Given the fears that the Ukrainian refugees who went abroad during the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation will not return to their homeland, there is reassuring news: they are returning home! Briefly about what the Ukrainian authorities advise you to do before returning to your homeland, what documents you should take and what to worry about. The main recommendations can be found on the “Ukraine is home” portal.
Do I need to give up the temporary protection status? In most EU countries that have accepted Ukrainians, a short-term departure (up to 30 days) does not affect the loss of status, social benefits and benefits. A longer stay in Ukraine – from 30 to 90 days – suspends payments, but does not affect the status. However, it is better to clarify these issues with the relevant authorities of the host country, because the terms and conditions may differ.
What documents are needed to return to Ukraine?
Citizens of Ukraine cannot be denied entry to Ukraine under any circumstances! It is assumed that over the past years, Ukrainians have already issued all necessary documents at consulates and embassies of Ukraine abroad, in particular, a foreign passport. You can also enter home with a diplomatic or official passport, a crew member/seaman’s certificate, a certificate for returning to Ukraine, which is issued by the embassy/consulate of Ukraine. There, the validity period of the biometric passport is extended. In Spain, Poland, Slovakia, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Turkey, services for the preparation of documents are provided by branches of SE Dokument.
If a Ukrainian left the country with an internal passport, he needs to get a certificate for returning to Ukraine. You can leave Romania and Moldova without it, with an internal passport of Ukraine.
Can a minor child independently return to Ukraine?
So. The child must have at least some document: a passport or birth certificate, even if it was issued abroad. If there are no documents, the child needs to obtain a certificate of return with the help of adults on the basis of any documents confirming his connection with Ukraine and the presence of Ukrainian citizenship. Consulates can issue such a certificate even with copies of documents. However, there are cases when a birth certificate cannot be used as a travel document. These exceptions will be reported to the consulate of Ukraine.
Employees of the State Border Service of Ukraine should be informed in advance that a minor is traveling across the border, who is expected by parents or guardians on the Ukrainian side of the border.
If the owner returns with a pet, what documents are required?
The owner needs the same ID as everyone else. An identification document issued by an EU member state (pet passport or international veterinary certificate) is required for the pet. The animal must have a rabies vaccination and be microchipped.
What to do if the house is destroyed during hostilities?
Choose a place in Ukraine in advance where you can settle down and go there. There, get the status of an internally displaced person and the right to assistance from the state. The IDP status can be obtained from social protection services, TsNAPs, or online in the “Dia” application (the process is described on the Diia.gov portal) after registering in a new place and obtaining a certificate of an internally displaced person. An IDP certificate may be required to receive assistance from various humanitarian organizations.
If a person returns home to their place of registration and is not an IDP, they are still eligible for assistance if they meet the vulnerability criteria. These are residents of Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Odesa, Zaporizhia, Kirovohrad, Cherkasy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Kherson regions who do not have the status of IDPs, but have:
- families with one parent, with one or more children under the age of 18 or with senior citizens (from 55 years and older);
- families headed by one or more single persons aged 55+ or an elderly person with one or more children 18+;
- families with one or more persons with special needs – disabilities or chronic diseases;
- adoptive families raising children unaccompanied by their parents, and children separated from their parents (documentary confirmation is required).
How to return in your car?
If the car is bought abroad, it must be cleared and registered upon arrival. If the car has been owned for more than a year, it is registered abroad, it can be brought to Ukraine for personal use without the standard procedure of customs clearance and taxation. It will only need to be registered. However, if the owner wants to sell or give away the car within 2 years of being in Ukraine, it will have to be cleared through customs.
A personal vehicle used by Ukrainian refugees to enter the EU and registered in Ukraine does not require local registration and does not need to be re-registered in Ukraine.
Do you need to take certificates from your place of work or study when you decide to return home?
When preparing to return, check with your employer for documents confirming work experience and qualifications. Many countries have bilateral agreements with Ukraine, according to which their seniority is counted in Ukraine in full: for example, with Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, etc.
If there are no such agreements, the length of service will be counted to determine the retirement age (60, 63, 65 years). The length of service must be confirmed by certificates from the host country, but the amount of the pension will be calculated only on the basis of social contributions paid in Ukraine.
As for school certificates, it is best to collect all relevant documents: transcripts for subjects, exam results, grading system, etc. But even if there are no documents, the child will still be enrolled in a Ukrainian school. You may have to take a small knowledge level test. No one has the right to refuse admission to school because of an incomplete set of documents or because of missed subjects.
All this also applies to medical documents. It is best to collect all the references, recipes – everything that is available. And don’t forget to turn off the local health insurance so that you don’t have to pay the insurance when you’re already in Ukraine and make a declaration with your family doctor.
