Temporary Protection for Refugees from Ukraine – Assignment Decision via LEA Referral
We help you find a safe place to stay in Germany and make sure you are well taken care of.
At a glance
What happens when the LAF invites you to an appointment?
Have you fled from Ukraine and submitted an online application for temporary protection at the State Office for Immigration (LEA) in Berlin? If you do not have permanent accommodation in Berlin, your certificate confirming your authorised stay is not valid. In that case, the State Office for Refugee Affairs (LAF) will send you an invitation to an appointment by email. At this appointment, you will receive an allocation decision. This means: The LAF decides which federal state you will be sent to.
Please bring a negative Covid-19 rapid test to your appointment. It must not be older than 24 hours. This will help you enter the arrival centre more quickly. You can also take the test on site.
At the appointment, an automated system decides where you will be sent. If you are allocated to another federal state, you will travel free of charge by bus or train to the contact point in that federal state. If you are allocated to Berlin, your fingerprints will be taken and a photo will be made. You will also be assigned accommodation in Berlin.
After the allocation, you have a legal entitlement to social benefits, including health insurance. You apply for these at the responsible district social welfare office. In addition, all persons allocated to Berlin may submit a new online application for temporary protection at the LEA.
This service applies to certain groups of people who had their ordinary place of residence in Ukraine before 24 February 2022. This includes Ukrainian nationals. It also includes stateless persons or nationals of non-EU and non-EEA countries who had international or equivalent national protection in Ukraine. Family members of Ukrainian nationals or of protected persons are also included. It also applies to stateless persons or nationals of non-EU and non-EEA countries who had a lawful and long-term residence in Ukraine and who cannot safely return to their country of origin.
Requirements
Who qualifies?
- You had your ordinary place of residence in Ukraine before 24 February 2022 and you belong to one of these groups: You are a Ukrainian national. Or you are stateless or a national of a non-EU/EEA country and you enjoyed international or equivalent national protection in Ukraine. Or you are a family member of a Ukrainian person or a person who received protection in Ukraine. Or you are stateless or a national of a non-EU/EEA country, you can demonstrate that you resided lawfully and long-term in Ukraine with a Ukrainian residence title, and you cannot return to your country of origin safely and permanently.
Additional requirements
- You must have received an invitation by email from the LAF (Landesamt für Flüchtlingsangelegenheiten – the Berlin State Office for Refugee Affairs) for an in-person appointment.
- You should bring a negative COVID-19 rapid test that is no more than 24 hours old. If you do not have one, you can also take the test on site.
How to apply
Wait for the invitation email from the State Office for Refugee Affairs (Landesamt für Flüchtlingsangelegenheiten, LAF) — the LAF will automatically send you an appointment proposal.
Get a negative COVID-19 rapid test that is no more than 24 hours old — alternatively, you can take the test directly on site.
Pack your bag and bring all required documents: passport, passport substitute, or Ukrainian national identity card (or a certificate from the Ukrainian embassy); if you are not Ukrainian, your Ukrainian residence title; and, if available, proof of a Berlin address (for example, registration confirmation, rental contract, or accommodation confirmation).
Arrive on time for your appointment at the arrival centre — an automated system there will decide which federal state you are assigned to.
If you are assigned to another federal state, travel free of charge by bus or train to the relevant contact point there — if you are assigned to Berlin, your fingerprints and a photo will be taken and you will be allocated accommodation.
After your assignment to Berlin, apply for your social benefits including health insurance at the responsible district social welfare office, and submit a new online application for temporary protection at the State Office for Immigration (Landesamt für Einwanderung, LEA).
Good to know
Temporary protection has been extended multiple times. It now applies until March 4, 2027. The EU implementing decision remains unchanged.
Der Beschluss vom 04.03.2022 gilt bis 04.03.2027 unverändert fort.
VAB A.24, S. 307-316
Even after a renewed granting of the residence permit under Section 24, you will receive a residence regulation for Berlin. You cannot freely choose your place of residence.
ist die erneut erteilte Aufenthaltserlaubnis nach § 24 Abs. 1 mit einer Wohnsitzregelung für Berlin zu erteilen. § 12a Abs. 1 S. 2 ist zu beachten.
VAB A.24, S. 307-316
Has your residence permit under Section 24 expired or do you need a reissuance? Then you do not need a new distribution decision. The authority issues the residence permit directly for Berlin.
Ist die Aufenthaltserlaubnis nach § 24 Abs. 1 erloschen oder aus sonstigen Gründen eine Neuerteilung erforderlich, ist dennoch keine erneute Verteilentscheidung zu fordern.
VAB A.24, S. 307-316
Contact & Responsibility
Hauptstandort Friedrich-Krause-Ufer
Taskforce Ukraine
Ukraine (§ 24 AufenthG)
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Temporary Protection for Refugees from Ukraine – Assignment Decision via LEA Referral
approximately 20–50 minutes