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

Get­ting mobil­i­ty aids in Ger­many as a Ukrain­ian refugee involves sev­er­al impor­tant steps tied to your legal sta­tus and ben­e­fit appli­ca­tions. This guide will walk you through the process clear­ly, focus­ing on eli­gi­bil­i­ty, nec­es­sary doc­u­ments, the appli­ca­tion process, and ongo­ing oblig­a­tions.

Eligibility Requirements and Legal Status for Ukrainian Refugees

To qual­i­fy for mobil­i­ty aids in Ger­many, you must have Ukraine-relat­ed tem­po­rary pro­tec­tion sta­tus under § 24 Aufen­thalts­ge­setz. This sta­tus allows access to social ben­e­fits, includ­ing mobil­i­ty sup­port, sim­i­lar to Ger­man cit­i­zens. You also need to reg­is­ter with local author­i­ties (Anmel­dung) and obtain a refugee reg­is­tra­tion cer­tifi­cate (Anmeldebescheini­gung or Fik­tions­bescheini­gung).

Appli­ca­tions should be sub­mit­ted with­in des­ig­nat­ed time­lines after your arrival. Adults over 18 can apply on their own, while minors need an appli­ca­tion through a guardian. Your work autho­riza­tion affects the types of ben­e­fits you can receive, and there are spe­cial pro­vi­sions if you have chil­dren or are preg­nant.

Documents and Preparation for Your First Jobcenter Visit

Before your vis­it to the Job­cen­ter, gath­er essen­tial doc­u­ments to make the process smoother. You’ll need your pass­port, tem­po­rary pro­tec­tion cer­tifi­cate (Aufen­thalt­ser­laub­nis), and reg­is­tra­tion con­fir­ma­tion (Anmeldebescheini­gung). A Ger­man IBAN bank account is nec­es­sary for receiv­ing ben­e­fit pay­ments, but if you don’t have one yet, alter­na­tive arrange­ments can some­times be made.

Bring hous­ing doc­u­ments like your rental agree­ment or proof of tem­po­rary accom­mo­da­tion. If applic­a­ble, include med­ical doc­u­ments such as preg­nan­cy or dis­abil­i­ty cer­tifi­cates. Offi­cial trans­la­tions may be required for any for­eign doc­u­ments. If you’re seek­ing work-relat­ed ben­e­fits, bring pre­vi­ous employ­ment records and qual­i­fi­ca­tions. Fam­i­ly doc­u­ments like mar­riage and birth cer­tifi­cates are also impor­tant.

Bürgergeld Application Process and Benefit Amounts

Start­ing your Bürg­ergeld appli­ca­tion at the Job­cen­ter involves sched­ul­ing an ini­tial appoint­ment and sub­mit­ting your doc­u­ments. The 2024 stan­dard rate is €502 month­ly for sin­gle adults, €451 for part­ners, plus child allowances vary­ing by age. Addi­tion­al sup­port cov­ers hous­ing and heat­ing costs, along with one-time pay­ments for essen­tial fur­ni­ture and equip­ment in new homes.

Spe­cial allowances exist for dietary needs or dis­abil­i­ty-relat­ed expens­es. Expect a pro­cess­ing time of about 4–6 weeks for first-time deci­sions, but inter­im pay­ments can be pro­vid­ed to help dur­ing the wait. If denied or giv­en insuf­fi­cient ben­e­fits, you have the right to appeal through a Wider­spruch process.

Ongoing Obligations and Integration Support Services

Once receiv­ing ben­e­fits, you’re expect­ed to pro­vide month­ly updates about your job search and any income changes. Par­tic­i­pat­ing in an inte­gra­tion course, includ­ing Ger­man lan­guage and ori­en­ta­tion class­es, is usu­al­ly required. These cours­es sup­port faster employ­ment and reduce long-term ben­e­fit depen­den­cy.

You’ll have agree­ments with the Job­cen­ter about job appli­ca­tion quo­tas and involve­ment in employ­ment ser­vices. Health insur­ance cov­er­age is manda­to­ry and is typ­i­cal­ly set up via the Job­cen­ter. Coor­di­na­tion with child ben­e­fits like Kindergeld and access to edu­ca­tion­al sup­port such as BAföG for stu­dents or voca­tion­al train­ing sub­si­dies are avail­able.

Look­ing ahead, the goal for many is pro­gress­ing from tem­po­rary pro­tec­tion to per­ma­nent res­i­den­cy and sta­ble employ­ment in Ger­many.

For fur­ther details, you can read more on mobil­i­ty aids in Ger­many for Ukrain­ian refugees and their sup­port sys­tems.

Sources

• Ger­man Fed­er­al Employ­ment Agency guide­lines
• Ger­man Res­i­dence Act § 24 pro­vi­sions
• Cur­rent Bürg­ergeld rates 2024