This article explains the changes regarding the extension of temporary protection, humanitarian accommodation, and financial support for refugees from Ukraine that came into effect by 1.1.2024. Find out:

  • When, how, and where to apply for, or extend your temporary protection status
  • What humanitarian accommodation is – where and how to apply
  • How, where, and when to apply for humanitarian aid
  • The amount of humanitarian aid
  • What is Extraordinary Immediate Assistance (EIA) and how to apply?

 

Lex Ukraine is a term for the laws that establish the legislative framework for assisting refugees from Ukraine in the Czech Republic. These laws primarily regulate the legal and residency status of refugees, social security for refugees, and access for students to education and child care.

 

When, How, and Where to apply for, or extend your Temporary Protection Status

 

If you already have temporary protection which is valid until 31st March 2024, it can be extended until 31st May 2025.

The deadline to register for renewal is  15th March 2024. This also applies to the extension of tolerance of stay.

To apply for temporary protection, you should follow these steps:

  1. Register online first, by scheduling a personal visit to the Ministry of the Interior office to obtain a new visa label. Registration takes place online until 15.3.2024. You can register here.
  2. Then visit the Ministry of Interior office in person.

All individuals aged 15 and older must register separately. Persons younger than 15 years old must be registered by their authorized representatives.

(You can see a registration tutorial in the Czech language here.)

To apply, you need a proof of accommodation:

  • it must bear an officially certified signature of the property owner or an authorized individual providing the accommodation
  • you can find the forms and documents here
  • Rental contract template

If you already have secured accommodation, you can apply for temporary protection in the Regional Assistance Centre for Aid to Ukraine (KACPU) in the region of your stay. Example: If you have secured accommodation in the Central Bohemian Region, you apply to KACPU in Prague.

If you have not secured accommodation, you need to apply to the Regional Assistance Centre for Aid to Ukraine (KACPU) in Ostrava during specified office hours: Monday, Wednesday: 8 am – 4 pm, Friday: 8 am – 2 pm. You need to apply in person (the only exception is if you already have temporary protection and you need to apply for temporary protection for your baby).

 

What Humanitarian accommodation is – Where and How to apply

 

Humanitarian accommodation is a time-framed free accommodation of 150 days that is meant to help people fleeing the war in Ukraine and is always allocated solely through KACPU. During this time period, it is necessary to arrange regular accommodation after those first 150 days.

The 150-day period is calculated from the day following the day when temporary protection was granted to you. If your temporary protection has expired and it has been granted to you again, you cannot apply for humanitarian accommodation again.

After 150 days, the entitlement to free humanitarian accommodation expires. However, if you are a vulnerable individual, this time limit does not apply to you.

Please note that starting 1st September 2024, the free period of humanitarian accommodation will be shortened to 90 days. This will also apply to vulnerable individuals.

 

Step 1:

You can only apply for humanitarian accommodation in Ostrava. The support is handled by the Refugee Facilities Administration instead of the Fire Department (as it was previously). It is important to know that:

  • You cannot choose which region you will be placed in for humanitarian accommodation. The only exception is when you are being reunited with your family.
  • You cannot arrange humanitarian accommodation by yourself, you need to apply for it first.
  • If you are a vulnerable person and you wish to stay in the accommodation you were provided, you can do so but only if you were granted humanitarian aid in the previous month.
  • If you lose entitlement to free state humanitarian accommodation after 150 days because humanitarian aid was not granted to you (for example, due to income), even if you regain eligibility for humanitarian aid, you will not regain entitlement to free humanitarian accommodation.

Step 2:

After being allocated state humanitarian accommodation, you will be issued a written confirmation called “Information about Accommodation Allocation” (“Informace o přidělení ubytování”). This document will contain the address of the accommodation, contact details, and basic information about the rights and obligations associated with this form of assistance.

 

Short-term shelter

 

If you arrive in the Czech Republic outside of office hours and need to wait for KACPU to open, there are short-term shelters open in Ostrava and Brno.

Short-term shelter is an emergency mechanism that you can utilize for overnight accommodation. The short-term shelter operates continuously and can be provided to you only at the following addresses:

  • Ostrava, Dr. Malého 1356/17 (tel. +420 771 288 779).
  • Brno, Hněvkovského 30/65 (tel. +420 770 132 569).

 

Humanitarian aid

 

If you are recognized as a vulnerable individual (a person who meets the conditions for granting humanitarian aid - read our dedicated article to check the conditions for getting this status) and you are staying in a flat registered with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, you are eligible to receive 6,000 CZK per person per month as a housing cost. If you are residing elsewhere (flats outside the Ministry records, dormitory, etc.), you are eligible for 4,800 CZK.

The housing cost aid stays the same for non-vulnerable individuals (3,000 CZK for a registered flat, 2,400 CZK elsewhere).

 

How, Where and When to apply

 

The benefit application is submitted only electronically, except when you are applying for the first time (in this case you can submit it in paper form). You can apply in the web application here. You need to apply for this benefit in the month in which you require the benefit.

If you are unable to submit an electronic application (you don’t have a smartphone, you are a senior, you are a person with disabilities), you may request assistance from Labor Office staff in completing the electronic application. If the Labor Office staff are unable to provide this assistance due to capacity constraints, you can contact the social department of your municipality with extended competence (ORP) - the staff will be informed about the issue and will provide support.

After applying, you have to monitor the application and appear at the Labor Office upon request within 8 days from the date of the invitation, unless a longer period has been specified by the Labor Office.

 

What to include in the application:

  • your identification details;
  • address of residence;
  • information about the granting of temporary protection;
  • details of all your income;
  • employer identification;
  • identification of your accounts and information about the financial resources in these accounts;
  • declaration of assets;
  • registration number of the taxpayer’s identification card in Ukraine, if issued, or information about the place of residence in Ukraine before the grant of temporary protection if the registration number was not issued to you or is unknown;
  • if you have housing costs in a registered apartment, you provide identification details of the apartment owner.

Keep in mind that:

  • You need to prove that you reside in the Czech Republic by matching the address of residence stated in the benefit application with the address listed in the Basic Registry of Inhabitants. If the addresses do not match, upon request by the Labor Office, the inconsistency can be corrected.
  • All information is provided for you and jointly assessed individuals (living together and jointly covering expenses).
  • Income cannot be documented by declaration; income must be evidenced by an employer's confirmation.
  • The benefit is only paid into an account, except for the benefit for the first calendar month, which can be paid in cash.

Can I apply jointly?

If you live together and manage your household together you can be jointly assessed for application for humanitarian – you also submit a joint application.

For jointly assessed application, you and the person/s you want to be jointly assessed with all need to have temporary protection

The caregiver and the person in need of care submit a joint application for humanitarian aid only if they live together and manage their household together. In such cases, they are jointly assessed.

 

The amount of Humanitarian Aid

 

From 1.1.2024, the final amount of humanitarian aid is dependent on your age, your vulnerability, the length of your stay in the Czech Republic, and where you live. The final amount is always calculated from the number of people living in your household, their vulnerability and the income of the household. The calculation is this:

The amount of expenses for basic living needs + deductible housing/accommodation costs is compared to the income and savings of the jointly assessed individuals.

  • If the income and savings are lower, the amount of humanitarian aid is determined by the difference between the benefit and the income (those with zero income receive the entire benefit, while those with some income receive a supplement up to the calculated benefit amount).
  • If the income is equal to or higher than the calculated benefit, the applicant is not entitled to any humanitarian aid.

Approximate calculator for calculating humanitarian aid here

Also, keep in mind that the extraordinary immediate assistance benefit, contributions from foundations, UNICEF, and support from planned European projects for the housing and integration of individuals with temporary protection are not included in the income for the calculation of humanitarian aid.

You may have funds in your accounts up to twice the amount of the living/existential minimum for your individual or jointly assessed group (taking into account age and vulnerability), and your entitlement to humanitarian aid will not be erased.

In case you want to find more information or access the official Website of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, there is a section for Help to the Citizens of Ukraine here.

 

What is Extraordinary Immediate Assistance (EIA) and How to apply?

 

The option to apply for EIA 'one-time expense' remains available (it can be used to settle debts acquired by vulnerable individuals in humanitarian accommodation after the summer change in the interpretation of Lex Ukraine V).

You can now also apply for EIA in case of an ‘other event,’ – this can be requested repeatedly, and it addresses an event that could not have been predicted or prevented due to its extent. For example: as a result of this event, you are facing a lack of finance and a loss of housing.

EIA can be used to maintain or acquire adequate housing (e.g., deposit), to cover the cost of departure to Ukraine, or in case of serious health risk. The benefit is paid directly to the accommodation provider, not as a cash payment to the applicant.

 

There are no exceptions for individuals with temporary protection, but be aware that:

  • The EIA benefit is not included in the income for the calculation of humanitarian aid.
  • Vulnerable individuals do not automatically qualify for EIA. If they apply for EIA, their overall income, property, and social situation will always be assessed
  • EIA's one-time expense is not intended to cover recurring predictable expenses. It can be provided to help with a sudden situation.

It is always necessary to first apply for humanitarian aid. Its amount will be taken into account when assessing any potential entitlement to EIA one-time expense.

This benefit is provided up to the amount of the one-time expense.

The approval of EIA must always involve the participation of social workers or the Centre for Support and Integration of Foreigners staff.

 

How to apply for Extraordinary Immediate Assistance:

 

Here is the application form in Ukrainian, you need to apply in Czech, however.

For EIA one-time expense, please apply at the Labor Office of the Czech Republic according to the place of your actual residence

Please note that the application is not digitized; it is not submitted through an application like the humanitarian aid request.

If you have temporary protection, you must submit the application on the prescribed form (available at branches or on the Labor Office website). Electronic submission is also possible.

 

What documents do you need for EIA?

 

It is good to know that in case you feel that the methodology for EIA is not complied with, you can reach out to the CEO of the Labour Office, Daniel Krištof. You can write an email to daniel.kristof@uradprace.cz and write “STÍŽNOST” in the subject of the email, in the body of the email, write your name, email, and phone number.

You can study the leaflet for refugees in Ukrainian here.

 

 

Sources:

www.mpsv.cz

www.integracnicentra.cz

https://frs.gov.cz/

www.suz.cz

https://www.migrace.com/cs/clanky/1447_lex-ukrajina-vi-zmeny-ktere-vstoupily-v-platnost-1-1-2024