At the moment, there are about 1.2 million migrants from the Ukrainian lands in Germany. Adjustments to the list of camps in Germany that accept Ukrainian migrants are made once a month or every few months. Find out the latest information on the ‘migrant camps’ in Germany that will be accepting Ukrainians in December

Legal advice on migration issues

GET

In March 2024, Deutsche Welle reported that many regions were overloaded, so a more even distribution among European countries was recommended. The state has identified several regions (and camps within them) that accept Ukrainians. Each of them has its own peculiarities, and re-registration at will is virtually impossible (except for a few reasons). Accordingly, you should carefully consider the available options to choose the most comfortable conditions for yourself. At the moment, there are projected restrictions on settlement in camps in the future. For up-to-date information on the so-called ‘IDP camps’ as of December 2024, please read the article.

The IDP camp and the main conditions of its operation.

An ‘IDP camp’ is a reception centre for refugees. It is here that the region of Germany to which the refugees will be sent is determined, and it is impossible to predict this in advance. Usually, Ukrainians stay in the region to which they arrived at the reception centre. However, when there is no room for accommodation, a person may be sent to another region.

The camp can be chosen only at the entrance, so it is recommended to choose the one that is easy to reach. It should be remembered that the camp is chosen only once upon entry, and once registered, the IDP will not be accepted in other regions.

A forced migrant is obliged to live in the territory to which he or she is assigned, and a special document and good reasons are required to move. These include:

- employment in the territory of relocation;

- marriage;

- maintenance of minor children.

The housing situation in Germany is currently very difficult - many migrants are forced to live in hangars, dormitories, converted gyms, etc. The grounds for accommodating refugees from Ukraine are based on the Temporary Protection Programme (Paragraph 24), but it cannot solve the housing problem for more than a million migrants.

Important! Camps for migrants are open 24/7.

Which ‘camps’ are accepting Ukrainian migrants in December 2024?

Aden-Württemberg - Baden-Württemberg

Baden-Württemberg is one of the most popular reception centres, but you should not expect to stay there at the moment. There are no places for IDPs, so the automated system will allocate you to another region. Most likely, it will be Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate or Hesse. The decision on allocation is made for each migrant separately by an automated system.

Since October 2024, there has been an innovation here - the reception centre may require you to apply to the city office for admission before registering with them. This may take some time, so we recommend that you take care of your accommodation in advance or plan a route to another region of Germany in case of an emergency.

1. Karlsruhe

Address: Durlacher Allee 100, 76137 Karlsruhe. Currently open, but distributes to other regions. Since January 2024, it has been accepting everyone who drives their own car. Among the features are the following:

- cars must be parked outside the reception centre;

- no animals larger than a cat are allowed.

2. Ellwangen

Address: (Georg-Elser-Str. 2, 73479 Ellwangen). Accepts refugees from Ukraine, but often sends them to other countries.

3. Freiburg

Address: Müllheimer Str. 7, 79115 Freiburg. Open, but often distributes to other federal states. It has the following features:

- does not accept people in need of special medical care;

- accepts small pets that must stay with their owners at all times (dogs must be on a leash).

It is worth noting that you can get to some of the reception points only by your own car. Cars with Ukrainian licence plates can only be driven in Germany for a year after the first arrival in the country. For detailed instructions on how to re-register a Ukrainian car in Germany, read this article.

Don't want to miss important updates and useful articles? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter!

Bavaria - Bavaria

München

Address: Dachauer Str. 122a, 80637 München

Distributed in southern Bavaria. The reception centre is not recommended for pet owners. Currently, the shelter does not accept migrants with pets, and shelters in the region are overcrowded. Migrants are distributed within the region.

Augsburg

Address: Aindlingerstr. 16, 86167 Augsburg. Acceptance with pets is possible if the animals are in a separate container.

Regensburg

Address: Zeißstraße 1, 93053 Regensburg. Distribution takes place in the eastern part of Bavaria, in the countryside.

Bamberg

Address: Erlenweg 4, 96050 Bamberg. Reception is open around the clock, but registration with pets is prohibited. Distribution is carried out in the northern part of Bavaria.

Geldersheim

Address: Conn-Str. 1, 97505 Geldersheim. Distribution is carried out by the northern part of Bavaria.

Earlier we wrote that in Germany, Ukrainian IDPs can receive social benefits on an equal footing with citizens of the country. At the same time, a number of conditions must be met to avoid fines and reduced payments. For more details, follow the link.

Berlin - Berlin

Tegel (Old Airport)

For car owners: leave your car in the car park and take the P3 bus in front of building 109.

For those arriving by public transport: trains from Eastern Europe arrive at Berlin-Gesundbrunnen station; from there, take a city train to Berlin-Jungfernheide station; the bus to the reception centre runs from this station, with a stop at Olberstraße/Gallesteig.

All information about the Tegel reception centre can be found on the service portal or by contacting the centre's Telegram support group.

Germany is currently the leader in terms of the number of Ukrainian refugees accepted. There are currently more than a million of them. Readmore about which German states have received the most Ukrainians here.

Hessen

Gießen (Rödgener Straße 59-61, 35394 Gießen Ankunftshalle) - the reception centre is open, but currently distributes to Bavaria all those who do not have first-line relatives in Hesse.

The best time to arrive is on weekdays before 20:00.

Information for those travelling by public transport, there is a possibility of overnight accommodation in Frankfurt (Bahnhofsmission):

Step 1: By train from Frankfurt to Gießen Bf;

2nd step: Bus 1 or 17 from Gießen Bf to Sophie-Scholl-Schule.

A map of the area can be found here.

In order to stay in Germany legally and receive social and medical assistance, Ukrainians must obtain temporary protection status. Earlier we informed that paragraph 24 was extended until 2026.

Nordrhein-Westfalen - North Rhine-Westphalia

There is a single reception centre inBochum(Gersteinring 50, 44791 Bochum, initial reception centre).

This may be of interest to you: Employment in Germany - everything Ukrainians need to know. Read here.

Saarland - Saarland

There is a single reception centre in Lebach (Schlesierallee 17, 66822 Lebach).

Schleswig-Holstein.

1. Neumünster.

Address: (Haart 148, 2359 Neumünster) - open for reception, but distributes to other locations.

2. Boostedt

Address: (Von-dem-Borne-Straße, 24598 Boostedt) - open for admission, but there are not enough places.

The camp accepts pets, including large dogs. However, as of July, there was information about the urgent resettlement of refugees to dormitories where pets are not allowed.

Please note! The city administration cannot accommodate refugees with pets. If you register at this reception centre, you may have to take your pets to a shelter at your own expense.

3. Seeth

Address: (Hauptstraße 100, 23845 Seeth) - the situation is similar to the previous camp: reception is carried out, there is a permit for reception with pets, but there have been cases of reallocation to dormitories with restrictions on pets.

Please note! The city administration cannot accommodate refugees with pets. If you register at this reception centre, you may have to take your pets to a shelter at your own expense.

According to German law, foreigners entering the country are required to have an appropriate insurance policy. Read all the details on the terms, rules, and peculiarities of visa acquisition in the article.

Thüringen - Thuringia

There is only one camp, but admission is subject to availability - refusal is possible.

- Suhl (Weidbergstr. 10, 98527 Suhl)

Reminder. Hamburg is changing the procedure for issuing passports to Ukrainians. You can learn more about the changes here.

If you need help at any stage of migration, you can contact our migration law specialists and get advice on problematic issues, assistance with the preparation of the documents you need or full legal support.

Photo: ArmyInform

Want to know more? Read the latest news and useful materials about Ukraine and the world in the News section.

Our recommendation for a safe and comfortable trip: 

Visit Ukraine Insurance - insurance for a safe stay abroad without unnecessary expenses;

Green Card - compulsory car insurance for traveling abroad;

Visit Ukraine Tickets - book tickets for buses, trains, and airplanes to/from Ukraine and between cities around the world;

Private Lawyer service - professional legal support on visa and migration issues;

Visit Ukraine Merch - buy patriotic clothing and accessories with worldwide delivery.

© 2018-2024, Visit Ukraine. Use, copying or reprinting of materials on this site is permitted only with a link (hyperlink for online publications) to Visit Ukraine.

All rights reserved.