General questions on return to Ukraine

In most cases, leaving the host country for a short time does not lead to termination of temporary protection and social benefits (less than 30 days). Please note that leaving your host country for an extended stay will end the benefits you receive, such as housing and food support, cash assistance, but not necessarily terminate your temporary protection status. If you terminated your temporary protection before leaving the host country, you can still reapply for temporary protection in case you want to return. For country specific information on short and extended stays please check the respective country pages.

You do not have to terminate your status if your decision to return is not final. A short-term visit home does not end your temporary protection status or benefits from the host country. An extended stay terminates your benefits but not your status.  For most EU countries a short stay is under 30 days, and extended stay is from 30 to 90 days.

Documents that can be used to enter Ukraine:

• Biometric passport (passport for traveling abroad)
• Diplomatic or service passport
• Valid child’s travel document
• Crew member ID card/seaman ID card
• Certificate for return to Ukraine

If your biometric passport has expired, you can extend it at the Ukrainian embassy/consulate in your host country. In some countries (Spain, Poland, Slovakia, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Türkiye) you can also visit State Enterprise “Document” – the list of cities abroad and in Ukraine is available here.

Please note that Ukrainian men aged 18-60 years of age may not be able to obtain a passport or certain consular services abroad without an updated military booklet. For information on the latest procedures for men to renew or obtain their identity documentation while abroad, please check the clarification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

If you left Ukraine with an internal passport (book-shaped) or ID card, you can still return to Ukraine. To do so, obtain a certificate for return to Ukraine from the Ukrainian embassy/consulate in your host country (the certificate is issued on the same day).

It is also possible to return to Ukraine with an internal passport from Romania and Moldova (no return certificate needed).

In principle, citizens of Ukraine cannot be denied entry to Ukraine.

During the martial law in Ukraine the procedure of entry with pets is simplified.  The pet must have:

• An identification document issued by the EU member state – pet passport or international veterinary certificate.
• Microchip
• Vaccination against rabies.

For more information, please visit State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection.

Citizens of Ukraine cannot be denied entry to Ukraine under no circumstances. Children are subject to the same entry and exit control as adults. Please refer to State Border Guard Service of Ukraine for detailed information. Those crossing the border should have a passport or other document confirming their identity or at least a birth certificate. Children can cross the border with a birth certificate issued abroad.

In case there are no documents, in all countries apart from those where consular relations are ceased (i.e. Russian Federation), children would need to be assisted in obtaining a return certificate based on any documents that can confirm connection to Ukraine (and possessing its citizenship). Consulates may issue a return certificate based on copies of documents.

If a child is entering alone or with a non-parent adult, State Border Guard Service of Ukraine shall contact local child protection services, unless they have information about parents awaiting the child. It is advised to inform the Border Guard post that the parent is expecting the child on the Ukrainian side of the border in advance.

Please note that a child should also meet the exit requirements of the host country – please contact your local Ukrainian consulate to ask for information and get the required documents for return. In some cases, a birth certificate cannot be used as a travel document.

The Ministry of Education and Science advises collecting all the documents from the previous school where the child studied: subjects taken, results of exams and evaluation system etc. If there are no documents, the child can pass a pre-evaluation exam and still enroll in Ukrainian school. Please note that the child cannot be refused enrollment in Ukrainian school even with incomplete documents or missed subjects. Read more about school enrollment from the Ministry of Education and Science.

There are a high number of the humanitarian organizations that are working with the government of Ukraine to aid people impacted by the war and/or engaged in early recovery and reconstruction. The types of assistance vary from oblast to oblast, and often have specific eligibility criteria—so people need to consult with UNHCR’s multi-service protection centres or the Administrative Service Centres (TSNAPs). Different types of humanitarian assistance include:

• Housing and shelter: support with emergency shelter, rental support for IDPs in protracted displacement, and longer-term durable housing programmes, which aim to help people restore damaged or destroyed homes.
• Legal counseling and advice to help people restore personal documents, access entitlements, restore pension benefits, register deaths, and re-establish housing, land and property rights.
• Specialized programmes are available in the areas of child protection, mental health and psychosocial assistance, and specialized support for extremely vulnerable individuals.
• Food assistance for people in frontline areas of the war.
• Cash assistance to help certain categories of vulnerability withstand ‘shocks’ in a fluid context.
• Support for livelihoods, skills development and vocational training.
• Area-based programmes to restore services and ensure participation in community reconstruction and redevelopment efforts.

More information on types of services per location can be found on ServicesAdvisor.

In these circumstances you can return to the area of your choice and be eligible for assistance as an internally displaced person. However, upon your return, you need to register and obtain formal status through local social security services, TSNAPs, or online through Diia mobile app. The process and requirements are described on Diia.gov.

If you return to the place other than your place of origin and are eligible for IDP certificate, registration is a requirement to receive governmental assistance inside Ukraine. To receive assistance from humanitarian organizations an IDP certificate is usually not a requirement, however, the requirements differ per organization. As an IDP, you are eligible for assistance from both the government and humanitarian organizations.

You can register and get an IDP certificate through local social security services, TSNAPs or online through Diia mobile app. The process and requirements are described on Diia.gov.

You can find more information on the assistance eligibility criteria and the application process from UNHCR’s partner – SSS.

If you return to your area of origin and are not an internally displaced person, you still might be eligible for assistance if you meet vulnerability criteria. Please check the Returnees from abroad page to learn about available assistance for returnees.

You can find all the organizations that are providing shelter assistance inside Ukraine on this online mapping Services Advisor.

Citizens of Ukraine and people with permanent residence whose property was damaged because of warfare can apply for a grant with a purpose of restoration/reconstruction (in cases where restoration is not possible). To check eligibility criteria and enroll in housing restoration programme, please visit ⁠Diia governmental services portal. It is possible to enroll online and on site once you are in Ukraine.

To understand what compensation you may be entitled to, the NGO “Get It Back” has created a compensation calculator to help people with destroyed or damaged properties have a better understanding of what they may receive.

Please note that the Compensation Calculator is for information only and cannot be considered a guarantee of the amount you will receive by either Get It Back or UNHCR. UNHCR partner Right to Protection (R2P) has also created a series of informational video for Ukrainians seeking compensation.

UNHCR is not currently promoting return to Ukraine due to the ongoing international armed conflict. However, every person has the right to return to their country and individuals may make personal decisions to return to Ukraine. Under the current circumstances, UNHCR advises it is important to make sure that decisions to return to Ukraine are well-informed and truly voluntary. For further information see UNHCR’s position here. 

You can contact the local authorities who will advise you on safety from landmines and other explosives. You can find a list of useful contacts on Ukraine Help. Once in Ukraine, you can also check the Mine Action Map by State Emergency Service of Ukraine (or use VPN to access the website).

Declaration with a family doctor

Except for emergency care, public healthcare services in Ukraine are provided through a family doctor (“сімейний лікар”). To get information about available family doctors with whom you can sign a declaration and primary healthcare facilities in your area, please contact National Health Service of Ukraine – 16 77.  If you need emergency healthcare in Ukraine, please call 103 or send SMS to 100-03 (for people with speech and hearing impairments). More information about selecting a doctor and signing a declaration can be found on the Governmental Portal.

Even if you left Ukraine a while ago but signed a declaration with a family doctor, your declaration might still be valid if the doctor did not change their workplace/the hospital is still operating. You can also change your current family doctor at any time – the old declaration is automatically canceled.

There is also a wide range of private healthcare providers – with some doctors in private clinics you can also sign a declaration. For more information, please call 16 77.

Nationwide mental health programme

“⁠How are you?” is a nationwide mental health programme that aims to support Ukrainians who struggle to cope with stress and complex emotions caused by war. On the platform you can find tips for self-help and supporting others, taking care of children’s mental health as well as find trusted providers of psychological support in Ukraine. If you need to talk to someone and get help, please call toll-free hotline 0 (800) 10 01 02.

If you are abroad, you can call a dedicated toll-free number in your country. Please check How are you? page for hotline numbers abroad and other useful contacts.

Resilience Centres

The experimental project of the Ministry of Social Policy is a component of the nationwide mental health programme “How are you?” on the initiative of First Lady Olena Zelenska.

If a person feels that they cannot overcome psycho-emotional tension and stress on their own, they can contact the Resilience Centres for professional help.

In such centers, you can:

• get individual or family consultations with a psychologist
• get psychological first aid
• consultations on social issues
• attend group classes on psychosocial support, as well as join volunteer initiatives in the community

A safe and comfortable educational and play environment is arranged for activities with children in the Resilience Centres. Activities with elements of art therapy, fairy tale therapy and play therapy are conducted by professional psychologists.

The centres are being actively created in Ukrainian communities – 180 Sustainability Centers already work in 23 regions thanks to the joint efforts of the Ministry of Social Policy, local self-government bodies and the public sector. At the moment, 223 communities are involved in the programme.  

Contacts of the active centres are available on the website of the Ministry of Social Policy.

You will need to obtain a disability certificate issued in Ukraine. It can be done on arrival or remotely – please check the instructions on the governmental portal.

Please note that even if your disability certificate obtained in Ukraine has expired, the document is automatically extended and is considered valid until 6 months after the end of martial law in Ukraine.