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Important information compiled by UNHCR for those who are in Ukraine can be found here.
Information regarding displaced persons from Ukraine to Greece is available in this website and on the following websites of other actors:
Dedicated webpage by the Greek Ministry for Migration and Asylum: English / Ukrainian / Greek
Ukrainian Embassy to Greece: English / Ukrainian / Greek
Refugee.Info website for asylum-seekers and refugees in Greece: English
European Commission’s information page for those fleeing the war in Ukraine: English / Ukrainian
Useful Helplines and services in Greece for Ukrainian refugees: English – here, Ukrainian – here.
1. Entry and stay for displaced persons from Ukraine
1. Entry and stay for displaced persons from Ukraine
Holders of a Ukrainian biometric passport may enter from all official entry points, without the need for any visa.
Holders of a Ukrainian passport without biometric features (old type), not holding any travel documents, or holding an expired passport may also enter Greece from all official entry points. Still, they will be issued with a Police Note that allows a maximum stay of 90 days: within this period, they will be able to apply for temporary protection (see below, paragraph 3).
Displaced persons from Ukraine traveling with children will need to show a certificate of marital status or a birth certificate. If you do not have either of these documents, you will have to fill in and submit a solemn declaration stating the number of children, their first name, surname, gender, and date of birth.
Upon entry to Greece in a private vehicle, the driver is required to present a valid driving license. Ukrainian private vehicles are exempted from paying highway tolls. If you enter with a private vehicle, you will need to declare your information at the city’s customs office. For 6 months after you enter the country, you may move freely with your vehicle. Proceed to the Customs office at the border crossing point to receive a paper slip marking the date of the car’s entry in Greece. You should contact the Customs office at your residence for further information.
If you did not obtain the “green card” (insurance for the car outside the country of registration) before departing from Ukraine, your car with Ukrainian plates can be covered exceptionally for a period of 30 days without charge. After the expiration of the 30 days period, you will need to insure your car through the Ukrainian Bureau of International Insurance at a cost of approx. 180 EUR per month or get provisional Greek plates to insure your car through Greek Insurance Companies.
Ukrainian nationals exiting from Greece to Bulgaria will need to inquire beforehand with the Bulgarian Consulate about the entry requirements (entry visa), if they are not holders of a biometric passport.
2. Accommodation, health and education
For those arriving from Ukraine via land and wishing to have short-term accommodation, this is offered in the open reception facility of Sintiki / Kleidi.
Those who wish to be accommodated for a longer period may submit a request at the dedicated platform of the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum, available here: https://migration.gov.gr/accomodation-ukraine/
To apply it is necessary to attach a photo of the travel document (passport page with your details and the stamp of entry in Greece) and to specify the date from which the accommodation will be needed. To facilitate and speed up the process, please include in your request also the number of family members, their names, gender, and age, as well as any special needs (serious illness, disability, pregnancy, pets in possession).
The Ministry of Migration and Asylum will provide you with accommodation in accommodation facilities already available: the Serres II site in Northern Greece and Elefsina site in Attica region.
Ukrainian refugees are entitled to access for free the services of public hospitals and medical centers, including mental health and physical rehabilitation facilities, even if they have not been provided yet with a social security number (AMKA). If not yet provided with AMKA, Ukrainian refugees can access public health by showing their passport or, if they do not have it, a document issued by the police.
For free psychosocial support, Ukrainians in Greece can contact the psychosocial support helpline operated by UNHCR’s partner EPAPSY: operated by a Ukrainian-Russian speaking Community Psychosocial Worker; the helpline is active from Monday to Friday, 09:00 – 17:00, at the number (+30)6936514117.
You can also contact Ministry’s of Health helpline for free psychosocial support to Ukrainian refugees operated by professional psychologists of Ukrainian origin; the helpline is active from Monday to Friday, 09:00 – 21:00, at the number 10306 (select 4).
Those seeking health and mental health support in Athens can also approach the clinic of Doctors Without Borders – MSF, located in Solonos 133, Athens. Those seeking health and mental health support in Athens can also approach the clinic of Doctors Without Borders – MSF, located in Solonos 133, Athens or Service Point & Hotline of Hellenic Red Cross.
The organization METAdrasi offers a broad range of services to Ukrainian refugees, including accommodation, legal and psychological assistance, food and language courses. For more information, see here (in English, Greek, Ukrainian and Russian).
Ukrainian children can enroll in public schools. For support with this, see the dedicated webpage of the Greek Ministry of Education, containing a guide also in Ukrainian.
3. Temporary protection in Greece
According to a decision by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, the Residence Permits of Temporary Protection that expire on March 4, 2024 are extended for one year (until March 4, 2025).
The following groups of persons who have been displaced to Greece from Ukraine on or after 24 February 2022 are eligible to temporary protection (as per Ministerial Decision 131035/04.03.2022):
- Ukrainian nationals who resided in Ukraine before 24 February 2022.
- Stateless persons and nationals of third countries other than Ukraine who benefited from international protection or equivalent national protection in Ukraine before 24 February 2022.
- Family members of the persons referred to in the first two categories, even if they are not Ukrainian nationals, provided that the family existed and resided in Ukraine before 24 February 2022. Family members are considered 1) the spouse or his or her unmarried partner in a stable relationship duly attested, 2) the minor unmarried children, 3) other close relatives of 1st and 2nd degree who lived with the beneficiary as a family unit.
- People in the above categories who fled Ukraine after 26 November 2021 as tensions increased or who found themselves in the territory of the EU (e.g. on holidays or for work reasons) and, as a result of the armed conflict, cannot return to Ukraine.
In Greece, the following categories are not eligible for temporary protection but can apply for international protection (asylum):
- Anybody who fled Ukraine before 26 November 2021
- Third country nationals or stateless persons residing in Ukraine with permanent residence permits before 24 February who cannot safely return to their country of origin.
Eligible persons applying for it will be granted Temporary Protection within 90 days from arrival, for an initial period of one (1)-year, i.e. until 4 March 2023. The status may be extended for another six months, i.e. until 4 September 2023 and then for another six months, i.e. until 4 March 2024. This status is provided by the Asylum Service of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum and gives the right of access to the labor market and to medical care.
The temporary protection residence permit is cancelled before the expiration date in the following cases: 1) if the EU Council adopts the decision to end the temporary protection, 2) when a transfer of the beneficiary is made from one EU Member State to another, 3) when a transfer of the beneficiary is made from one EU Member State to another in case of maintaining family unity and 4) in case a residence permit is issued for the beneficiary by another EU Member State.
To submit an application for temporary protection, please visit the following pre-registration platform at the website of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum at this website: English / Ukrainian / Greek.
Once you have finalized your application, you will be given an appointment (date and time) at the location that you chose for your registration, and you will receive a receipt to the e-mail address you have provided. The appointment is the same for all members listed in the application. You will need to have with you your appointment number, your passport/identity documents/Police Note and any documents establishing the family links with the other members listed in the application.
The appointment will take place in one of the five relevant Regional Asylum Offices (RAO), located in Athens (Katechaki), Alimos, Thessaloniki, Patras and Heraklion (Crete). The Greek Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has announced that Ukrainian refugees on their way to/from the RAO will be entitled to return KTEL bus ticket for free.
If you wish to have more information on the procedure, please contact the Ministry of Migration and Asylum by phone (0030 2131629600) or via email: [email protected]
New Residence Permits of Temporary Protection will continue to be issued to displaced people from Ukraine who enter Greece for the first time.
From the moment of registration and obtaining temporary protection status you have following rights:
- residence and free movement in Greece
- to access labour market
- to access state medical services
- to access state education
For more information see: https://bit.ly/3T8zzKc
4. Asylum application
Ukrainian nationals and third country nationals or stateless who are not included in the categories listed above as eligible for temporary protection can apply for international protection (asylum) in Greece.
Beneficiaries of temporary protection can also apply for international protection at any point they wish to, without their residence permit of temporary protection be revoked.
5. Children traveling alone or separated from their parents
If you are under 18 years old and travelling alone or if you are traveling with children who have been separated from their parents or know of any child in these situations you can contact the National Emergency Response Mechanism for the Identification and Protection of Unaccompanied Minors of the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum. This mechanism will transfer the children to special emergency accommodation facilities and take care of relevant identification (if necessary) and guardianship procedures.
You may contact them at:
- Telephones: (24/7 line): 0030 2132128888, 0030 2132128380, 0030 2132128381, 0030 2132128382
Email: [email protected]
You may also contact the National Hotline for Children SOS – 1056 – which is operated by “The Smile of the Child” and is available to every child and adult to provide support on issues that concern them.
6. Risk of human trafficking
Criminals may attempt to exploit the vulnerability of refugees or lure them with promises of free transport, accommodation, employment or other forms of assistance. This exploitation of vulnerable people for their bodies and labor is called human trafficking.
If you believe that trafficking might be taking place, you can contact the dedicated helpline by A21 in Greece by calling the number 1109.
7. Referrals to enter Canada, the USA and other non-EU countries
UNHCR in Greece does not conduct referrals for resettlement to third countries such as the USA, Canada or the United Kingdom. The decision on admission and entry to one of those country is taken solely by the responsible national authority of the country of destination.
Please find information on options to go to Canada for people affected by the conflict in Ukraine on the Canadian embassy’s website. For the United Kingdom’s visa support for Ukrainians, click here. For more information on opportunities to travel and reside outside of the European Union, see here.
8. Private support
If you wish to make a financial donation to support the humanitarian response to the Ukraine emergency, we encourage you to consider donating to UNHCR: English / Greek
9. Contacting UNHCR
To get in touch with UNHCR about your individual case, please click “Contact us” to the left (or at this link) to fill the dedicated form.