An insurance policy is a guarantee of your safety and peaceful stay outside of Ukraine

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The Netherlands, like other EU countries, has been accepting refugees from Ukraine since the first days of the full-scale invasion. The Refugee Support Program was approved in the country and social assistance was introduced. We have collected information about the rules of moving to the Netherlands and how to apply for protection in this article.

Rules of entry

Ukraine does not border the Netherlands, so the journey to this country will pass through other EU states. To cross the border, you must have a valid passport of a citizen of Ukraine for travel abroad. With an internal passport or ID card, only those traveling from the hostilities or temporarily occupied territories are admitted.

The child can be accompanied by one of the parents or another close relative. To confirm family ties, it is necessary to have relevant documents. A notarized consent to leave will be required only if the child is not accompanied by a close relative.

 Vaccination or testing for COVID-19 is not required for those traveling by ground transportation. However, some airlines may request these documents when boarding the plane.

Requirements for mandatory vaccinations and documentation of pets has also been removed, but some airlines may ask for these documents. Therefore, we advise you to familiarize yourself with this issue on the carrier's website if you plan to get to the Netherlands by plane.

Free travel

Many European transport companies offer free travel for Ukrainians. For example, the airline WizzAir provides Ukrainians with 100,000 free tickets for all flights to Europe. Travel period - September 15 - December 8. However, you must have a valid international passport to travel by plane.

In the Netherlands, you can get a free train ticket for one day. For this, you need to provide the cashier with your Ukrainian passport and the train ticket you used to arrive in the Netherlands from another EU country, but it must not be older than 24 hours. Thanks to this, you will be able to travel to any city in the Netherlands for free. Travel in the country's public transport is paid.

Auto

Ukrainians who plan to come to the Netherlands with their own car must usually have an insurance policy, the so-called "Green Card". You can issue it online using the link. If you are traveling with children, they must be in a child car seat.

Also, some European countries, including Poland and Germany, made free travel on toll roads for cars with Ukrainian license plates. So, this will help you save money while moving to the Netherlands.

Housing search

After arriving in the Netherlands, we advise you to contact one of the humanitarian aid points or the center for assistance to displaced persons from Ukraine. They work in major cities of the country - Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague, Eindhoven and others. Here you can rest, as well as get information about shelters and plan your further trip.

Usually, the municipality of the Netherlands resettles Ukrainians in temporary housing - it can be either a separate room or a bed in a dormitory. Currently, the Government offers Ukrainians accommodation in hotels, recreation centers, school or hospital premises adapted to accommodate people.

The second accommodation option is a host family. In this case, you will live in the house of the family that agreed to accept you. All families undergo appropriate checks before settling refugees. Applications are accepted only from those families that can guarantee the Ukrainian a private room. You can live with a family for up to 3 months. After the end of this period, the term of residence can be extended, if you and the owner of the house so desire.

You can also rent housing in the Netherlands on your own. However, it is not very simple. Firstly, you must have a stable income in the Netherlands. Usually, the landlord requires that your monthly income exceeds three times the rental price.

Renting a two-bedroom apartment in Amsterdam will cost 1,700 euros. You can find an apartment on these two sites: Раrarius or Funda.

Where to apply for protection?

In the Netherlands, as in other EU countries, Ukrainians can apply for temporary protection status, which will allow you to legally live in the country, work, and also provide access to social guarantees.

Registration takes place in two stages. Upon arrival, you need to obtain a local identification number (BSN) from the municipality of the region in which you plan to live.

At the second stage, to receive confirmation of the status of temporary protection, contact the migration service. Pre-registration can be made on the website. You must have your passport of a citizen of Ukraine with you. After filling out the special form and registration, the service representative must stick a special sticker on your passport, which will confirm that you are allowed to live and reside in the Netherlands. Also, thanks to this registration, you will be able to leave the Netherlands without obstacles, for example, to visit relatives in Ukraine and return. If you do not have a foreign passport, you will receive a separate document instead of a sticker.

We draw your attention to the fact that from October 31, the presence of a document confirming the status of temporary protection in the Netherlands will be mandatory for employment in the country.

More details about the registration procedure at the link.

Financial assistance

Ukrainians have the right to financial support in the Netherlands - 260 euros, both for an adult and for a child. However, this amount consists of two parts: 205 euros as payment for food and 55 euros for clothes and other personal items. That is, if you live in a center for refugees and receive three meals a day, the municipality can give you only 55 euros per month.

Refugees living in families will receive an additional €215 per adult and €55 per child to cover the costs incurred by the host family. Please note that host families do not receive any compensation, including for utility services.

Payment of the benefit will be stopped if you get a job or leave the housing that was provided to you by the municipality.

More details on how to get help at the link. We have also previously told you how to open a bank account in the Netherlands.

Medical services

Ukrainians in the Netherlands have the right to free medical care. The basic package of services includes a visit to the family doctor, treatment of acute and chronic diseases, dental care for acute pain, as well as glasses, hearing aids and some medications.

However, we would like to remind you that if you are planning a trip abroad, you should take care of the insurance policy - because it is the guarantee of your safety and peaceful stay outside of Ukraine. In order not to have trouble abroad and to be calm for yourself and your loved ones, Visit Ukraine recommends taking out medical insurance in advance.

Where to look for work?

Temporary protection status entitles you to work. The employer can hire you only on the basis of an employment contract, the term of which cannot exceed the term of temporary protection.

You can look for a job through the local employment center (uitzendbureau). They usually offer entry-level jobs, manual labor or temporary employment. There are many vacancies for which only basic knowledge of the English language is required, or knowledge of the language is not required at all.

You can also search for a job independently on the sites: Indeed, Nationalvacaturebank and Linkedin.

Education

Schools in the Netherlands are free. Education takes place in the Dutch language. In some schools, special Ukrainian classes are created. However, the Dutch education system is currently under quite a heavy load due to the large number of refugees. Therefore, it is possible that the child will not be able to start studying immediately. The situation with kindergartens is even more complicated. There are long queues for them, and there is a fee to study there.

All the necessary information about moving to the Netherlands is collected on a single portal, here you can find answers to all questions.