Everyday life: Practical tips and cost-free services

This practical information will enable you to manage better in German everyday life. Many institutions in Berlin offer cost-free services for refugees from Ukraine.

• German SIM cards
• Opening an account
• Changing money
• Learning German
• Tandem projects
• Driving with a Ukrainian driving licence
• Finding lost documents

SIM cards are not expensive in Germany and you do not need a contract when buying them. However, to buy a SIM card in a shop or activate it online, you have to show an identity document – e.g. your passport. That is obligatory in Germany.

Some providers such as Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone are offering refugees SIM cards free of charge. With most of them, you use your phone and mobile data without limit within the EU and in Ukraine. In some cases, free SIM cards are distributed in trains and arrival centres. You can also obtain SIM cards in the shops of the providers. Many are offering free calls and text messages to Ukraine. Data roaming in Ukraine is also cost-free in many cases.

You can open what is called a “basic account” in most banks. This enables you to deposit and withdraw money, make bank transfers, arrange direct debit mandates and set up standing orders. The charges for a basic account vary, depending on the bank. To open an account you only need proof of identity – e.g. your passport. If you want to open a regular giro account you will need more documents, depending on the bank. Please note that it is only possible to deposit a maximum of 10,000 hryvnias into German accounts. Certain requirements must be met (see section “Changing money”).

It is currently possible to exchange hryvnia into euros to a limited extent. In principle, a maximum of 10,000 hryvnias can be exchanged per person. The following conditions apply:

• You can exchange 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 hryvnia notes. Coin money and smaller notes are not exchanged.
• You can exchange 10,000 hryvnias at once or in several instalments.
• You need to have an account at the bank where you are going to make the exchange. Cash exchange is not possible, the corresponding amount will be transferred to your account.
• Your identity will be verified and the information will be passed on to the European Central Bank.

The exchange of hryvnia is initially only possible until 24 August. At the moment you have to expect waiting times.

The Ukrainian Central Bank continues to recommend to all people who are fleeing or have already fled Ukraine that they do not withdraw hryvnia to get cash but, if possible, leave it in their account and make cashless payments when in other countries. That, however, is only possible with international money cards such as credit cards. Sometimes Ukrainian refugees in Germany and other EU countries can withdraw cash from automated teller machines (ATMs) with an international money card. But frequently this creates problems.

The Goethe-Institute offers online German courses at a special price to Ukrainian citizens who have fled their home country because of the war. The courses “German for Beginners” (A1-A2) are offered for 7 Hryvnia, i.e. EUR 0.25. The courses are currently fully booked. The Goethe Institute is also offering the course “Online Training: First Steps in German” until the end of May for 33 Hrywnja, (one euro). The course takes place without a teacher and is aimed at people with no previous knowledge of the German language. In addition, the Goethe Institute provides a variety of exercises for self-learning at www.goethe.de. However, this requires a basic knowledge of German.

The adult education centers (Volkshochschulen) in Berlin also offer numerous language courses for refugees and other foreigners. The courses offered by the adult education centers are generally very reasonably priced. Some courses are completely free of charge.

In tandem projects, people with and without a background of immigration meet as partners. The tandem partnerships support refugees in their everyday lives – whether through helping with visits to government authorities, joint leisure activities or simply through having regular contact.

You can apply for a tandem partner to the following projects. Please note that there is usually only a limited number of tandems available:

• SwaF (Start with a Friend) tandem project at www.start-with-a-friend.de
• Opportunity tandem partnership at www.wirsindpaten.de
• Opportunity tandem partnership at www.stiftungen.org

The “Café Ukraine” program of the Berlin City Mission takes place at several locations in Berlin where refugees can exchange information, meet people from Berlin and get advice on legal issues.

An overview of the organisations that offer counseling services for refugees can be found at adressen.asyl.net. You can find further offers on the special pages of the district in which you currently live. You can get advice online at www.mbeon.de.

For the present, you can continue to drive with your valid driving licence in Germany. If you have an international driving licence you do not need to have it translated. With national licences you need to keep a translation showing the classification with you. You can obtain this from the ADAC, among others.

Please note: You Ukrainian driving licence will only be valid for six months after you have registered your place of residence in Germany. After that it will need to be converted into a German one. For this to happen, you will generally have to pass both a theoretical and practical examination.

If you have lost your documents, wallet or other items in Berlin, you can contact the city’s lost property offices. You can contact Berlin’s Central Lost and Found Office by e-mail at fundbuero@ba-ts.berlin.de or by phone at 030 90277 3101 (Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 am to 2 pm). If you lose something on public transport, you can contact the joint lost property office of the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe and S-Bahn Berlin.

The following resources contain a lot of information about everyday life in Germany:

• Website of the Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration
• handbookgermany.de