Information on support available after housing refugees from Ukraine

Last updated: September 2024

Starting from August 21, 2024, the rules for accommodating Ukrainian and dual (Ukrainian-Hungarian) citizens arriving from Ukraine will change. The changes will narrow down who can provide accommodation and who among the refugees from Ukraine is eligible for accommodation in Hungary.

Narrowing the eligibility for accommodation

From August 21, 2024, only those refugees who come from regions of Ukraine that the Hungarian government considers to be “directly” affected by the war will be eligible for accommodation and support. As of July 2024, these regions include: Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv Oblast and Kyiv city, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Chernihiv, Luhansk, Zhytomyr, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and Sevastopol. The list of directly affected regions is updated monthly and can be found here: https://bit.ly/4cLa2y6 . 

Specific conditions under which individuals from these regions are eligible for support can be found in section 4.

If a person did not previously live in the listed regions of Ukraine, they can only receive subsidized housing if they are employed and their employer covers the accommodation costs. In this case, the employer will receive the support. Detailed information on this is provided in section 3.

Changes to supported accommodations

From August 21, 2024, only municipalities and the Maltese Charity Service will receive support for accommodating refugees from Ukraine. 

All other accommodation providers will no longer receive support from the Defense Committee for hosting refugees.

However, refugees or dual citizens arriving from Ukraine can still make arrangements with their employers and landlords to receive housing support. The process is described in the following section.

Rules for housing support for refugee and dual-citizen workers

Housing support is available if the refugee or dual citizen is employed in Hungary in a fixed-term or open-ended job, working at least 20 hours per week. This support is available for all refugees and dual citizens from Ukraine, regardless of where they previously lived.

The employer must apply for the support. If the employee has children under the age of 16, the support is contingent on the child attending school until the end of primary education, as verified by the school. 

The employer and landlord must sign a contract for the employee’s accommodation. The employer is responsible for applying for the support, and the contract must be attached to the application. The employer must first pay the accommodation fee to the landlord before they can apply for housing support.

The support starts once the employment contract, accommodation agreement, and application have been submitted. Employers can submit the application electronically through the National Employment Service or at the relevant government office based on the employee’s work location. The amount of support matches the monthly accommodation fee outlined in the accommodation contract.

Support ends if:

• The employment contract ends or is terminated,
• The employer fails to meet their obligations related to the support,
• The support should not have been granted in the first place,
• The accommodation contract is terminated, or
• The child’s school attendance ends before finishing primary school.

Conditions for receiving accommodation for eligible individuals

For those eligible for refugee status or dual citizenship from the Ukrainian regions listed in section 1, subsidized accommodation is available for up to one month after arrival in Hungary OR until a decision is made on their asylum application if they submit it within a month of arrival.

If they do not apply for refugee status, they can only receive support beyond the first month if they:

• Are a pregnant woman (from the time pregnancy is confirmed),
• Are a parent of a child under six,
• Have a disability, 
• Are over 65 years old,
• Are a minor (under 18) living in the same household as someone from the above categories.

If someone is granted refugee status, the standard support is 5,000 HUF per day, available until the end of the month following the approval of their status. Dual citizens from Ukraine are eligible for support until the end of the month after their arrival. Certain groups (refugees or dual citizens) can receive continued support:

• Pregnant women,
• Minors under 18 and their parents living in the same household,
• Persons with disabilities and their caregivers,
• Persons over 65.

If someone does not belong to these groups, they can only receive support if they find employment. In this case, the employer, not the municipality or landlord, will receive the support.

If someone’s refugee status is revoked and they reapply for it, the landlord can only request support if the person belongs to one of the above “protected” categories. Otherwise, they will only be eligible for accommodation provided by the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing, without meals.

Refugees arriving in Hungary who are eligible for accommodation can request assistance at the Government Office at Nyugati Railway Station in Budapest (1062, Budapest, Teréz körút 55) during office hours. If someone wishes to stay in Hungary but does not have accommodation, they will be directed to long-term housing. The office also provides information on other benefits available to refugees from Ukraine. 

The office hours are:
Monday: 8:00-18:00
Tuesday: 8:00-16:00
Wednesday: 11:00-19:00
Thursday: 9:00-16:00
Friday: 8:00-14:00

For those arriving outside of office hours or transiting through Hungary who do not wish to stay long-term, temporary one-night accommodation is available at 1117 Budapest, Galvani Street 44/A, operated by the Maltese Charity Service. Staff at Nyugati Railway Station, including railway workers and police, can assist with directions to this accommodation.

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee continues to support refugees from Ukraine, providing professional and free legal assistance from advice to representation. 

Contact information:

• Email: ukrainecrisis@helsinki.hu 
• Facebook: facebook.com/helsinkibizottsag 
• Phone: +36 70 302 6219 (questions can be answered in Russian as well).