Ukrainians who have been forced to leave their homes due to the war are entitled to state financial assistance for living expenses. The first and most important step is to obtain an internally displaced person (IDP) certificate. This article provides detailed information on how to obtain the certificate, who is eligible for the payment, and what conditions must be met.
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Preparation of a certificate and submission of an application
You can apply for an IDP certificate online using the Diya app, or offline at the Administrative Services Centre, social protection service or local authority if you live in a village or rural area. If you apply via Diya, you can also apply for financial assistance at the same time, which speeds up the process. For the offline procedure, you need to collect a set of documents; a mandatory requirement is a Ukrainian passport with information about your place of residence. If your passport does not contain information about your registration, you need to provide another document confirming it.
In cases where a person does not have a physical passport, the law allows the use of electronic documents from the Diya portal, in particular a certificate of submission of documents for a passport.
Who can count on assistance
The payment is intended for families, but persons who are fully supported by the state and certain other categories are not included in the family composition. People who have been displaced or re-displaced since the start of the full-scale war from regions included in the list of dangerous territories, as well as those whose homes have been destroyed or are uninhabitable, are eligible for assistance.
A separate payment is provided for children born to internally displaced persons. Students under the age of 23 who are enrolled in full-time or dual-track programmes and are internally displaced are eligible for assistance even if they do not officially live with their parents.
The new regulation also allows for assistance to be provided to military personnel undergoing treatment for wounds or injuries.
Who is not eligible for payment
Assistance is not provided to families who have purchased a vehicle less than five years old for more than 100,000 hryvnias, purchased land, an apartment or a house, or have significant funds in a deposit account. It will also not be provided to persons who own property in areas that are not included in the list of dangerous areas.
Duration of payments and conditions for renewal
The standard term for granting assistance is six months. Certain categories may extend the payment for another six months. These include families with disabled children, persons caring for such children, pensioners, persons with serious illnesses and other vulnerable groups, in particular persons over 55 years of age, pregnant women and mothers of more than three children.
Practical advice
If you are applying for a certificate through Diya, take advantage of the opportunity to submit an application for payment at the same time — this will speed up the process of receiving money. When applying offline, check that you have all the documents confirming your place of residence. If you are a student or a child of an internally displaced family, please note the separate rules for granting assistance to those who study away from their families. If in doubt, contact your local social protection authorities or the information services at Diya.
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