You do not have to register as a war refugee immediately. You can stay in Germany without a visa or residence permit for up to 90 days after entering the country. However, if you wish to stay longer, find work or claim social benefits, you must register and apply for a residence permit.
In order to register, go to the Arrival Centre at Tegel Airport. Take the S-Bahn or U-Bahn to the station Jungfernheide. From there, shuttle bus number 410 will take you to the Ukraine Arrival Centre at the former Berlin-Tegel airport. This bus also stops at the U-Bahn station Jakob-Kaiser-Platz and at the General-Ganeval-Brücke. You cannot reach the airport by foot! The shuttle bus is free of charge and a bus comes every 10 minutes starting on 1 May 2023. The shuttle bus will also take you from the Ukraine Arrival Centre back to the Jungfernheide station.
Alternatively, you can take bus number 109 from the stations Zoo or Charlottenburg and transfer to the shuttle bus 410 at General-Ganeval-Brücke. Please note: You must pay the regular BVG fare to take bus 109.
At the Arrival Centre it is decided assess whether you can stay in Berlin or will be allocated to another federal state in Germany. The allocation takes place according to the Königstein distribution scale, by which about 5 percent of all refugees can stay in Berlin. If another federal state is responsible for your accommodation and supplying your basic needs, you can travel there free of charge and apply for a residence permit on arrival. If you have relatives in Berlin, or you have found permanent accommodation or you have found a job, you can usually remain in Berlin. This applies regardless of whether your relatives have lived in Berlin for some time or whether they also fled from the war and already have a right of residence in Berlin. If you have a trans* or inter* identity, you will be allocated to Berlin.
If you are able to stay in Berlin, you will also be registered at the Arrival Centre in Tegel.
Registration usually takes 20 to 60 minutes. To make sure the appointment goes as smoothly as possible, please bring the following documents with you:
- Ukrainian identity documents or residence permit in Ukraine
- If available: residents’ registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung), lease or your current address if you have made your own accommodation arrangements with friends or family.
During the registration, your fingerprint and photos of you will be taken. After the registration, you are not yet allowed to work and do not yet have a residence permit. To receive a residence permit you have to apply online.