Information in English

People with Ukrainian nationality who are temporarily residing in Leiden can register with the municipal authority. You can only do this if you have a valid passport or identity document, which you must show when you come to register. You should also bring your children to the appointment: even if they don’t have a valid identity document, your children will also be registered. This is not the normal registration procedure and it only applies for people from Ukraine in the current circumstances. When you register, you will provide the address in Leiden where you and your family members are temporarily residing. The municipal authority staff who will handle your registration can speak English. If you are not confident that your English is good enough to understand and answer our questions, please bring someone with you who can act as an interpreter.

You will need an appointment in order to register. Please call 14071 to make an appointment.

Ukrainian children who have fled to the Netherlands have the right to education. Together with the schools in Leiden, the municipality is working out how to grant access to education to Ukrainian children as soon as possible. Ukrainian children staying in Leiden will start in an international language class, where they will receive Dutch language lessons. After that they will be able to enter a regular Dutch school. The availability of an international language class in the near future means that Ukrainian children in Leiden will no longer be accepted into primary and secondary schools until they have completed the above-mentioned class. The exception to this are children up to the age of 6. It will remain possible to register children of this age category at a primary school. We aim to start with the new international language classes after the May holidays (starting from May 9). Check this website regularly for any further information updates.

Sign up for education

The municipality of Leiden wants to get an overview of the number of Ukrainian children in the Leiden region as quickly as possible, so they can grant access to education to this group. By filling in this registration form for education, you will help us with achieving this task. Please note that this form should only be filled out together with the parent or guardian of the child in question. After filling out this form, the municipality will contact the school, which will provide international language classes. Afterwards, a representative of the school will invite (as soon as possible) the parent/guardian and the child for an introductory meeting.

In addition, we advise Ukrainian refugees to register with the municipality as soon as possible.

Day Care

It is also possible to apply children between 0 and 4 years of age for daycare. The municipality of Leiden, together with day care centers are researching the possibilities. Check this website regularly for any further information updates.

You are permitted to work for an employer from 1 April 2022. If you are able to work and need help with finding a job, then DZB Leiden provides support for refugees who are currently living in Leiden.

Application form for job-seeking Ukrainian refugeesPDF 65 kb

Please fill in your details on this form, then send it by email to werkzoekendenoekraine@dzb.nl.

Are you staying at a reception address in the municipality of Leiden? And you don’t have enough money to cover your living expenses, because you’re not working? Then we will assist you with a financial payment. We call this payment a ‘living allowance’. A national scheme will soon be introduced for this. In Leiden, as a temporary solution, you can come to collect the living allowance in cash. If you already have a bank account, we can pay you the allowance by bank transfer.

What is the living allowance for?

It is for food, clothing and other personal expenses. If you are staying at a private reception address, for example with a host family, you will receive an extra amount. You could perhaps use this to contribute to the household expenses. You should make arrangements with your host family about this yourself. And you can also use it to pay for the cost of public transport or activities.

Who can receive a living allowance?

You can receive a living allowance if you are staying at a reception address in Leiden, and if you meet all of the following conditions:

• You are staying in Leiden, in a municipal or private reception facility
• You have no income
• You come from Ukraine

Additional condition if you are staying in a private reception facility:

• You are registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP) of the municipality of Leiden.

Amount of living allowance

This currently amounts to € 60 per person per week if you are in the municipal reception centre.

Do you have accommodaton at a private address, for example with a host family? And do you have a Dutch bank account? In that case, the amounts are as follows:

• € 475 per adult per month
• € 315 per under-age child per month

If you do not yet have a Dutch bank account, the amounts are as follows. The allowance will be paid to you in cash.

• € 110 per adult per week
• €   70 per under-age child per week

You can use this form to apply for the living allowancePDF 148 kb

What happens next?

When you have filled in the form, send it by email to werkeninkomen@leiden.nl to make an appointment.

In the email, you should state your name and the composition of your family. We will then send you an email with a date and time when you are expected at Stadskantoor Leiden (municipal office). This email will also list the documents you have to bring with you (including the completed application form).

Changes in your situation

Changes in your situation may have consequences for your living allowance. This could be a house move, a change in the family composition or your child reaches the age of 18. You should inform us of any changes straight away via meldpunt.oekraine@leiden.nl

Are you starting to work?

If you have found a job and you no longer need the living allowance, you should inform us of this straight away  via meldpunt.oekraine@leiden.nl.

What will happen when the national scheme comes into effect?

We will review your situation at that time. For example, whether you are still entitled to a living allowance, and the amount of this allowance. We will contact you then, to explain what will happen.

Are you staying at a reception address in a different municipality?

In that case, you should contact the municipal authority there.

Do you have any questions?

Please send an email to our helpdesk: meldpunt.oekraine@leiden.nl.

The website Refugeehelp.com is the online starting point for Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands and everyone who wants to help.

We are very grateful that you are willing and able to help with accommodating refugees. If you can offer accommodation for several families and individuals, please let us know by sending an email to the Leiden helpdesk: meldpunt.oekraine@leiden.nl.
 
It is preferable if the refugees have more or less self-contained accommodation, and at least have their own bathroom facilities. Of course, all help and support is welcome, but there is also a lot involved in hosting refugees. The Takecarebnb organisation has extensive experience in accommodating refugees with host families. Their website presents ten points for host families to consider.

At the moment, Incluzio Leiden, which coordinates voluntary work, has enough volunteers to do all the projects. Should specific talents be required or support be needed in the near future, these vacancies will be posted on the Inclusio website.

Donations

Most of the equipment has already been provided for. If there are any special items needed, a separate call will be placed for these.

Yes, you can. Ukrainians in the Netherlands are free to stay with friends, family or acquaintances.

There are many factors to consider when offering accommodation for refugees, and it is important that host families should realise what may be involved. For example, we don’t know how long the war will go on, and how long people will need accommodation. The Takecarebnb organisation has extensive experience in accommodating refugees with host families. Their website presents ten points for host families to consider (Dutch).

You can find more information about this on the website of the Dutch Council for Refugees (VluchtelingenWerk): www.vluchtelingenwerk.nl (Dutch)

Ukrainian refugees are permitted to work in the Netherlands from 1 April 2022. Employers who hire a foreign worker must report this to the UWV, in accordance with the exemption for displaced persons from Ukraine.

If you have any questions about work for refugees from Ukraine or would like to give notification of job openings and opportunities, please send an email to: info@wsphollandrijnland.nl. They will then contact you by telephone. In your email, please state your details: first name, last name, organisation, telephone number and email address.

Website of the Dutch Council for Refugees for (Ukrainian) refugees: https://www.refugeehelp.com/get-help/en

This site is available in 4 languages.

Many Dutch people want to take action to help refugees from Ukraine. For example, with voluntary work, donating goods or offering accommodation. A list of possibilities is given on the website of the Dutch Council for Refugees (VluchtelingenWerk), together with the organisations you should contact and the latest information.

The Red Cross has launched an appeal to provide direct humanitarian aid to people in Ukraine. You can donate money to Giro 5125 (Dutch) or via the national appeal to Giro 555.

You will find information and answers to many questions on this website (in Dutch) of the Dutch Government.

The aim when receiving refugees is to give them a place where they can stay for at least six months. Initially there was not enough accommodation of this kind available, which is why we are currently providing short-term crisis reception facilities, before they move on to this longer-term accommodation. The reception centre is intended as a place to accommodate the refugees for the first couple of days. They will only stay at the centre for a short time. As soon as possible, we will find a place where they can stay longer, in the municipalities within the Hollands Midden region.

If the war goes on for some time, Ukrainians will perhaps stay in the Netherlands on a more long-term basis. The government is currently preparing for the long-term accommodation that would then be required. To organise this future private accommodation, the Red Cross, Dutch Council for Refugees (VluchtelingenWerk) and Salvation Army are joining forces to work on recruiting, screening and assisting host families and/or living space on behalf of municipal authorities.

At present, the government has asked each of the 25 security regions in the Netherlands to create 2,000 reception places for Ukrainians who have fled from the war in their country. This means that around 300 refugees will be coming to Leiden.

You can look on the websites of, for example, the Dutch Council for Refugees (VluchtelingenWerk, Dutch), the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) or the Red Cross (Dutch).

Crisis reception is generally initiated after disasters, such as floods, storms and large fires. Within crisis reception, the people affected are usually accommodated for a very short time (around 72 hours), for example in sports centres and other large locations that can easily be fitted out. This is usually a “bed, bath and bread” situation.

Emergency reception is more long-term: at least six months, with the possibility of extension. For this, smaller locations are often organised, providing a more home-like setting. People have their own bedrooms, and areas are also fitted out for recreation and for eating and drinking, depending on the size of the location.

After the refugees have arrived at the reception centre, a team from the GGD (community health service) Hollands Midden will come to offer them a rapid test. This test is voluntary, so refugees are not obliged to take it. 

If a refugee tests positive for coronavirus, he/she will be isolated from the other people in the reception centre. Special quarantine rooms have been arranged for this purpose in the reception centre. However the psychosocial aspects of the people’s situation will take precedence over the risk of infection. For example, it will not always be necessary for family members to be separated, in which case the family unit will isolate themselves from the rest of the group as far as possible.

The Dutch government has information on its website about this, which is constantly updated.