuelle-themen/ukrainehilfe/index.itl

Erzgebirgskreis District Office

Department of Administrative Affairs | Migration and Registry Division

Visiting address:
Paulus-Jenisius-Straße 43
09456 Annaberg-Buchholz

E-mail: auslaenderbehoerde@kreis-erz.de

Website: https://www.erzgebirgskreis.de/landkreis/informationen-zur-ukraine-krise

Görlitz District Office

Department III - Administrative Office | Foreigners' Office

Visiting address:
Otto-Müller-Straße 7
02826 Görlitz

E-mail: auslaenderrecht@kreis-gr.de

Website: https://ukraine-goerlitz.de/

City of Leipzig

Department of Environmental Affairs, Administrative Matters & Sport | Administrative Office - Foreigners' Office

Visiting address:
Prager Straße 136
04317 Leipzig

E-mail: ordnungsamt@leipzig.de

Website: https://www.leipzig.de/jugend-familie-und-soziales/auslaender-und-migranten/migration-und-integration/ukraine-hilfe

Leipzig District Office

Foreigners' Office

Visiting address:
Stauffenbergstraße 4
04552 Borna

E-mail: auslaenderamt@lk-l.de

Website: https://www.landkreisleipzig.de/hilfe_fuer_menschen_aus_der_ukraine.html

Meissen District Office

Foreigners' Office

Visiting address:
Brauhausstraße 21
01662 Meißen

E-mail: auslaenderamt@kreis-meissen.de

Website: https://www.kreis-meissen.org/

Mittelsachsen District Office

Immigration and Asylum Affairs Department

Visiting address:
Dr.-Wilhelm-Külz-Straße 16
09618 Brand-Erbisdorf

E-mail: auslaenderbehoerde@landkreis-mittelsachsen.de

Website: https://www.landkreis-mittelsachsen.de/das-amt/behoerden/ukraine-hilfe.html

Nordsachsen District Office

Office of Migration and Immigration Law

Visiting address:
Richard-Wagner-Straße 7a
04509 Delitzsch

E-mail: auslaenderamt@lra-nordsachsen.de

Website: https://www.landkreis-nordsachsen.de/behoerdenwegweiser.html?m=tasks-detail&id=6098#module-body-dzra

Sächsische Schweiz–Osterzgebirge District Office

Foreigners' Office

Visiting address:
Schlosshof 2/4
01796 Pirna

E-mail: auslaenderrecht@landratsamt-pirna.de

Website: https://www.landratsamt-pirna.de/ukraine-hilfe.html

Vogtlandkreis District Office

Administrative Office / Foreigners' Office

Visiting address:
Postplatz 5
08523 Plauen

E-mail: auslaenderbehoerde@vogtlandkreis.de

Website: https://www.vogtlandkreis.de/B%C3%BCrgerservice-und-Verwaltung/Sonderthemen/Ukraine/

Zwickau District Office

District Office

Visiting address:
Werdauer Straße 62
08056 Zwickau

E-mail: auslaender@landkreis-zwickau.de

Website: www.landkreis-zwickau.de/ukrainehilfe

Frequently asked questions about entry, residency and asylum

Source: German Federal Government's Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration | Version: 9 March 2022

N.B.: The FAQs are regularly updated on the German federal government's website. Read more at: www.integrationsbeauftragte.de/ib-de/staatsministerin/krieg-in-der-ukraine

 

The legal regulations continue to stipulate a visa for you. It is common knowledge, however, that people entering the EU from Ukraine at present often do not need a visa.

In the coming days, the German Federal Ministry of the Interior is planning to enact a new regulation under the Residence Act. Put simply, this will allow Ukrainian nationals, who are able to enter visa-free on a biometric passport, to legally stay in Germany for three months.

The aim here is to give those fleeing war in Ukraine the opportunity and time to apply for and obtain a residence permit. The regulation will also include Ukrainian nationals holding a non-biometric passport, as well as citizens of third countries, who were living in Ukraine on 24 February 2022. 

If your residence permit is still valid, e.g. you did not live in Ukraine for longer than six months or have arranged a different time frame with the relevant foreigners' office, you can re-enter by presenting your passport and valid residence permit.

In Germany, there is currently only an obligation to provide general proof (proof of compliance with the '3G rules' - vaccinated, recovered or tested) before entry. However, the German federal police are being very mindful of the Ukrainian refugees' situation, and COVID-19 tests will also be offered at the border. 

Air space over Ukraine is currently closed. There are currently no plans for the German authorities to evacuate German or Ukrainian nationals. Germans in Ukraine are asked to leave the country immediately via safe means, and, if this is not possible, stay somewhere safe and sheltered.

You can request asylum, even without documents, from the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), from any initial reception centre, from any foreigners' office and from any police station. But you do not have to lodge an application for asylum. 

In these cases, Ukrainian nationals can initially stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days. To stay longer in Germany, you will need to register with your local foreigners' office upon arrival in Germany - or at least before the 90 days are up. 

Ukrainian nationals and certain third-country nationals will be granted temporary protection status under a decision by the European Union. The decision will be implemented in Germany by virtue of Section 24 of the Residency Act, and still requires further specification regarding its application, particularly in terms of certain groups of third-country nationals and their protection status.  In any case, the aim is for the residence permit to cover access to self-employment and dependent employment.

Further provisions will follow and are constantly being updated. Read more at: https://www.integrationsbeauftragte.de/ib-de/staatsministerin/krieg-in-der-ukraine 

 

Yes, this is necessary for extending short stays. It is currently also possible to apply for longer-term residence permits in Germany if the relevant criteria are met. This may be, for example, for the purposes of studying, training or working as a skilled expert with recognised professional qualification. The visa requirement for residence permits is currently being waived.

If you are unable to leave after 90 days, you need to contact your local foreigners' office well in advance. 

The temporary protection status under Section 24 of the German Residency Act is granted by the foreigners' office as a humanitarian residence permit.

The European Union has introduced a simplified process for further residency for Ukrainian nationals and certain groups of third-country nationals. As such, it is no longer necessary to apply for asylum in order to obtain a humanitarian residence permit. Further information on how exactly this will be implemented is expected in the coming days. The right to apply for asylum will generally remain in effect regardless. Consult a lawyer about this if necessary.

Ukrainian nationals who have entered visa-free (i.e. holders of biometric passports) may travel within the EU/'Schengen area'.

However, if you have obtained a residence permit from a member state, this will only be valid for 90 days. So you will only be able to move with the permission of the country to which you plan to move. Any country in which you wish to take up gainful employment (i.e. working while you are there) must allow you to do so. Information for Ukrainian nationals not holding a biometric passport, and who are therefore not exempt from visa requirements, will follow shortly.

Yes, you will be given support. If you need assistance, e.g. with housing, food or medical care, the authorities can assess this as an application for asylum. In this case, you will generally be entitled to benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. If you are granted a residence permit under Section 24 of the Residency Act, you will similarly be entitled to receive benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act if you need assistance. You will need to contact your local social welfare office.

Deportations to Ukraine are currently suspended.

It is also advisable to contact a counselling centre. If you meet the relevant criteria, you may be issued a residence permit under Section 24 of the Residency Act. 

 

Frequently asked questions about housing

Source: German Federal Government's Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration | Version: 9 March 2022

N.B.: The FAQs are regularly updated on the German federal government's website. Read more at: www.integrationsbeauftragte.de/ib-de/staatsministerin/krieg-in-der-ukraine

 

If you are able to choose your place of residence freely, various platforms, such as https://elinor.network/gastfreundschaft-ukraine/https://www.host4ukraine.com/ or https://warmes-bett.de/ offer private accommodation options. Many people in Germany and Europe are currently offering people from Ukraine free accommodation. But be wary of untrustworthy offers, and inform the police if you feel uncomfortable. Minors must not, under any circumstances, be housed at private accommodation without their families. The police or youth welfare office needs to be informed in this case.

You can also seek accommodation at the initial reception centres or crisis accommodation run by the individual German states. Please ask your local foreigners' office (https://bamfnavi.bamf.de/de/Themen/Behoerden/) or the police for an address. You do not need to apply for asylum in order to be housed.

If you have been granted a residence permit under Section 24 of the Residence Act and require accommodation, the local welfare authorities will find accommodation for you.

Frequently asked questions about health and COVID-19

Source: German Federal Government's Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration | Version: 9 March 2022

N.B.: The FAQs are regularly updated on the German federal government's website. Read more at: www.integrationsbeauftragte.de/ib-de/staatsministerin/krieg-in-der-ukraine

 

In urgent cases, you can visit the emergency outpatient clinics at hospitals.

If you need assistance, you are entitled to receive benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. If you are suffering acute illness or are in pain, you will be granted the necessary medical and dental services, including care with medications and dressings, under Section 4 of the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. Further benefits can also be granted under Section 6 of the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act if, in specific cases, they are essential to ensuring health.

Contact your local social welfare office for advice. 

Information on medical care for refugees can be found at the German Medical Association.

You can also obtain advice on health insurance (including as a non-EU citizen) from the EU Equal Treatment Office (in various languages).

The necessary medication can be prescribed by the treating doctor.

If you need assistance, you are entitled to receive benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. If a person requiring assistance has arrived in Germany as a refugee and is unable to work, meaning they cannot pay the statutory health-insurance contribution, medical care benefits, such as medications, will be paid under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act during the first 18 months of their stay in Germany.

Yes, you can receive free psychological care. Among the places you can access this are the municipal public-service centres and the psychosocial centres for refugees and victims of torture.

The Social Psychiatric Service also helps anyone suffering from mental illness. Patients and their families can obtain fast, easy advice here.

Psychological treatments can also be undertaken under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. Contact your local social welfare office about this.

You can get vaccinated against COVID-19 free of charge at vaccination centres, at medical practices or at pharmacies. 

There is currently no general COVID-19 vaccine mandate in Germany. But you can get vaccinated free of charge, and the federal government is urging everyone to do so.

If you have been vaccinated with the Russian or Chinese vaccines, you will, based on current legislation, need to start a new vaccine course in order to be considered vaccinated in the EU.

Yes, measles vaccination is mandatory in Germany in order for children to attend day-care facilities. Paediatricians and GPs administer these vaccinations.

Frequently asked questions about everyday life in Germany

Source: German Federal Government's Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration | Version: 9 March 2022

N.B.: The FAQs are regularly updated on the German federal government's website. Read more at: www.integrationsbeauftragte.de/ib-de/staatsministerin/krieg-in-der-ukraine

 

Refugees from Ukraine are not yet entitled to take integration courses; a change to this rule is currently being discussed (version: 3 March 2022 All information on language and integration courses has been put together online by the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. 

Once it has been clarified whether or not courses are open to people from Ukraine, you will be able to apply for admission to an integration course and for fee exemption directly online. Integration courses across Germany can be found at BAMF-NAvI. The relevant information is provided in German, English and other languages.

If the carers are authorised guardians, these children are no longer considered unaccompanied. However, the child welfare service is primarily responsible for communal housing if there is an educational need for this, which is generally assumed to be the case here. Separating the child from other children or the carers should be avoided. If the parents are deceased or no other person having custody over the child is contactable or can exercise the custody, the family court should be called on to initiate guardianship proceedings. This does not require a formal application, only information - because the family court is officially obliged to take action. You can contact the local family court or youth welfare office if you have any questions about this.

The youth welfare office will provide you with a list of all the day-care centres, as well as an enrolment form. You can also enrol your child in a private day-care centre. To do this, enrol directly at the day-care facility of your choice. As the costs for day care vary, you are best to enquire with the municipal government or day-care centre.

 

There are a number of nationwide organisations (Caritas, Diakonie, Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband, AWO, German Red Cross and others), as well as local associations and alliances, which offer interpreting and translation services, or who can put you in touch with volunteer interpreters and translators. The Ethno-Medical Centre is one of the places offering health interpreting/translation services.

Local migrant organisations can also contact interpreters and translators (see question: What other civil-society organisations can I contact?), as can independent counselling centres (see question: What independent counselling centres can I contact?).

If you have entered Germany unaccompanied, i.e. without your parents, the child welfare service is primarily responsible for housing you and looking after you. To access this, contact the youth welfare office in your local town or city. They will be able to advise you in detail.

The child welfare service is also available for young people aged up to 27.

Frequently asked questions about financial support

Source: German Federal Government's Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration | Version: 9 March 2022

N.B.: The FAQs are regularly updated on the German federal government's website. Read more at: www.integrationsbeauftragte.de/ib-de/staatsministerin/krieg-in-der-ukraine

 

If you need assistance, e.g. with housing, food or medical care, the authorities can assess this as an application for asylum. In this case, you will generally be entitled to benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. If you are granted a residence permit under Section 24 of the Residency Act, you will similarly be entitled to receive benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. Please contact your local social welfare office about this.

 

Please contact your local social welfare office. Thereafter, financial support will depend on which residence permit you receive. A residence permit under Section 24 of the Residency Act will enable you to access benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act if you need assistance.

Ideally contact a local counselling centre before applying for a residence permit.

Frequently asked questions about schooling / training / tertiary study / work

Source: German Federal Government's Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration | Version: 9 March 2022

N.B.: The FAQs are regularly updated on the German federal government's website. Read more at: www.integrationsbeauftragte.de/ib-de/staatsministerin/krieg-in-der-ukraine

 

All children aged 6/7 and up are considered to be of compulsory school age in Germany, and are required to attend school. The schooling requirement and opportunities for refugee children to access the education system vary from state to state. Enquire with your local education authority about the regulations applicable to you. If you have any questions about school attendance, you may also find it helpful to seek external advice, e.g. from the youth migration services.

If you wish to secure a placement at a municipal day-care centre, lodge an application with your local youth welfare office. They will be able to provide you with more information on how day-care placements are granted. We recommend enrolling early, as day-care placements can be very limited in some municipalities.

There are a number of organisations in Germany (Caritas, Diakonie, Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband, AWO, German Red Cross and others), as well as local associations and alliances, which offer interpreting and translation services, or who can put you in touch with volunteer interpreters and translators. 

The EU Equal Treatment Office offers advice on the topic of schooling in Germany in German, English, Polish, Hungarian and Romanian.

Schools offer various forms of language support for children with little or no German proficiency. School students are able to acquire the necessary German skills at 'preparatory classes', which, depending on the state, are also known as 'welcome classes' or 'transition classes'. The aim is to enable the children to transition to regular classroom learning.

Having your child looked after by a qualified childminder is an alternative to a day-care facility. You can look for suitable care services near you using the day-care service listings.

The EU Equal Treatment Office offers advice on the topic of traineeships/apprenticeships in Germany in German, English, Polish, Hungarian and Romanian.

Ukraine has been a member of the Bologna Process since 2005, meaning study completed in Ukraine is also recognised in Germany. The university will ultimately be the one deciding on whether or not you can continue your studies, so please contact the university directly.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) can advise on study and funding options in Germany. It provides information on the topic of studying in Germany in German and Ukrainian.

You can also consult your local foreigners' office on your options for obtaining a residence permit for study/training purposes.

You are only allowed to work if you have been granted a residence permit by the immigration office - provided this permit entitles you to work.

The temporary protection status granted to Ukrainian refugees (Section 24 of the German Residency Act) will most likely also allow you to work, though the exact details are still being established (as of 7 March 2022). 

 If you meet the requirements for this, you can generally also apply to your local immigration office for a residence permit for employment purposes.

Please note: Certain people holding managerial positions at companies, scientists/academics, researchers, charity workers, journalists and professional athletes are exempt from the ban on working.

While German proficiency will generally make it easier for you to find work, it is not necessarily mandatory for every job. 
The legalities of providing free language support through integration and language courses are currently being finalised. Once this has been done, you will find the relevant information here. Regardless of this, however, there are a number of providers, such as the Goethe Institute, offering paid language courses.

If you are entitled to access the job market, you can generally work in your qualified profession in Germany. But some professions in Germany are regulated. This means your qualifications need to be officially recognised before you are able to practise your profession here. The German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training can advise you, in several languages, whether you need to go through a recognition process, which documents you will need for this, and what other options are open to you. The counselling centres run by the 'Integration through qualification' support programme also offer free advice and support.

If you have a foreign school or vocational qualification, you can get this recognised in Germany. In this recognition process, your qualification will be compared with a similar German qualification. If your qualification is recognised as being equivalent, you will be notified accordingly. This will improve your prospects on the job market. Anyone with a foreign qualification is entitled to undergo this recognition process. Neither your residence status not your citizenship plays a role here.

There is a multilingual Internet portal where you can submit your vocational qualification and be advised of all the steps involved - how this process works in Germany and what documents you need.

Your employment agency can assist you directly, including in multiple languages, when it comes to looking for suitable work.

The employment agency will be able to advise you and send you specific job offers. There is also a wide range of supporting measures, such as coaching sessions, courses and coverage of application costs. The employment agency's services are free of charge.

Frequently asked questions regarding repatriation to home countries

The German federal government is assisting non-Ukrainian third-country nationals who fled Ukraine and wish to return to their home countries (destination countries) by financing travel expenses, among other things. Further support options also exist for certain destination countries. Potential support services depend on the circumstances of each individual case. The repatriation counselling centres can provide information on the specific services. Additional information is available at the following link:

‘Repatriation’ portal (German: »Rückkehr« ) run jointly by the German federal mission to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees

Within Germany, you can also continue to use the free HelpUkraine ticket on Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance services for your journey back to Ukraine. Recent press releases saying this was not possible were relating to regional (intracity) transport companies, which are not part of Deutsche Bahn AG.

Information on transportation within Germany is also available at the following link:

Aid portal run by the German Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community 

Other EU member states also offer free transportation services within their countries. Further information on this is available at the following link:

Portal run by the European Commission

Restrictions may apply to transnational transportation services.

Government-funded voluntary repatriation is not currently possible. Further information is available at the following link:

‘Repatriation’ portal (German: »Rückkehr« ) run jointly by the German federal mission to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees

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