#UnterkunftUkraine is an alliance of sustainable organizations that support a civil society based on solidarity. Initiators are Lukas Kunert (elinor GmbH) and Falk Zientz (GLS Bank). The coordination has been taken over by gut.org gAG. The aim is to build a safe, long-term, and cooperative solution for refugees seeking accommodation. #UnterkunftUkraine is an official cooperation partner of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Home Affairs (BMI).

Here, people take action for people beyond nationality and political background.

In the form you can choose periods starting from two weeks. Please note: It is currently not foreseeable how long refugees will have to rely on private accommodation. Housing that is available for a longer period of time is therefore especially welcome.

You will receive a proposal from people who would like to accept your offer of accommodation in Ukraine. You can refuse this proposal. Minors cannot be accommodated privately without their families. In this case, the youth office or the police have to be informed.
In Berlin, the Erstaufnahme- und Clearingstelle (EAC, Prinzregentenstraße 24, 10715 Berlin, open 24 hours, Tel. 030-8186083110) is responsible. Minors arriving with relatives or friends must also register there. https://www.berlin.de/sen/jugend/jugend/unbegleitete-minderjaehrige-fluechtlinge/

Is there a policy not to place women with single men in order to ensure adequate protection? That would be very important from my point of view. It should be formulated accordingly, just in case: Accommodation-Ukraine does not place women in households with single men.

There is no obligation for your offer to be valid. Plan initially with a perspective of four weeks. We will contact you personally to clarify availability before taking up accommodation. Before your accommodation offer expires, it would be great if you could help your guest(s) find follow-up accommodation. This can also be arranged through us again, so please contact us in good time so that we can look for, find and arrange accommodation again accordingly.

Please indicate your language skills in the form on unterkunft-ukraine.de (selection list). In the current emergency situation, we will have to make do without language skills for the time being. If you would like to have common language skills, you can indicate this in the free field “Message”. There are various translation apps and tools that can help.

unterkunft-ukraine.de is a mediation platform that brings together accommodation seekers and hosts (a so-called “mediation”). After consultation with both parties, as well as the identity verification of the host, we share the contact details of the refugees with the host. This placement is free of charge for both parties. In the placement process, we focus exclusively on temporary accommodation.

The data is collected and stored by gut.org gAG exclusively for the purposes of this initiative. They are only used to enable the placement of private accommodation and the establishment of contact. High data protection standards are a matter of course for us. For further information, please see our privacy policy.

Basically, as a tenant you are free to decide whether and when you want to receive visitors. Hosting refugees for up to eight weeks is usually considered a permission-free visit for which you do not need to obtain permission. However, if the visit exceeds eight weeks, your landlord must be informed.

Your landlord may only refuse permission to sublet in certain cases (see https://www.mieterbund.de/service/aufnahme-von-gefluechteten.html or https://www.facebook.com/BerlinerMieterverein/videos/1092124631582080/).

Here you can find a sample letter to ask your landlord for permission to sublet: https://www.berliner-mieterverein.de/musterschreiben/untermiete-bitte-um-erlaubnis-zur-untervermietung-an-aus-der-ukraine-gefluechtete.

When placing refugees, we rely exclusively on the basic information available to us (such as the number of refugees and the number of beds/rooms required, etc.). 

As soon as the need matches the criteria of your accommodation, we will contact you by phone and clarify further details. 

However, as things stand today – with over 300,000 beds available – it may take a few weeks before we can arrange your offer, as we cannot predict which needs will reach us when and for which location. Thank you very much for your understanding and patience.

Together with local authorities, cooperation partners, and volunteers, we are working hard to professionalize and further expand our placement capacities. We are very pleased that the number of placements is improving every day and that more refugees are receiving temporary and free accommodation every day.

The refugees are in an acute emergency situation – quick action is required. It is up to you and your guests whether you want to arrange a meeting beforehand or whether you want to get to know each other while living together. Many refugees need accommodation immediately. If living together does not work out for various reasons, you should talk to your guests. You can view, edit and, if necessary, deactivate your accommodation offer here at any time. 

If problems arise, please first talk to your guests independently. The accommodation can be canceled by either side at any time. In this case, #UnterkunftUkraine is only responsible for mediation. Please contact us if you are looking for a referral for your guests or if your offer is available again.

If you decide to host people, we ask you to independently consult with them about their further needs. For example, you can support them in finding long-term accommodation. We do not make automatic referrals. If a follow-up placement in temporary accommodation is possible, we will gladly support you in finding a new placement. Please contact us as soon as possible. You can reach us via the support button on our website.

Yes, this is possible via the form on the registration page at https://unterkunft-ukraine.de/.

Please understand that in this current situation it is difficult to plan ahead. Therefore, we cannot predict exactly when we will receive a request that matches your offer. As soon as a placement is made, you will receive the contact details of your guest(s). You can then discuss directly when and how your guest(s) will come to you.

At the moment, we only offer placements within Germany.

There are no special requirements for furnishing. However, we recommend, if possible, to give your guests peace and privacy in this difficult situation. A private room is ideal (especially if hosting for a longer period of time). Access to a bathroom and kitchen or cooking facilities should be provided.

When registering on the website, you are welcome to indicate what kind of sleeping accommodation you can provide (e.g. sofa bed, air mattress or similar). As this is an emergency situation, we and our seekers are grateful for any help.

Your guests have just had to escape, they may be traumatized and worried about their families in Ukraine. They may not want to talk much. As hosts, be sensitive to the needs of the refugees.

Be realistic about your physical, psychological, and time resources. In some situations, it may be better not to host people who are looking for help. Ask your neighbors, friends, and families for support. For some questions, it may be useful to contact organizations in your area that have been working professionally with refugees for a long time: For example, when dealing with authorities, social legal claims, traumatization, school, and debt problems or addictive behavior, or even if you cannot understand the behavior of the refugees. You can find valuable information here: 

Germany-wide:

https://handbookgermany.de/de/ukraine-info/de/wohnen.html
https://www.germany4ukraine.de/hilfeportal-en

As of 09.03.2022, according to the “Ukraine Interim Residence Regulation”, Ukrainian nationals who had a residence permit in Ukraine as well as third-country nationals who had refugee status in Ukraine are exempt from the requirement of a residence permit from 24.02.2022 to 23.05.2022. 

All competent authorities advise war refugees not to apply for asylum, because this can have considerable disadvantages under residence law in the case of rejection (§ 10 AufenthG). 

According to the Berlin Refugee Council, a different procedure applies: The EU Interior Ministers have decided that Ukrainians who have fled can be recognised as war refugees in a simplified procedure according to § 24 AufenthG. The protection is valid for one year and may be extended for a total of two years. Thereafter, there is a residence permit for temporary protection according to § 24 AufenthG without an asylum procedure and an unrestricted right to work as well as social benefits according to the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act.

According to the Berlin Refugee Council, the above regulation also means that refugees can stay here legally without visas. They can then also apply for a residence permit instead of war refugee status without a visa procedure (e.g. to join a spouse or children of relatives living in Germany, to study, for gainful employment, etc.). The Berlin Refugee Council assumes that, irrespective of war refugee status, applications for residence permits under the Skilled Workers Immigration Act are also possible if there is a professional qualification (academic or training profession) and an appropriately paid job offer that presupposes the corresponding qualification. 

If you would like to help here, please enquire in your local municipality when, how and where your guests can be granted a formal residence permit with war refugee status and work permit according to §n24 AufenthG. 

Special status Berlin: For Berlin, the State Refugee Office (LAF) has started booking appointments for privately accommodated war refugees from Ukraine to register in Berlin at the Arrival Centre Reinickendorf. At the same time, the Foreigners’ Registration Office (LEA) is launching an online registration of war refugees from Ukraine who have been accommodated in Berlin. One is supposed to upload the passport and get a fictitious certificate with the right to work by email and later an appointment for on-site registration and the residence title. Those who do not have a passport should get a certificate from the Ukrainian embassy, according to the Berlin Refugee Council.

The Berlin Refugee Council advises that persons who do not have Ukrainian citizenship (so-called third-country nationals) should in any case seek advice, see also information at https://fluechtlingsrat-berlin.de/news_termine/ukraine/.

IMPORTANT: Those who have private accommodation in Berlin should definitely point this out at the registration appointment. As long as no registration has taken place, privately accommodated persons must also reckon with possibly being distributed to another federal state, e.g. if the private housing providers can no longer accommodate them. 

• Here you can find a link for a sample application: www.fluechtlingsrat-berlin.de/musterantraege_ukraine
• Current information can be found here:
  • https://handbookgermany.de/de/ukraine-info/de/wohnen.html
  • https://fluechtlingsrat-berlin.de/news_termine/ukraine/
• For Berlin: www.berlin.de/ukraine/

Of course, there is no obligation to do so. However, if it is possible for you, you are welcome to help your guests arrive in Germany and – if desired – support them in dealing with the authorities and everyday life. You are welcome to refer to other support services in your area: 

https://handbookgermany.de/de/ukraine-info/de/weiterehilfen.html

This is advisable in any case, have a look at this: https://www.facebook.com/BerlinerMieterverein/videos/1092124631582080/

If you live as a host for rent, you can host refugees for 6-8 weeks without giving reasons and without permission from your landlord or landlady (permit-free visit). However, according to the Tenants’ Association, you should obtain written permission from the landlord or landlady after this period at the latest. Unless there is a good reason for refusal, the landlord should grant permission, according to the Tenants’ Association.

Note: According to the Tenants’ Association, if you take in someone for a longer period of time without permission, the landlord is entitled to give the tenant a warning and terminate the tenancy without notice if the warning is not complied with. After the warning, tenants must do everything possible to end the subtenancy. However, if the tenant has only forgotten to obtain permission and the landlord should have agreed, termination without notice is not justified.

Note: If tenants have sublet after the landlord has wrongfully refused the requested permission, the landlord does not have the right to terminate the contract.

A subletting agreement is especially recommended if your guests want to apply for social benefits for additional costs.

• Here you can find a sample letter to ask your landlord for permission to sublet: https://www.berliner-mieterverein.de/musterschreiben/untermiete-bitte-um-erlaubnis-zur-untervermietung-an-aus-der-ukraine-gefluechtete 
• Here you can find a sample subletting agreement that is also suitable for applying for social welfare benefits: 
• www.fluechtlingsrat-berlin.de/musterantraege_ukraine
• More detailed information on the legal situation as a host of refugees can be found here: https://www.mieterbund.de/service/aufnahme-von-gefluechteten.html

All refugees who are placed through #UnterkunftUkraine receive free liability insurance from ERGO Versicherung for the duration of their accommodation.

Therefore, should damage occur in your offered accommodation by a person referred by #UnterkunftUkraine, this person and all fellow guests can report this damage via their liability insurance and have it settled.

If you have offered accommodation via our portal and damage has occurred, you can also report it directly via the form.

Damage to movable property in the accommodation for less than € 100 is not insured. You can find all information about liability insurance here.

• ERGO_Formular_de_final (1)
• PHV_Flüchtlinge Ukraine
• PV – Private Versicherungen – Stand 1.1.2018
• Informationsblatt zu Versicherungsprodukten (PHV)

All arrivals should find out what steps they need to take after arrival, including the question of health insurance. Please inform yourself in your city/municipality and here: https://handbookgermany.de/de/ukraine-info/de/medizinische-versorgung.html and https://fluechtlingsrat-berlin.de/news_termine/ukraine/

Special status in Berlin:

For Berlin, please also see https://www.berlin.de/ukraine/ankommen/medizinische-versorgung/.

Even if refugees do not yet have health insurance, they are entitled to medical assistance in an emergency. However, the emergency services in hospitals cannot provide ongoing treatment or issue free redeemable prescriptions for medication.

There are also organisations in Germany that provide anonymous medical treatment free of charge to people without papers. You can search for such an organisation in your area on the website gesundheit-ein-menschenrecht.de, also on the websites of Malteser and Medibüros. 

For Berlin, the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Berlin has published a list of 500 doctors who have agreed to treat war refugees from Ukraine free of charge. It is not yet clear who will pay for any medication prescribed. For Berlin, please also check https://www.berlin.de/ukraine/ankommen/ and https://www.moabit-hilft.com/2022/03/05/faq-wichtige-infos-ukraine/: 

In case of acute illness or pain and no money of their own, refugees can get so-called “bridging benefits” from the social welfare office. These also include emergency medical care. The Berlin Refugee Council therefore recommends applying for social assistance at the relevant district social welfare office as described above, see below for responsibilities and a link to sample applications. Please note: you have to apply for this aid before you go to the doctor.

In Berlin, it usually takes four weeks for the health insurance card to arrive from the social welfare office. In the meantime, you should ask for confirmation from the social welfare office that you have registered with the health insurance fund. You can find more information here: https://fluechtlingsrat-berlin.de/news_termine/ukraine/)

According to the Berlin Refugee Council, the social welfare office is also responsible for those in need of care. The Social Welfare Office has to send an expert and provide care allowance and care benefits in kind to the extent of the statutory care insurance, even if you already have a health insurance card.

Please discuss with the refugees directly whether they can contribute to part of the rental costs or to the increased utility costs. The basic assumption in any case is that you will provide the accommodation even without contributing to the costs. Please note that the service charges will naturally increase the more people live in the flat. You should allow for higher costs, especially for heating, electricity and water, and these must of course be paid by you in the amount incurred.

Refugees may be entitled to social assistance or other financial support. If you charge extra costs (or part of the rent) to the refugees, they can apply to the authorities to have these reimbursed. For this purpose, it is advisable to draw up a sub-tenancy agreement stating the obligation to pay the costs. Here you can find a sample subtenancy agreement that is also suitable for applying for reimbursement of incidental costs by social assistance: www.fluechtlingsrat-berlin.de/musterantraege_ukraine

That depends on their status. As long as they are in Germany without a visa or with a visitor’s visa, they are not allowed to work. However, they can apply for a visa as a skilled worker, for example. They can then also work. If they get a residence permit according to § 24 of the Residence Act, they are allowed to work.  

Please have a look at the regulations on registration and residence under the question “How long are people from Ukraine allowed to stay officially in Germany without a residence permit or other official papers? How can they register as war refugees?”: According to the Berlin Refugee Council, the right to work only exists once a Foreigners Authority (Ausländerbehörde) has confirmed this right in a fictitious certificate or residence permit. See also: https://fluechtlingsrat-berlin.de/news_termine/ukraine/

Further information at https://handbookgermany.de/de/ukraine-info/de.html

There is a great willingness to help among the population, so there are certainly offers in your area. You can find information about this in the daily press, on the websites of your local community or church congregations.

Needy refugees from Ukraine may be entitled to social assistance. This must be applied for in advance (see notes on the procedure with sample applications under the question “How long can people from Ukraine officially stay in Germany without a residence permit or other official papers? How can they register as war refugees?”). Registration enables the refugees to claim state support, such as social benefits, if applicable. Registration may also affect where they can live. Further information on entry, residence, and return can be found here. If you agree to a subletting contract, this may also cover incidental costs. So far, private hosts of refugees do not receive any financial support.

No, you do not have to. But you can help: Please inform your guests about the Corona rules for public transport. 

Special status Berlin: In Berlin, public transport is free of charge for refugees from Ukraine: https://www.vbb.de/presse/freie-fahrt-im-vbb-fuer-gefluechtete-aus-der-ukraine/.

The arrival is very individual. Please discuss where and when exactly your guests will arrive with them when you first contact them.

At ipso-care, refugees can get help from experienced psychologists online, anonymously and free of charge. The staff there also speak Ukrainian and Russian. The service is free of charge. 

On medflex.de you can also find an offer for free telephone counseling with doctors and psychologists in Ukrainian.

You can find the Russian- and Ukrainian-language telephone counseling here: https://www.diakonie-portal.de/themen/ehrenamt-freiwilligendienste/ehrenamt-und-engagement/telefon-doweria-telefon-doverija/

Special status Berlin:

In Berlin, there are also over 500 medical practices that currently offer free medical and psychological help for refugees from Ukraine. You can find an overview at kvberlin.de. There you can also see which languages the individual practices speak. You can find more information here: https://handbookgermany.de/de/ukraine-info/de/medizinische-versorgung.html

In addition, there is a great willingness to help among the population, so that there are certainly also offers in your area. You can find information about this in the daily press, on the websites of your local community, the church communities or the large aid organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, Caritas, Diakonie, etc. 

Here you can find a general overview of aid services in your area: https://handbookgermany.de/de/ukraine-info/de/medizinische-versorgung.html

Especially for Berlin https://www.moabit-hilft.com/2022/03/05/faq-wichtige-infos-ukraine/

Support for Russian-speaking LGBTQ+ people can be found here: http://www.quarteera.de/

For Berlin, please also have a look at https://www.berlin.de/ukraine/faq/

As hosts, you will also be confronted with hardship, misery and trauma. Get support if you want to talk about it: e.g. under the telephone counseling 0800 – 111 0 111. Or use the following chats: https://www.telefonseelsorge.de/ or https://krisenchat.de/.

According to the Corona Virus Entry Regulation, there is only a general obligation to test before entry, but no longer a quarantine and registration requirement. The Federal Police will deal pragmatically with the situation in the case of war refugees and displaced persons. Among other things, voluntary tests will be offered at the border upon entry. In case of covid symptoms, medical experts will be consulted.

Many Ukrainians are currently not vaccinated against Corona. Many vaccination centers and doctors already vaccinate without a health insurance card. Just ask. 

Special status Berlin: In Berlin, refugees can get tested for the Coronavirus free of charge at numerous test centers. In the Corona vaccination centers of the state of Berlin, it is possible to get vaccinated even if you cannot show an official photo ID. Information on this can be found at https://www.berlin.de/ukraine/ankommen/medizinische-versorgung/.

As of 30 June 2022, the free citizenship tests for people without symptoms have basically been suspended. Exceptions apply to the following groups:

– Children under five years of age
– People who cannot be vaccinated against the coronavirus for medical reasons, including particular pregnant women in the first trimester of their pregnancy
– People who are currently participating in studies on corona vaccines or have participated in the past three months
– People who are in isolation due to confirmed infection with coronavirus, if testing is required to stop isolation
– People who want to visit someone in a hospital or residential care facility,
– People who live or have lived in the same household as an infected person,
– family carers and assistants employed by people with disabilities (within the framework of a personal budget according to § 29 SGB IX).

The following groups of people must contribute three euros to a test:

– People who will be attending an indoor event on the same day.
– People who will have contact with a person aged 60 or over or a person with a pre-existing condition with a high risk of contracting severe Covid-19 on the same day,
– People who receive a warning with the status indication “increased risk” through the Corona warning app of the Robert Koch Institute.

The Federal Government has summarised the most important questions and answers on Corona tests for you here.
The city of Berlin has compiled further information on medical care for refugees here.

Information on this can be found in the daily press, on the websites of your local community, the church communities or the large aid organisations such as Doctors Without Borders, Caritas, Diakonie, etc.

For example, look here https://handbookgermany.de/de/ukraine-info/de/weiterehilfen.html

Information on this can be found in the daily press, on the websites of your local community, the church communities or also the large aid organisations such as Doctors without Borders, Caritas, Diakonie, etc. 

You can find a good overview here https://handbookgermany.de/de/ukraine-info/de/weiterehilfen.html

There is no central contact person. However, you are welcome to contact us at any time via the support button on the bottom right corner of the website. We are also working on setting up a hotline so that you can get in touch with us even more directly.

Information on this can be found in the daily press, on the websites of your local community, church congregations or major aid organizations such as Médecins Sans Frontières, Caritas, Diakonie, etc.

For example, look here https://handbookgermany.de/de/ukraine-info/de/weiterehilfen.html

You can make changes here: https://app.unterkunft-ukraine.de/self-service/host-offer?lang=en

Please send us a message through the support button on the bottom right corner of the website.