How to Get Mobility Aids in Germany: Guide for Ukrainian Refugees

The process of obtain­ing mobil­i­ty aids in Ger­many is acces­si­ble to Ukrain­ian refugees hold­ing tem­po­rary pro­tec­tion sta­tus, offer­ing cru­cial sup­port for those with mobil­i­ty chal­lenges. This guide breaks down the key steps, legal eli­gi­bil­i­ty, and sup­port ser­vices to help you nav­i­gate this impor­tant aid as smooth­ly as pos­si­ble.

Eligibility Requirements and Legal Status for Ukrainian Refugees

In Ger­many, Ukrain­ian refugees must have a tem­po­rary pro­tec­tion sta­tus under § 24 of the Res­i­dence Act (Aufen­thG) to be eli­gi­ble for mobil­i­ty aids. This requires for­mal reg­is­tra­tion with local author­i­ties, doc­u­ment­ed by the “Anmeldebescheini­gung” or “Fik­tions­bescheini­gung.” You should sub­mit your appli­ca­tion for this sta­tus with­in spe­cif­ic time­frames after arriv­ing in Ger­many.

Adults aged 18 and above can apply inde­pen­dent­ly, while minors need a guardian to apply on their behalf. Your work autho­riza­tion sta­tus also influ­ences your eli­gi­bil­i­ty for ben­e­fits, with spe­cial pro­vi­sions in place for fam­i­lies with chil­dren and preg­nant women to secure the nec­es­sary aids.

Documents and Preparation for Your First Jobcenter Visit

Prepar­ing the right doc­u­ments ensures your vis­it to the Job­cen­ter goes smooth­ly. Essen­tial paper­work includes your pass­port, tem­po­rary pro­tec­tion cer­tifi­cate, and Anmeldebescheini­gung. If you plan to receive ben­e­fits, you must have a bank account with a Ger­man IBAN. If you don’t have one yet, the Job­cen­ter can guide you on alter­na­tive options.

Bring con­firmed hous­ing doc­u­ments like your rental agree­ment or con­fir­ma­tion of tem­po­rary accom­mo­da­tion. Med­ical records such as preg­nan­cy or dis­abil­i­ty cer­tifi­cates can sup­port your claim, and remem­ber to pro­vide offi­cial trans­la­tions for any for­eign doc­u­ments. If you’re apply­ing for work-relat­ed ben­e­fits, bring pre­vi­ous employ­ment records and qual­i­fi­ca­tions. Fam­i­ly cer­tifi­cates, such as mar­riage and birth cer­tifi­cates, are also required.

Bürgergeld Application Process and Benefit Amounts

Begin your Bürg­ergeld appli­ca­tion by sched­ul­ing an appoint­ment at the Job­cen­ter, where you’ll sub­mit all required doc­u­ments. As of 2024, the month­ly Bürg­ergeld rate stands at €502 for sin­gle adults and €451 for part­ners. Fam­i­lies receive extra child allowances accord­ing to the child’s age.

You’re also enti­tled to hous­ing cost cov­er­age and heat­ing allowance. One-time pay­ments like an ini­tial equip­ment allowance and fur­ni­ture grants are avail­able if you move into a new apart­ment. Spe­cial sup­ple­ments exist for spe­cif­ic diets and dis­abil­i­ty-relat­ed expens­es. Ini­tial pro­cess­ing usu­al­ly takes 4–6 weeks, but you can request inter­im pay­ments to cov­er imme­di­ate needs. If you dis­agree with any deci­sion, you have the right to file a for­mal appeal (Wider­spruch).

Ongoing Obligations and Integration Support Services

Once you receive ben­e­fits, you must reg­u­lar­ly report updates on your job search and any changes in income to the Job­cen­ter. Par­tic­i­pat­ing in inte­gra­tion cours­es such as Ger­man lan­guage and ori­en­ta­tion class­es is usu­al­ly required to sup­port your employ­ment prospects.

Employ­ment agen­cies expect you to active­ly seek jobs and par­tic­i­pate in job place­ment pro­grams. Your health­care reg­is­tra­tion through the Job­cen­ter is manda­to­ry to ensure access to med­ical ser­vices. Coor­di­na­tion with child ben­e­fits (Kindergeld) helps max­i­mize sup­port for fam­i­lies. Stu­dents may qual­i­fy for edu­ca­tion­al assis­tance, includ­ing voca­tion­al train­ing sub­si­dies. Plan­ning ahead can open path­ways from your tem­po­rary pro­tec­tion sta­tus toward per­ma­nent res­i­den­cy and employ­ment oppor­tu­ni­ties.

Through­out this process, being pre­pared with the right doc­u­ments and engag­ing active­ly with sup­port ser­vices makes a sig­nif­i­cant dif­fer­ence in access­ing the right mobil­i­ty aids and ben­e­fits effi­cient­ly.

For detailed steps on apply­ing for mobil­i­ty aids, see the full job­cen­ter appli­ca­tion guide and inte­gra­tion tips.

Sources

• Bun­de­sagen­tur für Arbeit — Offi­cial Guide­lines
• Ger­man Res­i­dence Act (Aufen­thalts­ge­setz) § 24
• Social Code Reg­u­la­tions 2024
• Based on cur­rent knowl­edge of Ger­man social wel­fare law and Ukrain­ian refugee assis­tance pro­grams