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Escape from Ukraine

Since the start of the war in February 2022, Jena has been taking in Ukrainian refugees, including many families, elderly people, war-wounded people and others with special needs. As the current municipal accommodation capacities are exhausted, the only people who can be accommodated are those who are distributed from the initial reception facility to Jena by the state of Thuringia. The initial reception facility for refugees is currently located in 99735 Werther, Neuer Weg 34, Nordhausen district.

Do you live in the city of Jena and have taken in war refugees from Ukraine privately? Please help them to make an appointment with the Citizens' Service as soon as possible so that they can register their main residence. This will automatically initiate their application for protection status in Jena in accordance with § 24 AufenthG.

After registering their main residence, refugees from Ukraine receive a fictitious certificate and are therefore entitled to financial support. The application for SGB II benefits(citizen's allowance) should be submitted to jenarbeit as soon as possible. If there is an entitlement to SGB XII benefits due to age, illness or disability, jenarbeit will determine this and forward the application to the responsible office.

Refugees from Ukraine are entitled to take up work immediately and to attend an integration course. The basis for all provisions on entry and residence for Ukrainian war refugees is the first-time application of the EU Mass Influx Directive 2001/55/EC, with the entry into force of which Section 24 of the Residence Act (granting of residence for temporary protection) applies.

No visa is currently required to enter Germany from Ukraine; your biometric passport or passport is sufficient. A stay in Germany without a residence permit is then possible for up to 90 days. Your stay is secured if you apply for a residence permit in accordance with § 24 AufenthG at the local foreigners authority within these 90 days. Until you have your residence permit in your hands, you will receive a fictitious certificate.

Onward travel to other countries in the European Union and the Schengen area is generally also possible without a visa. If you decide to stay in another EU member state, you will have to reapply for a residence permit for temporary protection there.

If you wish to travel back to Ukraine, your biometric passport or passport is sufficient. A short-term stay, e.g. to retrieve property left behind, is possible without negative consequences for your stay in Germany. Please note:

  1. If you receive financial benefits in Germany, you must inform the Jobcenter - in Jena jenarbeit - about your trip in advance. You may not be absent for more than 21 days per calendar year in order to maintain your entitlement to payments for basic needs, rent, health insurance, etc.
  2. Under residence law, your temporary absence may also last longer. Your residence permit in accordance with § 24 AufenthG only expires if you leave Germany for more than a temporary reason or do not stay in Germany for more than 6 months.

Re-entry to Germany is possible subject to the above points. If you are required to obtain a visa again in the future, re-entry is only permitted if you can present a residence permit in conjunction with your passport. A fictitious certificate does not entitle you to re-entry.

If you want to take in relatives from Ukraine in Jena, you can do so if you can provide living space. Only those who present a certificate of residence can register a main residence in Jena and subsequently obtain protection status in accordance with § 24 AufenthG.

If this is not the case, your relatives should contact the State Initial Reception Center for Ukrainian Refugees in Hermsdorf. From there, you can be transferred to a shared accommodation facility in Jena if they are your underage children or your partner (married or unmarried, living in a long-term relationship). Other family relationships do not justify a claim for distribution to Jena.

Stateless persons and non-Ukrainian nationals can also be granted protection status in accordance with Section 24 AufenthG if they resided in Ukraine before 24.02.2022 and

  • are a minor child or partner (married or unmarried, living in a long-term relationship) of a person of Ukrainian nationality or
  • had international protection or equivalent national protection in Ukraine or are family members of such a person or
  • had a permanent residence permit in Ukraine or are family members of such a person.

Family members include minor children and partners (married or unmarried, living in a long-term relationship) as well as other close relatives who lived in a family unit with a person entitled to protection and were largely dependent on them.

Persons who have only stayed in Ukraine temporarily or with a temporary residence permit and who can safely return to their country of origin on a permanent basis do not receive protection status in accordance with Section 24 AufenthG.

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