Obtaining temporary housing for IDPs: how to get in line?

If you were forced to move to other regions of Ukraine, it is advisable to submit an application as soon as possible for registration of persons who need housing for temporary residence. You submit the application in person to the local self-government body or the center for the provision of administrative services by filling out an electronic application form with the relevant official. If you personally cannot submit a relevant application, your representative can do it. The basis for this will be a written power of attorney certified in accordance with the procedure established by law.

You must also submit the following to the application:

• copies of documents certifying identity and confirming Ukrainian citizenship. If the application is submitted by an authorized representative of the IDP, documents certifying the representative's identity and a copy of the power of attorney are presented;

• a copy of the certificate of the internally displaced person on registration in the Unified Information Database on Internally Displaced Persons and copies of the relevant certificates of family members (if available);

• copies of documents issued by the state registry of civil status acts or the court confirming your family relationships and all members of your family (birth certificate, marriage certificate, certificate of guardian or custodian, etc.);

• a copy of the registration number of the taxpayer's account card;

• copies of documents confirming the grounds for priority in providing internally displaced persons with residential premises from the fund. The fact of destruction or damage to the home, which led to the impossibility of using it for its intended purpose, is confirmed by your personal statement and that of your family members.

After submitting the relevant application, you will be issued with a description of the documents you submitted, signed by the official who accepted them.

Within one working day after the submission of the relevant application, the authorized registration body makes a decision to register you as a citizen in need of housing for temporary residence, or to refuse to register you.

You can also submit an application through the Unified State Web Portal of Electronic Services by identifying yourself with a qualified electronic signature.

It is worth noting that families with many children have the primary right to temporary housing; families with children; pregnant women; persons who have lost their ability to work; persons of retirement age from among those whose housing was destroyed or became uninhabitable as a result of Russia's armed aggression.