Information was updated on 23.01.2024
Тhe Bulgarian government took a decision to continue its humanitarian aid program for persons with temporary protection in the Republic of Bulgaria until 30.04.2024. Тhe humanitarian aid covers only accommodation and does not cover food.
You can receive this humanitarian aid if:
You have been granted temporary protection and you have the registration card of a person who is granted temporary protection issued by the Bulgarian State Agency for Refugees.
Learn more here:
You cannot receive this humanitarian aid even if you have temporary protection in case:
1. You have a labour contract registered at the National Revenue Agency.
- You receive financial aid for rent, accommodation vouchers, or other forms of accommodation assistance under other programs/measures administered by public authorities.
What does this humanitarian aid include?
Accommodation
- If as of 31 October 2022 you are already accommodated in a hotel categorized or registered as an accommodation place, entered in the National Tourist Register, then during the period of 01.11.2022 to 30.04.2021 you can continue to reside in the same place.
The hotel where you are staying will receive 15 leva (without taxes) per person daily. This sum will cover only the costs for your accommodation, and the hotel is not obliged to provide food.
- If you came to Bulgaria and received temporary protection after 31.10.2022, you will be provided accommodation only in one of these places approved by the government:
1. Places listed in the special Registry of Shelters established to implement the humanitarian aid program. Currently, this is registry is not publicly available;
2. Places that meet the following conditions:
- Are in the ownership of the state, municipalities, or public enterprises, no matter their legal form;
- Are in the National Tourist Register; and
- Are in a list approved by the Head of the Temporary Task Force (TOG) of the National Council on Migration, Borders, Asylum, and Integration on the issues of beneficiaries of temporary protection in Bulgaria. This list is not publicly available.
These places will receive 18 leva (with taxes) per person daily. The sum will cover only accommodation and you will not be provided food.
Keep in mind that you will be redirected to these accommodation places if you are coming to Bulgaria for the first time or if you had left the hotel where you stayed until 31 October 2022 (for example, because you went back to Ukraine).
Before you are redirected to a specific accommodation place, you will be placed in a transit center located in the town of Elhovo, 2 Chataldzha Street, Bulgaria. You can be placed there from 1 to 14 days.
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.
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.
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