Information was updated on 05.05.2025
As of 1 May 2025, a new Program for Humanitarian Support and Integration of Displaced Persons from Ukraine granted temporary protection in the Republic of Bulgaria is in force. More information about the conditions and persons who can benefit from this Programme can be found in the article below.
Who can benefit from the humanitarian support under the Program?
- You can benefit from the Program if you have been granted temporary protection and hold a registration card of a person granted temporary protection issued by the State Agency for Refugees;
- If you benefited from the previous Humanitarian aid Program as of 30 April 2025, you can also benefit from the new Program.
Find out more here:
Important! You can only join the Program for humanitarian support for accommodation for a period of 60 (sixty) calendar days, one time only, within the duration of the Temporary Protection.
If you want to stay in the accommodation place beyond this 60-day period, you will have to pay for your stay yourself at the prices announced by the place for accommodation.
Important! The programme allows persons at risk to be accommodated for the whole period of their temporary protection, not just for 60 calendar days. The following persons are entitled to accommodation for the entire period of their protection:
- A child from 0 to 12 years of age accompanied by a parent or other adult person who is taking care of them by proxy. The parent or the adult, caring for the child, as well as the parent's other minor children are also entitled to accommodation.
- a child aged 12 to 16 accompanied by a parent or other adult person who is taking care of them by proxy, but only where the child is not covered by the education system in Bulgaria for reasons beyond the parent's control and after an application for admission to school has been made. The parent or the other adult, caring for the child, as well as the parent's other minor children are also entitled to accommodation.
- a pregnant woman, after the third month of pregnancy, where this is certified by a medical document issued by a competent authority in the Republic of Bulgaria (e.g. a general practitioner or other medical specialist);
- a person with a permanent disability established by a competent authority in the Republic of Bulgaria, i.e. one who has a disability established by a TELK of 50% or more. More about the procedure for establishing disability in Bulgaria can be found here. Important: persons who have submitted a TELK application to the medical examination authorities in Bulgaria (entry number, referral to TELK by a personal doctor, stage epicrisis and other medical documents certifying disability) are also entitled to accommodation, even if they do not yet have a decision.
- a person with a mental illness certified by a medical document from a competent authority in Bulgaria (e.g. psychiatrist or other medical specialist);
- a person caring for a seriously ill family member, including a person with a mental illness, where the person is dependent and someone has to take care of them;
- a person aged 65 or over, and the spouse of that person, if aged 60 or over and retired under Ukrainian law.
What are the deadlines and application procedure?
If you are a person with temporary protection and were not accommodated under the previous Humanitarian aid Programme as of 30 April 2025, but wish to benefit from the current Program, you will first be placed in a Transit Reception Centre (TRC) for up to 14 days, after which you will be allocated to accommodation under the Programme for up to 60 calendar days. The Transit Centre is located in the town of Elhovo, 2 Chatalja Street, Bulgaria.
If you believe that you fall into one of the categories of people at risk mentioned above, you need to fill in an assessment form (Annex No. 1), which will be provided to you on site at the TRC. The form must be submitted via the TSC to the Social Assistance Directorate.
The Social Assistance Directorate will assess whether you belong to a particular risk group within 14 days of submission of the form and issue a conclusion.
If the conclusion is that you fall into one of the categories of risk groups, you will be allocated to a specific accommodation within 10 days, taking into account your health condition. You will be notified of this decision immediately after it is made.
If on 30 April 2025 you are a beneficiary of the previous Humanitarian Aid Program, you can stay in the place where you were accommodated for no more than 60 calendar days starting from 1 May 2025. If you want to apply for inclusion in the new Program as a person at risk, you can submit a form and the attached documents for the assessment of belonging to a risk group, to the territorial division of the Social Assistance Agency (SAA) in the location of the facility where you were accommodated until 30 April 2025.
Important! The deadline for submitting the form for assessment of belonging to a risk group is 31.05.2025.
The Social Assistance Directorate will make an assessment of whether you are in an at-risk group within 14 days of submitting the form and will review all the documents you have submitted.
Important! The assistance of the relevant territorial structures of the Bulgarian Red Cross or other international or non-governmental organizations may be used to establish all the declared circumstances of the person, collect data and evidence and fill in the necessary forms. You can also seek assistance from the Foundation for access to rights at the following link:
Important! If you and your family are offered accommodation and you refuse it or do not move into it within 10 days of notification, the accommodation will be considered cancelled and you will not be eligible to reapply for humanitarian support under this Program.
Exception: You would only be able to reapply if you were initially accommodated for up to 60 days, but an event occurred at a later stage that puts you in an at-risk group. (e.g. you applied for accommodation for up to 60 days, were allocated, but you refused the accommodation. Subsequently, a situation arises that puts you in a risk group - pregnancy after the 3rd month; turning 65; getting a disability, etc. that allows you to reapply).
If you are accommodated, you must arrange your own transport to the accommodation unless you suffer from a serious physical or mental illness or disability, or due to old age and illness are unable to arrange your own transfer and this circumstance is reflected on the assessment of belonging to a risk group form. In these cases, transportation shall be arranged and provided by the appropriate district manager.
In which cases can my accommodation under the Programme be terminated?
If you are accommodated under the new Program, whether for up to 60 calendar days or for the full duration of the temporary protection, your accommodation may be terminated in the following instances:
- If you leave the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria for more than 30 consecutive calendar days;
- if your temporary protection is withdrawn or terminated;
- if you renounce the temporary protection granted in the Republic of Bulgaria;
- in case of death of the person benefiting from humanitarian support under the Program;
- if you are absent from the Republic of Bulgaria due to a trip to a country other than Ukraine, lasting no more than 30 consecutive calendar days, without a valid reason. A valid reason is the need to carry out medical treatment of the person, death or medical treatment of a family member;
- in case of a decision of the bodies of medical expertise, which does not establish permanent disability.
Important! You are obliged to inform the working group of the National Operational Headquarters that you are leaving the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria for each specific case. When you are going to a country other than Ukraine for more than 30 days, you must also present an official document translated into Bulgarian which shows the valid reason for the trip.
Where can I be accommodated?
You can be accommodated in the following places:
- Establishments listed in the Register of Shelter Places established for the purpose of implementing humanitarian programmes for persons with temporary protection from Ukraine in accordance with Decision No 239 of 15 April 2022 of the Council of Ministers.
- In places for which the following conditions are cumulatively met:
- they are state-owned or municipally owned, or owned by public enterprises, regardless of their legal organizational form;
- they are places of accommodation, within the meaning of the Tourism Act, entered in the National Tourist Register.
Important! If, as of 30 April 2025, you are included in the previous Humanitarian Aid Program and it is established that you belong to a risk group, you may continue to be accommodated under the new Program in the same place categorised or registered as accommodation entered in the National Tourism Register for the duration of your temporary protection.
The amount the accommodation will receive for you will only cover your accommodation costs and no food will be provided.
Can I choose the place in which I will be accommodated?
In general, you cannot choose your accommodation. From the transit center you will be relocated by the authorities to a place that has available spots.
An exception can be made only if you have family members who are already accommodated under this humanitarian aid program.
Family members can only be:
- Your spouse
- Yours and your spouse’s unmarried children who are under the age of 18. It does not matter if they were born in or out of wedlock or if they were adopted.
- Other close relatives who lived with you as part of your family before and during the war before you came to Bulgaria and are completely dependent on your support during this period.
Important! In all cases, accommodation will be for up to 60 calendar days, unless you and your family members fall into the risk groups listed above.
To request reunification with your family members, you need to have a temporary protection registration card and a Personal foreigner’s Number (LNCH/ЛНЧ), which is indicated in your card.
After that you need to submit through the authorities in the Transit center where you are placed upon your arrival, the following documents:
- Application form (to be submitted in Bulgarian only).
You can find the form here in Bulgarian and also translated in Ukrainian and Russian language for your convenience.
- A copy of an official document proving your family relationship – marriage certificate, birth certificate or other relevant official documents, in case you want to be reunited with your spouse and/or children.
- A copy of documents proving special health conditions or other relevant documents that can prove that your close relative needs your support or that you need the support of a close relative accommodated under the humanitarian aid program.
A decision upon your request should be issued within 10 days. The authority that makes the decision is the Working Group on Accommodation at the National Operational Headquarters at the Council of Ministers.
While you are waiting for a decision you will remain at the Elhovo Transit Center.
What if I have already been accommodated, but I want to be relocated to another accommodation place where my family members are?
In this case, you would need to follow the same procedure. The difference is that you need to submit your application and the relevant documents to the manager of the place where you are accommodated.
It is not guaranteed that you will be relocated.
In case you need additional legal support, you can fill out this Request assistance form:
For specific questions regarding relocation and accommodation of Ukrainian citizens, you can contact the National Hotline via the following phone numbers - 029055555 and +380322465075.
Minimum hygiene
The places where you are accommodated must provide you with:
- The minimum necessary means for personal hygiene;
- Cleaning products;
- Laundry detergents and access to a self-service washing machine and dryer;
- extra beds if needed
You will not be offered room cleaning nor laundry service.
Food
Unfortunately, the program does not include the provision of food. Sometimes food can be provided by volunteers and non-governmental organizations, but not on a regular basis.
If you have to leave your accommodation for justified reasons
If, for a justified reason, you need to temporarily leave your accommodation, for example, because you need to return to Ukraine, your relative has passed away, you need to visit a hospital, etc., and you want to continue living in the same place where you are currently accommodated, you must notify the National Operations Headquarters (NOH) in advance by email at the following email addresses - [email protected] or [email protected] and at [email protected].
Important! It is your responsibility to notify NOH both before you leave and after you return!
We advise you to send an email to both email addresses mentioned above - the first one is to the Bulgaria for Ukraine team, who will assist you if you need to add more information to your email, and the second one is the NOH email.
In the email, in an open text, you need to write down:
- your names;
- personal foreigner's number (AIN);
- the reasons why you need to leave;
- where you are staying and how long you have been there;
- departure date and return date.
You are also required to attach the following documents to your email:
- Your temporary protection registration card, photographed on both sides;
- A photo of your Ukrainian identity document - both the page with your photo and the page with the stamps from your last border crossing.
- Application for accommodation
You download and attach to the email only "Attachment 3", in which you fill in only the information about your name, date of birth, ID number, e-mail, place of accommodation, city, date and signature. The fields for accommodation with a family member are not to be filled.
Important! NOH only considers the letters to which Attachment 3 is attached!
- Documents proving a justified reason for your absence (e.g. epicrises, proof of hospitalisation, death certificate of a deceased relative in Ukraine).
If you cannot provide such documents before your departure, state why you are leaving and that you will attach proof in a follow-up email, together with a photo of the stamp in your passport when you re-enter Bulgaria.
The NOH will decide on your application within 10 working days of applying the last required document to your case. You will be notified of the decision via the email you have provided in Attachment 3. You are advised to include a contact telephone number in your email.
You can only return to the same accommodation after a positive decision by NOH. If you have returned to Bulgaria before the decision has been made, you can either find accommodation at your own expense or go to the Temporary Residence Centre in Elhovo.
If you leave your accommodation without notifying NOH in advance, your room will not be reserved for you. The place where you are accommodated is obliged to inform the government within 24 hours that you have left. In this case, if you decide to return, you will be redirected to another accommodation which has free spots.
Important! Remember that leaving the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria is allowed for no more than 30 consecutive calendar days, and if you travel to a country other than Ukraine, you must also provide evidence of a valid reason for the trip - medical treatment of you or another family member, death.
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