At this moment, Ukrainians with a biometric passport can travel freely to the Netherlands and do not need a visa. There is also no need to apply for asylum. However, Ukrainians without a biometric passport must apply for a visa to enter the Netherlands.

You can apply for a visa in any EU country. For more information contact the foreign ministry’s call center, available 24 hours a day, at +31 247 247 247. It is also possible to use WhatsApp via +31 620 826 032.

Chatbot to help Ukrainians around the world from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

The chatbot can simultaneously serve several users and provide advice on the most common questions, namely:

• rules of entry to a foreign country;
• registration of temporary protection;
• social security;
• return to Ukraine;
• consular services.

You can get help through the chatbot at the link .

In addition to the chatbot, citizens can also contact the call center at +38 (044) 224-57-20.

You can enter Netherlands with any of the following documents:

• A biometric passport.
• Ukrainian ID. According to the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service (DPSU), the citizens of Ukraine who can leave Ukraine with an internal passport are currently only those evacuating from occupied territories or territories where hostilities are taking place, the list of which is approved in accordance with the Order of the Ministry on Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine of December 22, 2022 No. 309 . Citizens from other territories must have a biometric passport to travel abroad.
• Children under the age of 16 traveling with their parents must have a birth certificate. Children have the right to cross the border with one parent (without the official permission of the other parent). If the child is traveling with acquaintances or relatives, she/he needs to have a travel permit from one of the parents, certified by a notary.

Ukrainians without a biometric passport must apply for a visa to enter the Netherlands.

You can apply for a visa in any EU country. For more information contact the foreign ministry’s call center, available 24 hours a day, at +31 247 247 247. It is also possible to use WhatsApp via +31 620 826 032.

The costs for a short stay visa application are:

• First visa application: EUR 80;
• First visa application for children from 6 to 12 years: EUR 40;
• First visa for children up to 6 years: free of charge;
• Extending short stay visa: EUR 30;
• Extending short stay visa due to humanitarian reasons: free of charge.

In order to prove family/marital status, birth certificates and a marriage certificate are required.

The telephone number of the DPSU hotline ("Trust" Service) is 1598. You can use it for questions of a consultative nature within the competence of the State Border Service of Ukraine.

For more information about the documents with which you can cross the border, and about the categories of citizens who are allowed to travel outside Ukraine, see here .

Ukrainian children without proof of identification can be registered at the municipality together with their parents. In the absence of identification documents, the parents can declare the identity of the child under oath. The child will then be registered at the municipality.

Should your entry to the Netherlands be denied because you cannot present identification documents, you can always request asylum by applying for the official asylum procedure.

People displaced from Ukraine should register at the local authority of the place where they are staying (the hosting municipality). Such registration is also possible for those with other documentation than passport. Adults without proof of identification cannot register at the municipality. They should, however, notify their host municipality. For those with incomplete or insufficient documentation, an additional origin and identification procedure will be set up.

Ukrainian children without proof of identification can be registered at the municipality together with their parents. In the absence of identification documents, the parents can declare the identity of the child under oath. The child will then be registered at the municipality.

Should your entry to the Netherlands be denied because you cannot present identification documents, you can always request asylum by applying for the official asylum procedure.

You can apply for financial assistance for living in the city of Amsterdam by following these steps:

1. Arrival at Central Station, Stationsplein 51-71 . If you arrive at the Central Station (Amsterdam reception point), you will be assigned a temporary accommodation center. If you are referred to the accommodation center in Amsterdam, you will be given an appointment to register at the Süd district administration (President Kennedylaan 923, 1079 MZ).
2. If you already live in Amsterdam, but are not yet registered, you can make an appointment yourself at the administration of the Zuid district for registration. After that, you can apply for housing allowance. You can make an appointment by sending an email to BSN.zuid@amsterdam.nl or by calling the city's information number 14 020 (phone conversation in Dutch and English only).
3. Registration and service number of a citizen. In the administration of the district of Zuid, you register in the database of personal registration (BRP) with your identity document and you will receive a service number of a citizen of the Netherlands (BSN). This can be done only in the presence of an international (biometric) passport or ID card. If you do not have a valid ID, you cannot yet register with BRP and further investigation will be required. After registering with BRP, you will immediately receive a BSN.
4. Opening a bank account. We recommend that you open a Dutch bank account with an IBAN. For more information, see Opening a bank account for citizens of Ukraine .
5. Applying for a living allowance with BSN. After receiving your BSN, you can apply for a residence allowance by sending a letter to the following address: leefgeldoekraine@amsterdam.nl.

If you have a BSN but do not receive housing benefit, send an email to leefgeldoekraine@amsterdam.nl or call the city's information number 14 020 (phone conversation in Dutch and English only). Source .

Refugees from Ukraine can travel by train free of charge the first 24 hours in the Netherlands. You must have a Ukrainian identity document and be able to show a German, Belgian, French or Austrian train ticket which is not more than 24 hours old. You can use this ticket to pick up a 1-day ticket at the Tickets and Service counters of the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS). For other types of public transportation, such as buses, trams and metros, you will need a valid ticket as of 1 June 2022.

A Ukrainian refugee who applied for and is granted temporary protection in the Netherlands is allowed to travel freely within the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days without a visa. It is also possible to travel to and from Ukraine. This is the same for Ukrainian refugees who applied and were granted temporary protection in another EU country and want to travel freely to the Netherlands.

Visas are valid for 90 days. Ukrainian nationals who are exempt from the visa requirement can also remain in the Netherlands for up to 90 days. It is possible to extend the short-stay visa of a visa-exempt term if you want to stay longer. A stay can be extended for a maximum of 90 days, up to a total of 180 days. This is also possible if your visa or visa-exempt term has already expired. Additionally, based on the Temporary Protection Directive, Ukrainian refugees will be granted temporary protection for one year, from 4 March 2023 until 4 March 2024.

The EU migration calculator helps to calculate the number of days of stay in EU countries for those who do not apply for temporary protection.

• Contact person for children in reception centers: In every reception center, there is a 'contact person for children'. This person has a coordinating role and can provide further information regarding children.
• Nidos: The organisation is responsible for providing guardianship to unaccompanied and separated children who arrive in the Netherlands without caretakers.
• Unaccompanied children are met by Nidos guardians when they arrive. The guardians inform them and organize placement at a reception center. They also arrange foster families for younger children (under the age of 15).
• Unicef works closely with Nidos so if you would contact Unicef, they will refer to Nidos.
• The Child Protection Board can be questioned on adoption cases.

At this moment, there are no exceptions specifically made in the Netherlands for Ukrainian nationals. The normal COVID-19 rules and restrictions apply. A Ukrainian refugee is allowed to enter the Netherlands based on proof of full vaccination or proof of recovery from COVID-19 (valid between 11 and 180 days). Note that proof of recovery will only be accepted as a “Digital EU COVID Certificate”. Ukraine is a non-EU country that has joined the EU Digital COVID certificate system. The test result must be in Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish. In addition, a COVID-19 recovery declaration form must be completed.

Ukrainian refugees that are already in the Netherlands are advised to be vaccinated, tested, and isolated/quarantined according to the applicable Dutch COVID-19 guidelines. At most public health service (GGD) locations, refugees can receive the vaccinations free of charge without an appointment. If the refugee has COVID-19 symptoms, testing is possible at the GGD or with a self-test. Self-tests are offered free of charge by the local council.

Temporary Protection applies to Ukrainians who have travelled from Ukraine after 26 November 2021 or who can prove that they were already in the Netherlands before that date and not in another EU country.

The local council will check whether the refugee has the correct documents. When in doubt, they will contact the IND, who will do additional research. During that research, it is not possible to register at the town hall. If the Ukrainian national is not able to prove his identity, it may be possible to obtain proof of identity and nationality from the Ukrainian embassy. If the Ukrainian refugee does not have any documents to prove his identity, it is not possible to fall within the scope of the Directive.

If the refugee is covered by the provision and has registered in the Personal Records Database at the local council, the individual will soon be able to obtain proof from the IND that he may live and work in the Netherlands. Proof of residency will be a sticker applied to a page in the refugee's passport or on a separate piece of paper or card.

People who can prove their identity, origin or lawful residence in Ukraine (e.g. a passport, birth certificate or residence papers) can register in the municipality (local authority) where they are received. This entitles them to certain services, such as housing, living expenses, medical care and education. Ukrainian refugees do not have to register themselves at the central registration point for all refugees seeking asylum in the Netherlands (which is in Ter Apel, in the northern province called Groningen). To apply for temporary protection you need proof of identity, origin or lawful residence in Ukraine (with for example a passport, birth certificate or residence papers).

Children without passports can be registered with their parents in the BRP at the municipality. In the absence of other documents, the parents can make a declaration under oath or promise, with which the municipality establishes the identity of the children. The municipality then also registers these children. This is an exception to the standard rule that proof of identity is required. This exception is only applicable to this target group in the current circumstances.

In accordance with Article 2 of the Implementing Decision of the Council of the EU, temporary protection applies to family members of Ukrainian citizens who lived in Ukraine until February 24, 2022. At the same time, the citizenship of such a family member does not matter.

The Decision directly states that for the purposes of temporary protection, the family should have already existed and lived in the territory of Ukraine until February 24, 2022. At the same time, the concept of "family member" is defined quite broadly in the Decision, in particular:

• the second spouse of a citizen of Ukraine, or an unmarried partner with whom the person is in a stable relationship, if the legislation or practice of the relevant EU state considers unmarried couples as spouses in accordance with its national legislation on foreigners;
• minor unmarried children of a citizen of Ukraine, or of the second spouse, regardless of whether they were born in or out of wedlock, or were adopted;
• other close relatives who lived together as part of the family as of February 24, 2022, and who at that time were fully or mostly dependent on a citizen of Ukraine.

Thus, family members can include not only the official husband/wife, but also civil partners who lived in the same family with a citizen of Ukraine at the time the war began and got married after 02/24/2022 (or continue to live in a civil partnership). However, the provision of temporary protection for this category of persons remains at the discretion of each EU country, depending on its family legislation.

Dutch legislation includes partners with whom a citizen of Ukraine has had a long-term relationship and who can prove that they lived together in Ukraine before the start of the war (usually for at least six months before February 24, 2022) as "family members".

Temporary protection in the Netherlands has been extended until March 4, 2024, subject to proof of residence. You don't need to do anything for this, because the IND (Immigration and Naturalization Service) should have automatically verified the address. All Ukrainians subject to temporary protection should have received a letter from the IND by February 25, 2023. If you have not received it, call IND, they will try to resolve your issue over the phone.

There has not been a final decision on the status of people under temporary protection in the Netherlands.

Obtaining temporary protection status entitles you to certain services, such as housing, living expenses, medical care and education.

You need to have a special sticker-mark in your passport or O-document confirming the status of temporary protection. This is reported by the Dutch government portal.

The corresponding sticker will be a confirmation of the official status of temporary protection and will allow you to legally get a job.

A special stamp sticker in a passport or O-document is issued by the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the Netherlands (Immigratie-en Naturalisatiedienst, IND).

Beneficiaries of international protection (asylum) cannot return to their country of origin while they are considered a refuge.

If you have received temporary protection and want to leave the Netherlands temporarily, you must notify the municipality in which you are staying in advance. If you are absent for more than 28 days, the municipality may stop providing assistance. If you are absent from the municipal shelter for more than 14 days, the shelter can be transferred to someone else. When you return, you may be given accommodation in another reception place or municipality.

Relinquish temporary protection status:

Regardless of the country of residence, temporary protection must be waived. Your status will be revoked by the state body or institution where you issued the documents. However, citizens of Ukraine can re-obtain this status if they decide to return abroad.

Make sure your documents are valid:

Citizens who left Ukraine with a valid foreign passport will not face any difficulties. The expired document can be extended in diplomatic institutions for another five years - this decision was made by the Cabinet of Ministers, because it is not possible to issue biometrics abroad. You can also add a child's data to an adult's passport.

Ukrainians who have only an internal passport or who left Ukraine without documents should also contact the embassy or consulate. Employees of the institution will issue a special document - an identity card for returning to Ukraine (it is not necessary to pay the consular fee during martial law).

Cancel receiving cash assistance abroad:

When returning home, refugees cannot receive state benefits. If you do not notify the relevant institution about your departure from the country, it will be considered an offence. In such a case, a Ukrainian may be fined or even banned from entering the country.

By the way, it is not necessary to declare cash payments received abroad in Ukraine.

While under temporary protection, Ukrainians are free to move around the country and to travel to another country in the Schengen area. Ukrainians who were already here with residence permit would normally lose their permit if they stay abroad longer than 6 months, but also here the Dutch immigration service (IND) has announced that it will be flexible towards Ukrainians who could not return to the Netherlands in time.

There is a suspension of decisions regarding asylum requests from Ukrainians given the breadth of temporary protection. The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) does not take a decision on asylum applications from Ukrainians and extends the decision period for current and new asylum applications by 1 year.

If you have entered the Netherlands by land and you want to apply for asylum, you have to go to the central IND refugee location in Ter Apel (in the province called Groningen, in the north of the Netherlands). Everywhere in the Netherlands you can obtain a ticket from the police (a public transport day card) to travel to Ter Apel. When you arrive at Schiphol Airport or at a Dutch port, you must report to the military police. You will then be taken to a closed reception centre (Justitieel Complex Schiphol).

After you have applied for asylum, the application phase begins. You must fill in the application form during the application phase. This form provides the IND with important information about you. For example, it contains questions about your place of residence, family and travel. You must also briefly answer the question of why you are applying for asylum. The IND uses these details to determine how your asylum procedure will proceed.

Your personal details are then registered. Your photographs and fingerprints are taken and your clothing and baggage are searched. Your telephone will also be taken from you and examined. This will be returned to you as soon as possible.

Finally, you will have your first interview with the IND, the registration interview. The IND employee will ask you questions about your place of residence, family, documents and your journey to the Netherlands. The answers you give are important, so be complete and precise. You must also briefly state why you are applying for asylum in the Netherlands. If you are not a Ukrainian citizen, a permanent resident of Ukraine or a first-degree family member, you probably need to apply for asylum in order to stay here. This does not apply to non-Ukrainian citizens and stateless persons who resided legally in Ukraine and cannot return to their country or region of origin.

Becoming a Dutch citizen requires applying for asylum via the normal asylum procedure, by registering at a central registration point for refugees.

To become a Dutch citizen one must apply for naturalisation. There are various conditions that need to be met. One must be 18 years or older and must have lived in the Kingdom of the Netherlands continuously for 5 years or more with a valid residence permit. At the moment of application for naturalisation one must still possess a residence permits and valid identification/nationality documentation. The applicant must also pass a civic integration examination, unless exempted from the examination. In some cases the applicant must renounce his/hers nationality.

It is yet unclear how long the wait is to get temporary protection status.

To become a Dutch citizen one must be 18 years or older and must have lived in the Kingdom of the Netherlands continuously for 5 years or more with a valid residence permit.

Displaced people without a biometric passport are in principle required to have a visa permit but the government has announced leniency due to current circumstances. If you don't have a biometric passport, you can enter by presenting your documentation (e.g. Ukrainian birth certificate or residence papers). People displaced from Ukraine should register at the local authority of the place where they are staying (the hosting municipality). Such registration is also possible for those with other documentation than passport. Adults without proof of identification cannot register at the municipality. They should, however, notify their host municipality. For those with incomplete or insufficient documentation, an additional origin and identification procedure will be set up.

Ukrainian children without proof of identification can be registered at the municipality together with their parents. In the absence of identification documents, the parents can declare the identity of the child under oath. The child will then be registered at the municipality.

Should your entry to the Netherlands be denied because you cannot present identification documents, you can always request asylum by applying for the official asylum procedure.

In order to issue a foreign passport, you need to contact the Ukrainian Embassy .

A foreign passport is issued to a person who has reached the age of 16 on the basis of an application-questionnaire submitted by him personally. At the same time, the issuance of a foreign passport to a person who has been recognized by the court as having limited legal capacity or incapacity is carried out on the basis of an application-questionnaire of the guardian or other legal representative.

The following are attached to the application:

• previous passport to be exchanged (if the passport is not issued for the first time);
• internal passport in the form of a booklet (if available);
• or ID card (if available);
• a document confirming permanent residence or temporary stay abroad (if available);
• certificate of registration of the place of residence in Ukraine / certificate of registration of the place of residence of a temporarily displaced person (if available);
• a certificate of assignment of the registration number of the taxpayer's registration card (RNOKPP; if available).

In case of loss or theft of the previous passport, a document (report, certificate, etc.) issued by the competent authority of the state in which the passport was lost or stolen is attached to the application, confirming the fact of the owner's application regarding its loss or theft. Such a document is submitted without legalization and translation into Ukrainian.

In the case of issuing a passport in connection with a change in personal data (surname and/or first name), a document confirming such a change (marriage certificate, divorce certificate, court decision, etc.) is attached to the application. When issuing a foreign passport with a new surname and/or first name, the "domestic" passport (ID card) must be reissued.

In the event that the applicant has not previously been issued with an identity document, confirming Ukrainian citizenship and/or granting the right to leave Ukraine and enter Ukraine, a certificate of registration of the person as a citizen of Ukraine is provided (with the exception of cases when the person's parents at the time of his were citizens of Ukraine at birth).

You can register the birth of a child only at the consulate. There, the determination of his origin and the assignment of his surname, first name, and patronymic are carried out.

The application for registration must be submitted immediately, but no later than one month after the birth of the child, and in the case of a stillborn child - no later than three days.

The registration process takes place at the place of birth or at the place of residence of the child's parents or one of them (with a written application). At the same time, in case of illness, death of the parents or for other reasons it is impossible to register the birth - the application can be submitted by relatives or other persons authorized by the representative of the health care institution in which the child was born or is currently.

What is required for registration?

• a document from a medical institution about the birth of a child, passports certifying the identity of the parents;
• application (written or addressed orally) to enter information about the father.

Registration is free, and based on its results, parents are issued a birth certificate.

How to return to the homeland with a child born in the Netherlands?

In order for Ukrainians to return home with a child born in the Netherlands, they must have with them:

• a document certifying his identity;
• a child's birth certificate issued by a consular institution.

Is the status of a citizen of Ukraine preserved during the birth of a child in the Netherlands?

A newborn Ukrainian in the Netherlands retains the status of a citizen of Ukraine. Data on citizenship and nationality in the act record of birth and certificate are not filled in, which is why a corresponding entry is made in the column "For marks".

In addition, a person whose parents or one of his parents were citizens of Ukraine at the time of his birth is a citizen of Ukraine. The place of birth of the baby does not affect the possibility of him acquiring Ukrainian citizenship.

There are several steps involved in the process of body repatriation from abroad to Ukraine:

1. Notify the authorities.

The first step of body repatriation from abroad to Ukraine is to contact the local authorities in Netherlands (report to the municipality), so you can register the death. Ukrainian embassy should also be able to help you in the process of registering the death abroad.

2. Arrange the correct documents.

You’ll need to have all the right paperwork before you can repatriate your loved one home from abroad to Ukraine. If you are repatriating a body to Ukraine for burial or cremation, the documents you will need include:

• Death Certificate.
• Certificate or Affidavit from the local health authorities stating that the cause of death of the individual to be shipped to Ukraine was not a communicable disease or infections.
• A Document about the absence of any excessive objects inside the casket or urn with the ashes.
• The Certificate of Cremation issued be the Funeral home or Cremation office.

All the mentioned documents should be authenticated, legalized and translated into Ukrainian by the certified translator. The originals of abovementioned documents and notarized translations, must accompany the casket containing the deceased, or urn with ashes, to Ukraine.

The passport of the deceased person should be sent to the Embassy of Ukraine along with a notarized and authenticated copy of the Certificate of Death, and a translation from Dutch to Ukrainian. The Embassy is to make correspondent procedures with the passport and can forward it back if it is required to accompany the casket containing the deceased, or urn with ashes, to Ukraine.

The Embassy is to be informed of the date, time, and the place of delivery of the casket containing the deceased, or urn with ashes, to Ukraine. Only the next of kin relatives of the deceased, or persons correspondingly authorized by them, can receive the casket or urn.

3. Transport the deceased to Ukraine.

The casket containing the body, or urn with ashes, must be sealed by the Funeral Home. There are no strict requirements with respect to the urn with ashes; however, the body should be transported in a metal casket, made of zinc-plated steel or tinplate not more than 0,4 thick.

For the air cargo transportation, it is necessary to specify a cemetery in Ukraine as well as Ukrainian Funeral Home which will take care of the casket, or the urn with ashes, in Ukraine. Both are a subject of private choice by the relatives or friends of the deceased person. Source .

There are numerous shops that offer such services. Look for printer shops & copy centers as they can provide you with this.

In Amsterdam, ID photos can be taken here .

Through the certified translation agency beedigdevertaling.eu you can use the services of a translator who is sworn by a Dutch court (website only available in Dutch). Translations from Ukrainian and Russian into Dutch, among other languages, are offered. This translation agency currently works with discounts for such translations.

Through Translation Kings you can have both Ukrainian and Russian translated into Dutch or English.

Both translation services are ISO certified.

Various telecom companies do not charge for calling and texting to and from Ukraine. Below is an overview per phone provider.

• With T-Mobile (which includes both Ben and Tele2) you can make and receive calls for free at least until July 2022.
• Via VodafoneZiggo you can make and receive free calls at least until June.
• KPN (including XS4ALL and Simyo) is also making calls from and to Ukraine free of charge until a date that is yet to be determined.
• Free SIM cards of Lebara are available at petrol stations and independent telecom shops.