Key points:
- IDPs from temporarily occupied territories will receive housing vouchers worth UAH 2 million.
- Applications can be submitted from 1 December via the Diia app.
- Veterans and persons with disabilities resulting from the war are eligible to participate.
- The voucher can be used to purchase housing, build a house or take out a mortgage.
- Housing purchased with a voucher is subject to a five-year restriction on alienation.
Internally displaced persons from temporarily occupied territories will receive a new tool for purchasing housing. On 1 December, the state will launch the first phase of housing vouchers as part of the eVidnovlennya programme. Initially, IDPs with combatant status or persons with disabilities resulting from the war will be able to apply. The programme was created by the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development together with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, and the Ministry of Social Policy. It operates on the basis of the Register of Damaged and Destroyed Property.
The housing voucher has a face value of UAH 2 million and allows the holder to purchase an apartment or house, invest in construction, or use the funds for a down payment or partial repayment of a mortgage. The Ministry of Community and Territorial Development emphasises that it provides support to those who were forced to leave the occupied territories and is working with donors to expand the programme to other categories of IDPs.
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Internally displaced persons who meet several criteria are eligible to participate in the programme. They must have IDP status and the status of a combatant or a person with a war-related disability, as well as a confirmed previous place of residence in the temporarily occupied territory. It is important to have a valid IDP certificate with the address of actual residence in the territory controlled by Ukraine. An application can be submitted if the family does not own housing in the controlled territory, except in cases of outstanding mortgages or housing in the zone of active hostilities, and has not received housing support under other programmes.
Applications can be submitted via the Diia app. After updating the app, go to the “Services for IDPs” section, select “Application for a housing voucher”, confirm your family composition and obtain your partner’s consent to the processing of personal data via Diia.Signature. After signing the application, the information will be automatically retrieved from state registers. The verification will take place in several stages — first by the Ministry of Finance, then by the commission at the place of actual residence. The approximate processing time is up to 30 days. In the future, it will also be possible to submit an application through the Administrative Service Centres and notaries.
The housing voucher is not tied to the fact of owning property in the temporarily occupied territories. After the application is approved, the voucher itself is generated in the Register of Damaged and Destroyed Property and will be valid for five years. New housing purchased with the voucher cannot be sold, gifted or re-registered during this period. The voucher will be available for use once payments begin — the state will announce this separately. Currently, the programme is focused on the thorough processing of submitted applications, testing technical functionality, and attracting additional funding.
The programme is supported by international partners, including the Eurasia Foundation, the Eastern Europe Foundation and the World Bank as part of the HOPE: Housing for the Restoration of People’s Rights and Opportunities project.
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