English: Info | FAQ

• The most important information for arriving in Austria (especially in Vienna) can be found on this platform: Information for people from Ukraine – StartWien. You will find information in German and Ukrainian.
• Via the website of the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) you can find answers to questions concerning the entry and residence of Ukrainian nationals in Austria. FAQs for Ukrainian nationals (bfa.gv.at). The answers are published in German and English.
• If you are in need of assistance (e.g. because you have no financial means or cannot be accommodated with relatives or acquaintances), you will be admitted to the basic care programme of the Federal Government and the Federal Provinces. In addition to the provision of accommodation and food, you will also receive medical care (health insurance).The Federal Provinces are also setting up so-called arrival centres, which serve as a first point of contact or orientation.Map view of the basic care centres of the Federal provinces

If you are looking for accommodation or an emergency shelter, contact the following offices:

Vienna:

Humanitarian Arrival Centre (New adress!)
Registration office for persons who are in transit and do not wish to stay in Vienna – Only in case of need for emergency accommodation (Food, information, arrangement of emergency accommodation, people are forwarded to Messe Wien for registration)
Address:

• Schloßberggasse 8, 1130 Wien
• Opening hours: Around the clock, seven days a week

The Humanitarian Arrival Centre offers:
– Medical care
– Arrangement of emergency accommodation
– Food and drinks
– Medical and psychosocial care
– Information on orientation in Vienna
– Covid 19 tests

In addition, the City of Vienna offers an opportunity for registration and counselling:

• Registration and counselling centre
  Registration office for people who want to stay in Vienna.
  Address: Austria Center Vienna, Bruno-Kreisky-Platz 1, 1220 Vienna
  Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Registration for an appointment for the application for basic care in Vienna is done via the registration system: gvs-termin.fsw.at

The registration and counselling centre offers:
– Testing and vaccination facilities
– Initial counselling, clarification of further needs and general social counselling
– Registration by the LPD Vienna
– Clarification and awarding of benefits from basic care such as: Health insurance, rent subsidies, accommodation in an organised shelter.
– Housing advice and housing placement
– medical counselling and treatment
– psychological support
– Counselling on migration law

Steiermark/Styria:

Humanitarian Arrival Centre of the Province of Styria in Graz

• Address: Burggasse 9, 8010 Graz
• Opening hours Arrival: Around the clock, seven days a week
  Accessible by bus or tram
• Opening hours Registraition: Mo, Wed, Fri – from 08:00 till 14:00.

Salzburg:

5071 Wals-Siezenheim, Bundesstraße 4. Monday to Friday from 13:00 to 17:00, or by telephone appointment. Outside of the opening hours, Red Cross staff can be reached by phone 24/7 at +43-664-6293507. Arrivals will be registered by the Red Cross. At the same time, it will be clarified whether accommodation is needed or if there are relatives where the refugees can stay.

Tirol:

Registration office, Police Station Innsbruck-Main Station: Südtiroler Platz 3, 6020 Innsbruck, open daily from 0:00 to 24:00.

The information office is located on the premises of the State Hospital Hall in Tirol (Zollstraße 9). Here, arrivals receive information about the possibility of basic care, accommodation, and further procedures. The information office is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 12:00 and Monday to Thursday from 13:00 to 15:30.

More Information: Ukraine-Hilfe | Land Tirol

Vorarlberg:

Blumeneggstraße 37, 6710 Nenzing

Other accommodations in Austria:

• Homes for Ukraine is an initiative of non-profit organisations that arranges accommodation from private individuals.

The EU Commission has confirmed the extension of temporary protection for people fleeing the Russian aggression against Ukraine for another year. This affects the period from March 5, 2025, to March 4, 2026.

You can find more information here: Flüchtlinge aus der Ukraine: Rat verlängert vorübergehenden Schutz bis März 2026 – Consilium (europa.eu)

The temporary right of residence was extended until March 4, 2026. This is an ex lege right of residence that exists independently of the issuing of a new ID card for displaced persons. This means that the right of residence will continue to exist after March 4, 2024, regardless of the validity date on this ID card. The ID cards with the extended validity date are automatically sent to the addresses of the Central Register of Residents (ZMR) of displaced persons without them having to submit an application.

1. Temporary right of residence for displaced persons
   Certain groups of people from Ukraine have a temporary right of residence as displaced persons in Austria. This applies to citizens of Ukraine and refugees recognised in Ukraine or persons with complementary protection who had to leave Ukraine due to the war. This also applies to their family members as well as Ukrainian citizens who were lawfully residing in Austria at the beginning of the war.
   These people will receive the residence permit “identity card for displaced persons”. Registration (data collection) is necessary for this. There is no need to make an application for international protection (“asylum application”).
   The right of residence is valid until 03 March 2023 and it will be automatically renewed for up to 6 months twice, unless it is declared ended.
   Furthermore, the right of residence will expire if these persons leave Austria for a longer time, i.e. if they move to another state. However, short trips are possible without the right of residence expiring
2. Target groups
   1. Citizens of Ukraine residing in Ukraine who had to leave Ukraine due to the armed conflict as of 24 February 2022.
   2. Other third-country nationals or stateless persons with international protection status or comparable national protection status granted before 24 February 2022
   under Ukrainian law, who had to leave Ukraine due to the armed conflict as of 24 February 2022. This applies to persons with asylum or complementary protection in
   Ukraine.
   3. Family members of these groups, provided they were residing in Ukraine as family members of one of the persons listed above before 24 February 2022. Above all, this applies to family members who are not Ukrainian citizens or who do not meet one of the other conditions for the right of residence as displaced persons for other reasons.
   Family members include:
   − Spouses and registered partners
   − Unmarried minor children of persons from the above-mentioned target group (1. and 2.) or of their spouses or registered partners
   − Other close relatives of persons from the target group (1. and 2.) who lived together with them in a household before displacement and who were completely or mainly dependent on them
   4. Citizens of Ukraine who were lawfully residing in Austria visa-free or with a visa on 24 February 2022, after the end of the visa-free stay or the expiry of the visa if they cannot return to Ukraine or the state of their residence. Above all, this applies to Ukrainian citizens who were on a trip to Austria at the beginning of the war and lived in Ukraine or another state to which they cannot return. Persons who lived in another state and can return there are not included.
   5. Citizens of Ukraine with a valid residence permit in Austria on 24 February 2022, after the end of the period of validity if they cannot return to Ukraine. This only applies to cases where the residence permit has not been renewed. Persons with currently valid residence permits are not included because they are still lawfully residing in Austria.

A further requirement is that the respective person is staying in Austria and there are no reasons for exclusion. In particular, reasons for exclusion include war crimes or crimes against humanity, serious offences and the like.

More Information  you can find here Informationsblatt and FAQs des BFA. Under this Link you can find the documents in Englisch, Ukrainian & Russian languages as well.

All displaced persons who:

– Have been employed in a fully insured position for at least 12 months within the last 24 months,
– Have a realistic prospect of earning an income at the level of the compensatory allowance at the time of issuance (not application) of the RWR+ Card,
– Singles: approximately 1,218 EUR net per month,
– Married couples/registered partners: approximately 1,921 EUR net per month (combined),
– Additional approximately 188 EUR net per month per child (family allowance is not considered, but childcare allowance is),
– Have German language skills at least at level A1, certified by an authorized institute (e.g., ÖSD, ÖIF, etc., more information here:

Proof of knowledge of German („German before immigration“) (oesterreich.gv.at)

should be allowed to transition to a Red-White-Red Card Plus after the announcement of the law.

Attention! Under this link, you will find a document (only available in German, Ukrainian and Russian) that includes important questions and answers about the residence permit „Red-White-Red Card Plus“ for displaced persons.
The following questions and answers refer to the current draft law for the residence permit „Red-White-Red Card Plus“ for displaced persons and their family members.

• This change also applies to self-employed individuals if they were insured under the Commercial Social Insurance Act.
• Families: The transition for spouses, registered partners, children, as well as adoptive and stepchildren is possible.

Summary of legislative changes concerning the transition to RWR+ for displaced persons from Ukraine:

– Transition to RWR+ effective from October 1, 2024
– Asylum Act (extension of regulation authorization for future transition) effective from the end of June 2024
– Compulsory Education Act effective from July 1, 2024
– Further information on the ongoing legislative processes can be found here (available only in German):

Ausländerbeschäftigungsgesetz, Niederlassungs- und Aufenthaltsgesetz u.a., Änderung (2528 d.B.) | Parlament Österreich

Sozialausschuss für unbeschränkten Arbeitsmarktzugang für integrierte Ukrainer:innen (PK0593/06.06.2024) | Parlament Österreich

The new regulation for the RWR+ Card is not yet in effect; it is still in the parliamentary process. An application can only be submitted after the new regulation comes into force, which is expected to be on October 1, 2024. The „Red-White-Red Card Plus“ is valid for one year or three years. It will only be extended upon application.

If displaced persons have been continuously settled for at least two years and fulfill Module 1 of the Integration Agreement, the „Red-White-Red Card Plus“ will be issued for three years. Periods of residence as a displaced person or with a „Red-White-Red Card Plus“ are particularly counted as settlement. The periods of residence as a displaced person immediately before the issuance of the „Red-White-Red Card Plus“ also count as settlement and will therefore be credited.

The FAQs (German) have been updated and are available on the BMI website.

Further information will be continuously added.

Red-White-Red Card Plus

The „Red-White-Red Card Plus“ is a residence and work permit for people from third countries (persons who are neither EU citizens nor from another EEA country or Switzerland) that is not dependent on the requirements of a specific company. With this card, they are allowed to live and work in Austria for a limited time (renewable!) as self-employed or employed individuals.

• Do I have to register in Austria?

Yes. Whether, by whom and how depends on the type of accommodation. If you are staying in Austria for more than three days, you have to register your residence at the responsible registration office (municipalities/magistrates) in accordance with the Registration Law.

• In the case of private accommodation, you have to report your place of residence directly to the registration office within three days after moving into the accommodation, whereby you need a corresponding confirmation of your accommodation provider (owner, private landlord, etc.).
• If you are accommodated within the framework of a lodging/tourist establishment, the registration is carried out by the owner in accordance with the relevant regulations (depending on the duration of the stay, e.g. entry in the guest register).
• In the case of admission to basic care in organised accommodation, this notification is arranged by the BBU or the respective competent provincial basic care office.

There is only an exception to the obligation to register if you do not stay in Austria for more than three days – for example, if you are only passing through Austria.

• If you are in need of assistance (e.g. because you have no financial means or cannot be accommodated with relatives or acquaintances), you will be admitted to the basic care programme of the Federal Government and the Federal Provinces. In addition to the provision of accommodation and food, you will also receive medical care (health insurance).
• Registration for an appointment for the application for basic care in Vienna is done via the registration system: gvs-termin.fsw.at

As displaced persons from Ukraine, you have a temporary right of residence in Austria. This right of residence is currently valid until the expiry date on the card (03 March 2023) and it may be extended, if applicable. This right of residence is documented by the residence permit “identity card for displaced persons” enclosed with this letter.

In principle, you can travel visa-free for tourism within the Schengen area for 90 days within 180 days with the identity card for displaced persons and your passport. You may re-enter Austria at any time with a valid identity card for displaced persons.
The right of residence will expire before the expiry date if you leave Austria for a longer time, i.e. if you move to another state. Furthermore, the right of residence will expire if there are reasons for exclusion. This includes convictions for particularly serious crimes.
Please inform the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) if you change your name, so that a new identity card for displaced persons can be issued to you.
Further information as well as the contact details of the BFA organisational units can be found at:
www.bfa.gv.at

The Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) issues an identity card for displaced persons to persons who belong to the target groups. For this, it is necessary for you to register:
• An initial registration takes place through the police. This can be done at certain police stations or in special reception or registration centres.
• When you register, your data and the details on your passport or other documents will be recorded. Persons aged 14 and over will undergo an identification process
(taking of fingerprints, etc.). There is a form that you are kindly requested to fill in and submit during registration.

In the event that all data is completely available to the BFA as a result of the registration by the police, an identity card for displaced persons as a residence
permit will be personally delivered to you.

Should any investigative steps still be necessary, you will be invited to an interview before the competent body of the BFA in order to collect any missing data. This may
involve cases where e.g. no passport is available. If you are not summoned before the BFA, the identity card for displaced persons will be sent to you at your registered
address, to the delivery address that you specified during registration, or to the authorised recipient. You do not need to take any further steps for this. In some cases, it
may also be necessary to register your fingerprints again in order to issue the identity card. This is carried out by BFA staff. You may also be required to bring a passport photo to the BFA (if the photo from your passport cannot be used).

There is no need to make an application for asylum. Such an application would be hindered for the duration of the right of residence as a displaced person and it would
not be processed.

Contact the BFA Bundesamt für Fremdenwesen und Asyl

According to the Fund’s internal regulations, retirees‘ pensions can be suspended if there is no movement on the account. That is, if a pensioner stops using his account (withdrawing or transferring money), after a certain time an automatic algorithm is triggered by the Pension Fund, and the pensioner must come in person to the Pension Fund office to resume payments.

The pension fund has of course taken into account that many pensioners have moved abroad and in such cases cannot come to the pension fund in person.

Therefore, the pension fund has chosen a different way to deal with such situations. Embassies can issue a document called a „certificate that the person is alive“. This is a consular service provided by our embassies abroad, which can be used to confirm to the state authorities that a person is alive. To obtain this certificate, the applicant must come to the embassy on weekdays from 9 am to 12.30 pm (no appointment is required). You must present a Ukrainian passport, a registration certificate and a residence permit. The cost of this service is 18 euros.

• I fled Ukraine, but my family are currently in … Can they join me?

  If you are a Ukrainian citizen or a third-country national with asylum or comparable protection status in the Ukraine, the temporary right of residence also applies to your family members – provided that they were already living with you in Ukraine prior to 24/02/2022.
  Family members include spouses or registered partners, unmarried minor children (including those belonging to the spouse or registered partner) as well as other close relatives who lived in your household prior to your displacement and who were dependent on you.

Family members of these groups, provided they were residing in Ukraine as family members of one of the persons listed above before 24 February 2022. Above all, this applies to family members who are not Ukrainian citizens or who do not meet one of the other conditions for the right of residence as displaced persons for other reasons.

Family members include:
− Spouses and registered partners
− Unmarried minor children of persons from the above-mentioned target group (1.
and 2.) or of their spouses or registered partners
− Other close relatives of persons from the target group (1. and 2.) who lived
together with them in a household before displacement and who were
completely or mainly dependent on them

• I lived in Ukraine as a third-country national with a residence permit. Does the temporary right of residence also apply to me?

  No. Third-country nationals who do not have asylum or any comparable protection status in Ukraine do not fall under this regulation. However, you may enter Austria for humanitarian reasons or travel through Austria to reach your country of origin. You are legally resident in Austria until you are able to travel on to your country of origin. If you require support for your journey home, you may contact the return counselling service at the BBU.

BUNDESGESETZBLATT FÜR DIE REPUBLIK ÖSTERREICH

Vertriebenen-Verordnung

• As a displaced person from Ukraine, am I allowed to work in Austria and do I get free German courses?

  • Yes, with an ID card for displaced persons and an employment permit you have access to the Austrian labour market. However, it is necessary to register at the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS) with the ID card for displaced persons. There, your data such as your education, your professional experience and competences as well as other information about your person will be collected. The AMS will support you in finding a job and will then issue you with an employment permit with which you will be able to work. If you have already found a job in Austria, your future employer can also apply for the employment permit.
  • Further information is also available in Ukrainian on the homepage of the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS).
  • Furthermore, subsidies and active placements are provided by the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS), and you can also take advantage of other AMS services such as counselling and German courses.
• Documents required for registration with the AMS: Information in Ukrainian, English and German
• You can also find information on German courses and on taking up employment in Austria on the website of the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) or via the ÖIF’s Ukraine Info Hotline: +43 1 715 10 51-120 (Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 18:00).
• Private job placement agencies (no claim to completeness):
  – https://www.pratsya.at/de/
  – https://www.jobs-for-ukraine.at/
  – https://www.jobs.trendingtopics.eu/for-ukrainians
  – UAtalents
  – After the ID card for displaced persons has been issued, persons can also become self-employed: https://www.wko.at/service/ukraine-faq.html

• As a refugee or displaced person from Ukraine, am I covered by health insurance in Austria?

  Yes. In principle, health care is ensured within the framework of admission to basic care.

  As proof of health insurance, you will be assigned an insurance number after registration – at the customer service points of the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK), this can be used to issue an e-card replacement voucher.

  Even if you do not yet have an insurance number and an e-card replacement voucher, medical care is still guaranteed by presenting the appropriate proof (passport or other residence documents relating to Ukraine).

  Further information on health insurance can be found on the homepage of the ÖGK.

  Even if you are not included in the basic health care because you do not need support services, you are entitled to health insurance within the framework of the General Social Insurance Act and can also make use of medical assistance. The legal and organisational requirements will be met in the next few days.

• Land Wien (Deutsch, Ukrainian)
• Land Salzburg  (English, Deutsch, Ukrainian, Russian)
• Land Tirol  (English)
• Land Niederösterreich (Deutsch)
• Land Burgenland
• Land Oberösterreich – Nachbarschaftshilfe für Flüchtlinge aus der Ukraine (Deutsch)
• Land Vorarlberg (Multilingual)
• Land Kärnten (Deutsch)
• Land Steiermark (Deutsch)

Donations in kind for our care facilities

Due to the current situation in Ukraine, we not only accept asylum seekers but also people from Ukraine who are seeking protection. If you would like to support our care facilities with donations in kind, please contact us by email at grundversorgung@bbu.gv.at so that we can organize further coordination. Please let us know in your e-mail in which federal state you would like to make a donation and what kind of donation it is.

Currently, donations in kind are only possible at the following locations:

• Vienna (1110)
• Thalham/St.Georgen im Attergau
• Traiskirchen

The following is required:

• Unopened hygiene products and baby hygiene products (diapers, wipes, etc.)
• Clean single sheets (no double sheets) and towels
• Additionally in Vienna/1110: baby equipment (bathtub, high chair, potty, etc.), baby and adult clothing

Important instructions:

Medicines, food of any kind and easily flammable items (e.g. candles) cannot be accepted. Furthermore, clothing cannot be accepted at other locations at this time. For legal reasons, we would also like to point out that no monetary donations can be accepted.

Thanks for your support!

Humanitarian return to countries of origin: BBU and IOM support third-country nationals who have fled Ukraine

Due to the dramatic developments in Ukraine, many people are still leaving the country. Among them are also numerous third-country nationals, i.e. people who came to Ukraine to work or study there, for example.
They, too, have been forced to leave Ukraine as quickly as possible and often want to return to their countries of origin quickly after arriving in Austria.

Together with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), BBU supports third-country nationals who have fled Ukraine to continue their journey to their countries of origin.
In its counselling centres, the BBU provides information on the possibilities of assisted humanitarian return. Together with IOM, we clarify, among other things, the requirements for entry in the country of origin and provide support in preparing the onward journey.

The Austrian Federal Government declares its full solidarity with the entire Ukrainian population. For the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF), this applies in particular to those individuals who are active in its area of responsibility. The BMBWF is currently launching initiatives in many areas, and these are designed to directly help those affected on a number of levels. Initial support services are listed on this page, with new services being added all the time.

Educational paths in Austria – an overview of the Austrian education system:

• Deutsch
• Ukrainisch (український)
• English

Information about current conditions of entry and residence for Ukrainian citizens:

An overview of the current conditions of entry and residence for Ukrainian citizens can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry of the Interior
Entry and residence of Ukrainian citizens in Austria (in German)

Validations – Assessment of foreign qualifications:

• School
• Higher education & universities
• Ukraine: current information for universities, research institutions and students
• Support services for refugee families, for school pupils and for teachers (in German)

• Stadt Wien – Kinder- und Jugendhilfe (MA 11)
• SOS-Kinderdorf

SOS emergency aid for children and families

If you are an eligible family, live in Vienna and would like to take in an unaccompanied minor, then send an email to: ksenija.andelic@sos-kinderdorf.at. After the application and an initial interview with SOS Children’s Villages, the Vienna Children’s and Youth Welfare Office will examine your suitability as a host family. SOS Children’s Villages then makes a selection, taking into account the characteristics and interests of the host family and the young person, and organizes getting to know each other, further meetings and visits to the family. If both sides want to live together, the young person will be accepted into the host family.

Questions & contact:

Questions: SOS-Kinderdorf, Jakob.Kramar-Schmid@sos-kinderdorf.at, T.: 0676 / 88144 243

At www.rataufdraht.at and www.elternseite.at, our colleagues from „Rat auf Draht“ give family tips on how to talk to children about war and terror.

The psychosocial services:

Care for deaf refugees:

• Important information, links and contacts for the deaf from the Austrian Association of the Deaf (ÖGLB)

The Austrian Association of the Deaf has members in seven federal states: Vorarlberg, Tyrol, Salzburg, Carinthia, Styria, Upper Austria and Lower Austria. They help deaf people who have fled from Ukraine. Contact details of our members are here. 

Dentists emergency service Vienna:

• Notdienstsuche – Österreichische Zahnärztekammer (zahnaerztekammer.at)

„Rat auf Draht“:

• First point of contact for accommodation providers who take in refugee families with children aged 0-24 from Ukraine.