Frequently asked questions about cash assistance

New refugees arriving to Moldova will receive two months of cash assistance to support their arrival into the country.  

Criteria for new arrivals:  

Families who fled Ukraine on or after 24 February 2022. Either Ukrainian nationals or citizens of other countries who were residing in Ukraine and are now residing in Moldova, with at least one the following characteristics: 

• Family with one or more dependents 

• Family headed by a single parent 

• Family headed by a child (below 18) * 

• Family with an unaccompanied or separated child 

• Family headed by an older person (above 60) 

• Family with one or more persons with specific needs, including:
  • A person with a disability 
  • Pregnant woman 
  • Person with a serious medical condition 
  • Woman at risk 
  • Person with legal and physical protection needs 
  • LGBTI person 

*Children should be accompanied by an appointed caregiver/legal guardian. 

Non-Ukrainian nationals qualify for the program if:  

• They are non-Moldovan family members of Ukrainian refugees who arrived in Moldova after 24 February 2022, with prior residence status in Ukraine.
• Or if they have received international protection in Ukraine, such as refugee or stateless status.
  

Moldovan nationals are not eligible for cash assistance. 

Following the two months of assistance it is necessary to secure legal status—temporary protection, refugee status, humanitarian protection, stateless status, or a residence permit (temporary or permanent). Additionally, all beneficiaries will be interviewed according to the criteria established in June 2024, which targets the most vulnerable refugees. The result will determine who continues to receive assistance beyond the initial two months, and who doesn’t. 

Your family or head of household will receive one MAIB prepaid bank card. The card can be used free of charge for purchases in all stores and cash withdrawals in ATMs. It is valid only in Moldova.

For each payment, you will receive an SMS message notification to your mobile informing you that the cash assistance has been loaded onto your MAIB card.

Keep your information updated! In case your phone number has changed please update it by calling Cash Assistance Helpline: 0 800 10823 or approach the nearest Enrolment Centre.

All the cash payments will be deposited on the same card – KEEP YOUR CARD AND PIN SAFE!

This poster explains the cash enrolment and payment process in detail or consults answers to frequently asked questions.

To be eligible for more payments, UNHCR and its partners conducts in person verifications. UNHCR conducts such verifications to verify that the persons remain in Moldova, and if necessary update any information on our records.

All beneficiaries will be invited by UNHCR and its partners CRS, Caritas Moldova and Diaconia for a verification interview. The head of the households will receive an SMS notification for this purpose.

The verification interview will be conducted in person with all members of family at the nearest En Enrolment Centre.

People with disabilities, limited mobility, elderly or with severe medical conditions, who are unable to approach to an Enrolment Centre, please call the Cash Assistance Helpline: 0 800 10823

After completing your verification, you will receive an SMS confirming your next payment. If you skip verification your case will be inactivated, you will not receive further payments and the money left in the card will be eventually returned to UNHCR.

Each refugee family member is entitled to 2,200 MDL/month. The amount will be loaded to the card, based on the size of the family.

Your cash assistance will be uploaded to your card every month after +/- 10 working days from the date you first registered.

Please note that in order to continue receiving assistance, you need to attend your verification or re-verification interviews and be found eligible as per the program criteria. Failure to do so will result in your assistance disbursement being suspended until UNHCR can verify that you are still living in Moldova. Verification and re-verification interviews are scheduled periodically, and you will be contacted via SMS or mobile phone with the details. Updating your phone numbers in case of any changes and keeping your phone switched on as much as possible is strongly advised. You can update your numbers by approaching enrollment centers or contacting cash line.

Please note that cash assistance is only for individuals residing in Moldova. If you have registered to receive cash from two countries, your assistance will be suspended in Moldova until further information can be clarified.

Have you attended all verification and re-verification interviews? Failure to do so will result in your assistance disbursement being suspended until UNHCR can verify that you are still living in Moldova. It is very important that you attend each interview, or provide information about it in advance, as UNHCR cannot back-date payments

If your card was blocked due to wrong PIN code entry, you can call the Cash Helpline (0800 108 23) and ask for card unblocking. After your request has been registered by the helpline operator, the card will be unblocked within 1-2 working days and you will be able to use it again.

Kindly visit the nearest Cash Enrollment Centre to obtain a replacement card. Once you have received the new card and PIN code, you will regain access to your account. Additionally, if you had a balance on your previous card, it will be transferred to the new card within the next 2 weeks.

Your card was likely blocked due to not passing or not coming the verification exercise. Kindly visit the nearest Cash Enrolment Center to undergo the verification/ re-activation interview. If your eligibility is confirmed, your card will be unblocked, and you will continue to receive cash assistance.

All cards issued are linked to your individual account with the bank and your registration with UNHCR. If your card is lost, stolen, damaged, or retained by an ATM, kindly visit the nearest Cash Enrollment Centre to obtain a replacement card. Once you have received the new card and PIN code, you will regain access to your account. If you had a balance in your account, it will be transferred to the new card within the next 2 weeks.

If you had a balance in your account, it will be transferred to your new card. Kindly note that the process of transferring the remaining balance to your new card will take up to 15 working days from the day of the card’s replacement. UNHCR strongly advises you to take good care of your bank card.

You can contact the Cash Helpline at 0 800 10 823, approach the nearest Cash Enrolment Centre to update them about this, or write to [email protected]

PLEASE NOTE: Entitlement cards are assigned to a specific family, and this data is recorded in the system. It is considered FRAUD if you give your entitlement card to someone else to use if you leave the country. UNHCR recommends you return your card to the nearest enrolment centre; where it will be returned to UNHCR. The card will be made unusable in front of you.

Verification interviews will be scheduled on a periodic basis. You will receive an SMS or phone call within 48 hours of your scheduled interview to provide you with the details.

UNHCR’s partner CRS sends out appointment SMS-es using a designated SMS system which allows them to track the status of the messages sent and if they were delivered. If a message shows “undelivered” in the system, they will then contact you via phone call to provide you with the details of your verification appointment. In order to ensure you do not miss an SMS, please ensure that your phone number is always updated with UNHCR.

If you have missed your verification interview, your case will be inactivated, and subsequent cash assistance payments suspended and card blocked. You will need to undergo a second interview to ascertain your continued eligibility for cash assistance.

Please approach any of the cash enrolment centres as soon as possible to obtain a new date for your verification interview or call the Cash Hotline. Any delays will lead to possible suspension of assistance.

Verification interviews are scheduled based on your current address. To update your address, you can contact the Cash Helpline at 0 800 10 823, approach an enrolment centre to update them about this, or write to [email protected]

Your cash assistance will be uploaded monthly, with the payment date being +/-10 working days from the date you first registered. This means if you registered on the 10th of May, you should expect to receive your first assistance disbursement by the 20th of May, and your second and following assistance between the 10th – 20th of the following month. Please check the UNHCR HelpSite (https://help.unhcr.org/moldova) for any information on system upgrades and assistance disbursement updates.

It is important to ensure that UNHCR has the most updated way to contact you. To update your phone number, you can contact the Cash Helpline at 0 800 10 823, approach an enrolment centre to update them about this, or write to [email protected]

You can contact the Cash Helpline at 0 800 10 823, approach an enrolment centre to update them about this, or write to [email protected]

You need to be present at your assigned verification exercise in order for your assistance to be processed. If you believe your assistance was erroneously missed out, please complete the form below.

Please go to https://help.unhcr.org/moldova/how-to-find/cash-assistance-host-families/. If you have questions or need more information, please call the WFP Hotline at: 0 800 108 90 .

PLEASE NOTE: You can only be considered to receive cash assistance from organizations in the country you are residing in! Crossing the borders to receive assistance is tantamount to fraud and you will NOT be eligible to receive UNHCR financial assistance from two countries at once.

If you are already registered and receiving assistance, your family member will need to approach a cash enrolment centre to follow the same registration procedure which you underwent. On the day of interview, both you and your new family member need to be present so that the information can be verified before s/he is added to your file.

Please review the information above. If your question is still unanswered, please fill in this form.

UNHCR cash assistance program recently changed who gets help. The new eligibility criteria evaluate the vulnerability of people through various indicators to decide who gets cash assistance. Unfortunately, based on your evaluation, it seems other refugees have greater need at this time. 

Each person is assessed individually. There may be different needs and vulnerabilities in your relative/friend’s situation that you are unaware of. UNHCR’s methodology considers various characteristics of the people in each household. If you believe the information collected during your interview was incomplete or incorrect, or if your situation has significantly changed since your interview, you can ask for a reconsideration of your eligibility decision. To do this, you need to fill out a questionnaire accessible through the link in the notification SMS you received or on the HelpPage.

A UNHCR review panel will consider available information in your case, including your reconsideration request and your initial assessment.  Using the same methodology that was applied for the initial assessment, and taking into account the new information, a decision will be made on your case.  You may need to speak again to a UNHCR NGO partner before a final decision is made. The process can take up to six weeks. 

You will be able to ask for your case to be reconsidered again in the future if your situation changes significantly.  You will not be able to submit another reconsideration request, though, for at least 75 days.  

Remember, that if you have any problem or you are going through a difficult situation, you can always approach a Protection Desk. Located in the cash enrolment centers.  

You can call the Cash Helpline at  080010823 to learn about the decision regarding your eligibility. 

UNHCR, through its partner CRS, sent out SMS invitations to all cash beneficiaries and made three phone call attempts to those who missed their interviews. If you still did not participate in the verification/vulnerability assessment interview after these attempts, your case with UNHCR was inactivated.  

To re-activate your case please contact the Cash Helpline at 080010823  to get an appointment for the interview. If you are found eligible under the new criteria and have legal status in the country, you may receive financial assistance from UNHCR starting from the upcoming month after the interview.  

Check the document provided to you after your first enrollment interview for the program. The person whose information is listed at the top of this document is considered the head of the household in UNHCR’s records. If you are this person, please select the first choice in the first question of the Reconsideration Request. It is highly recommended that the form be filled out by the head of household. 

You can visit one of the cash enrollment centers, where they can help you fill out the form. For people with disabilities and/or severe medical conditions who are unable to approach a Cash Enrolment centre, please call: 0 800 10 823. Please do not trust anyone who asks for money to assist with the form; all services provided by humanitarian actors are free of charge. 

No. UNHCR will only be able to provide payments going forward, not retroactively.  

Newcomers are entitled to receive two months of assistance to help them settle into the country. During these two months, you will be invited for an assessment interview to determine your eligibility for ongoing assistance. You will be informed about your appointment via SMS.  

It’s important to secure legal status in the country during this period. If you encounter difficulties in obtaining legal status due to circumstances beyond your control, you can seek support from protection desks located in the cash enrolment centres.  

You will receive a SMS with an invitation to attend the assessment interview at the closest cash enrollment center. It is very important that you approach the center with a scheduled appointment. The interview will also serve as a second verification interview for continued assistance. 

To ensure the integrity of the methodology, the information collected for individual cases is not available.  If you think the information recorded during your interview was mistaken or incomplete, you can request a reconsideration of the eligibility decision in your case By filling this form: Reconsideration Request.

After analyzing your reconsideration request, UNHCR determined that a protection partner needs to reassess your situation. UNHCR’s protection partner, namely CDA will contact you via phone call or SMS in the next few days to schedule an interview with you at the cash enrollment center’s protection desk.

Based on the information in your reconsideration request, UNHCR needs additional verification before making a final decision on your case. This may involve verifying documents or other information you provided. You will be contacted via SMS or phone to schedule the assessment interview by our partner CRS.  

After reassessing all reconsideration requests, based on the criteria in use, UNHCR determined that, even with the new information you provided, other refugees currently have greater needs. Therefore, you are no longer eligible for UNHCR cash assistance. You may submit another reconsideration request 75 days after receipt of the reconsideration result if your situation has changed significantly. 

After reassessing all reconsideration requests, UNHCR decided to re-include your case based on the new information provided. You will start receiving UNHCR cash assistance again from August 2024. UNHCR Cash Assistance payments will be provided going forward, but not retroactively. 

UNHCR is still reassessing all reconsideration requests. You will receive an SMS about your application in the upcoming weeks.