There is a widespread misconception in Ukraine that after leaving the country, a person retains the status of an internally displaced person (IDP) and can continue to receive accommodation allowance. As noted in the Legal Guide for IDPs, however, the law defines clear grounds for cancelling this status and terminating payments.
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According to the Law of Ukraine ‘On Ensuring the Rights and Freedoms of Internally Displaced Persons’, IDPs are those citizens who have moved within the country due to war, occupation, or other extraordinary circumstances. If a person has left the territory of Ukraine, he or she is no longer considered an IDP, but receives a different status in accordance with the legislation of the host country, for example, the status of ‘temporary protection’.
In addition, according to Art. 12 of the Law, an IDP certificate is cancelled if a person
- has moved abroad for permanent residence;
- stays outside Ukraine for more than 60 days, which may indicate a return to the abandoned place of residence.
The residence allowance is also terminated if the recipient stays abroad for more than 30 consecutive days or more than 60 days in total within six months. If this period is extended for justified reasons, it will be terminated after 60 or 90 days, respectively.
Important: if a person does not notify the social security authority of his or her departure but continues to receive payments, he or she will have to return the funds received in the future.
Read also: International partners continue to provide temporary housing for IDPs in Ukraine
