In connection with the forced measures as to the temporary evacuation of Ukrainians, as well as their arrival in the Republic of Turkey, the Embassy of Ukraine worked out additional social protection with the relevant Turkish authorities and developed recommendations for coordination of Ukrainian citizens.

Before leaving, as well as in case of your stay in the country, please enter information about yourself in the following form.

In case of a planned group entry to Turkey, in addition to the specified form, please send to the hotline of the Embassy of Ukraine a list of citizens with relevant data +90 539 550 98 98 (WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram).

Requirements of the Turkish side to the documents when crossing the border by citizens of Ukraine:

- Passport (biometric or regular) / ID - valid card. In the case of land transport through the EU, it is possible to extend the validity of the passport at the Embassy of Ukraine in Romania, or the Embassy of Ukraine in Bulgaria free of charge;

- If a child does not have a passport, the issue of the child's passing with the birth certificate, passing accompanied by proxy representatives  is resolved individually in cooperation with the Embassy and the State Migration Service of Turkey.

Where to cross the border and how to get to Turkey in transit?

The sea route, of course, is currently closed. Other options:

· Cross the border with Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia or Moldova, get to the nearest airport with flights to Turkey, buy a ticket, go through customs and go directly to one of the cities of the country. Free flights are currently provided by Wizz Air (ticket booking - https://wizzair.com/ru-ru#/rescue, but you need to check whether the current destination is relevant at all, and whether the entire quota is already selected) and LOT (https: // www .lot.com / ua / uk) -  provides discounts of 30-99%;

· Currently, a headquarters has been formed in Ukraine (Lviv), which centrally organizes trips to Turkey: tel. +380635767740, +380635767754. After applying to them, you will be put on a bus directly from Lviv and they will coordinate the transfer of your data to obtain status and find shelter (border crossing in Burgas, Bulgaria) We recommend that you refrain from applying for international protection status (humanitarian visa) and use the visa-free regime for 90 days of legal stay. After 90 days it is possible to continue the stay under the short-term residence permit (tourist permit). The official status of international protection (humanitarian visa) in many ways limits your rights, bureaucracy takes a long time, there are no special benefits for refugees. In case you are offered international protection status - we advise you to agree in case of extreme difficulty (there is no possibility to find housing on your own, you have no saving etc.);

· You can try to get to Burgas (Bulgaria) by train or car. To do this, it is best to cross the border Ukraine - Romania, and catch a free FlixBus bus in Suceava or Tulcea, ordering a voucher for transportation at https://www.flixbus.ua/pidtrymka-ukrainy . Or you can choose a train journey from a city in Romania to the nearest place on the Turkish border with Bulgaria (for example, Bucharest - Burgas, https://rail.cc/uk/train/bucharest-to-burgas );

· By car Romania - Bulgaria (Burgas) - Edirne.

In the last three cases, your final destination is Turkish city Edirne.

If you have a place to live:

- Permitted period of stay in the country for citizens of Ukraine is 90 days for six months (in case of exceeding, the issue of non-payment of fines is resolved individually through diplomatic missions of Ukraine together with the State Migration Service of Turkey);

- If you plan to stay in Turkey for more than 90 days, you must apply to the branch of the State Migration Service of Turkey at the place of stay to obtain a short-term residence permit (tourist);

- Residence permit is required for legalization of your status, use of banking services, social services and mobile communications;

If you have no place to live:

- Please fill in the form before entering;

- Inform the consul by calling the hotline +90 539 550 98 98 (Ankara), +90 530 612 55 77 (Istanbul), +90 554 169 96 60 (Antalya);

- Fill in the form of the State Migration Service of Turkey at the link for international protection status and the relevant humanitarian residence permit.

When purposefully evacuating from Ukraine to Turkey, please consider the following:

- The Republic of Turkey is not a border country and cannot provide refugee status and a full social security package as neighbouring European countries do;

- When travelling to Turkey from Ukraine by land, pay attention to the requirements of transit European countries (Bulgaria and Romania) regarding the availability of biometric documents, including those for children;

- Turkey is a Muslim country, and the state language is exclusively Turkish, please take into account the cultural and religious characteristics of the country. There are also compulsory Turkish-language schools in Turkey.

- The Turkish side provided evacuation by bus for Ukrainian citizens (exclusively mixed marriages and family members of Turkish citizens) from cities of Chernivtsi, Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Lviv - Istanbul. 

- Citizens of Ukraine will not have the right to work without a work permit. Employment is possible only after obtaining a humanitarian residence permit, or when entering under a work visa. If you apply for a humanitarian certificate (international protection status), please note that you still do not have the right to officially get a job before obtaining the permit (the procedure for obtaining the certificate takes up to six months) and you will not be allowed to settle where you want (friends, relatives, just rent). Settlements on humanitarian status are mostly conducted in dormitories. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to find your own home - we advise you to use a visa-free regime, instead of international protection (humanitarian permit) with possibiity to use the tourist residence permit after visa-free regime expires (if you plan to stay in Turkey for more than 90 days).

Additionally:

- Citizens who have applied for international protection status and need housing can apply to local migration offices. The decision will be made on a case-by-case basis.

- Citizens who have received the appropriate status can have social insurance valid for 1 year. Contact your local migration office for details. Central authorities:

Istanbul: İl Göç İdaresi Müdürlüğü Kumkapı Koordinasyon Merkezi

Ankara: Ankara İl Göç İdaresi Müdürlüğü Ek Hizmet Binası

In other regions, contact local migration offices

Detailed information on the requirements of the State Migration Service of Turkey.

- crossing the Bulgarian-Turkish border is possible without animal documents

You can use services like https://www.airbnb.com.ua/turkey/stays to find housing. Free options are also available here.

Telegram channel (hotlines, housing, medical and legal issues, transport)

Telegram channel (Ukrainians in Istanbul)

Telegram channel (Ukrainians in Turkey)

Ukrainian Cultural Community in Istanbul

Embassy of Ukraine in Turkey

Consulate General of Ukraine in Istanbul

Consulate General of Ukraine in Antalya