First days in Berlin: Accommodation, support services and practical tips

As a war refugee from Ukraine, you are generally not obliged to register immediately after your arrival in Berlin. Ukrainian citizens may stay legally in Germany without a visa for a maximum of 90 days after their first entry. The same applies to people who were in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and met one of the following conditions:

• Were staying there with a valid permanent residency permit that was issued according to Ukrainian law
• Had an international protection status or equivalent national protection status
• Were a family member of a Ukrainian citizen or a person with an international protection status or equivalent national protection status However, if you want to stay longer, find work or receive social benefits, you must register.

However, if you want to stay longer, find work or need social benefits, you must register.

If you do not have accommodation in Berlin, you can stay in the homes of private individuals or families. You can make a request for accommodation on www.helfendewaende.de even before you enter the country. Otherwise, go directly to the Ukraine Arrival Centre in Tegel.

Take the S-Bahn or U-Bahn to the station Jungfernheide. From there, shuttle bus number 410 will take you to the Ukraine Arrival Centre at the former Berlin-Tegel airport. This bus also stops at the U-Bahn station Jakob-Kaiser-Platz and at the General-Ganeval-Brücke. You cannot reach the airport by foot! The shuttle bus is free of charge and a bus comes every 10 minutes. The shuttle bus will also take you from the Ukraine Arrival Centre back to the Jungfernheide station.

Alternatively, you can take bus number 109 from the stations Zoo or Charlottenburg and transfer to the shuttle bus 410 at General-Ganeval-Brücke. Please note: You must pay the regular BVG fare to take bus 109.

There you will be temporarily accommodated and cared for. Afterwards, you will be moved on to accommodation in Berlin or in another German federal state. You will then receive your accommodation, social benefits and medical care at your destination.

If you are in Germany without a visa and wish to stay longer, work or receive social benefits, you have to register and apply for the temporary residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis).

For this, the first step is to report to the Arrival Centre at the former Tegel Airport. The Arrival Centre will check whether you can stay in Berlin or whether you will be allocated to another German federal state. If you have relatives in Berlin, or you have found permanent accommodation or a job, or if you have a trans* or inter* identity, you will generally be allowed to stay. If you are allocated to Berlin, you will also be registered immediately at the Arrival Centre. Among other things, your fingerprints will be taken and photos will be taken of you.

Subsequently, you can apply for a temporary residence permit online. You can access the online application here. After you have filled out the application, you are allowed to work and apply for social benefits.

Registering your residence is important for many further steps. For example, for children and young people to attend school and daycare.

To register your residence, you will need your passport and, if possible, confirmation of your address – what is called a “Wohnungsgeberbestätigung” in German (housing provider confirmation). You can get this from your landlord or the main tenant of the place you are living. You can download a sample form here (PDF – in German).

You do not need an appointment, but you must be prepared to wait. You can register your residence at the following Residents’ Registration Offices (Bürgerämter) depending on where you live:

If you are moving home within Berlin, you must re-register. To do this, you can go to any Citizens’ Registration Office (Bürgeramt) in Berlin, but you must make an appointment in advance. Go to the overview of the Citizens’ Registration Offices (Bürgerämter) in Berlin.

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 special prepaid rates.

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.

Since the end of October 2022, it has no longer been possible to exchange hryvnia into euros. 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.

Refugees from Ukraine can receive support for administrative and bureaucratic issues at the Advisory Centre LARO in Park Center Treptow (Treptower Park 14, 12435 Berlin). This also includes assistance with filling out forms, writing response letters or booking appointments. At the Centre, Ukrainian refugees can also request a Ukrainian passport or driving licence. The Centre is open from Monday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.

• integration courses
• German for professional purposes
• Initial orientation courses
• German courses for refugees at the Berlin Adult Education Centres (VHS courses)
• State European Social Fund offer of job-related language support for refugees
• list of free digital German courses for distance learning
• Goethe-Institute
• www.goethe.de

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. Other services for support, advice and making contact are also available.

• www.start-with-a-friend.de
• www.wirsindpaten.de
• www.beratungsstelle-gegenwind.de
• Café Ukraine
• adressen.asyl.net
• special pages of the district
• www.mbeon.de
• www.russische-telefonseelsorge.de