Stay for refugees in Offenbach

There is no shared accommodation for refugees from Ukraine in the city of Offenbach.

In principle, refugees without longer-term accommodation options should travel to the Hessian initial reception center in Giessen. In the initial reception center, refugees can spend the first time, arrive and rest from the stresses and strains of their flight. They receive food and medical and therapeutic care. They receive professional support in this traumatic situation. Contact persons are also available here for further advice. None of this is guaranteed in the city's emergency shelters.
Refugees' passports are not retained either at the initial reception center or during registration. Only a copy of the passport is made.

The initial reception center then prepares everything to distribute the refugees from there to other municipalities, where accommodation and everything else will be taken care of. This is also where questions about children's school attendance or opportunities for language courses, job searches and so on can be clarified and discussed.

The way to the initial reception center in Giessen:
Trains to Giessen leave from Frankfurt main station. Take the S-Bahn lines S1, S2, S8 or S9 to Frankfurt main station from "Marktplatz". In Giessen: Bus line 17 stop "Stolzenmorgen" or with line 1 stop "Sophie-Scholl-Schule".

Address: Initial reception facility of the state of Hesse, Rödgener Straße/corner of Lufthansastraße, 35394 Giessen

The first step is for refugees to register with their contact details at the Citizens' Office. To do this, please make an appointment online at: https://tevis.ekom21.de/off/select2?md=1 (opens in a new tab)

Click on "Meldewesen" and select "An-, Ab- Ummeldung, sonstige Meldeangelegenheiten" and click on the plus sign for an appointment (click on the plus sign several times for a family, depending on the number of people)
Then select an appointment and fill in the form. An e-mail address is required to confirm the appointment. It is important to arrive on time for the appointment. You will be registered at the Citizens' Office with your home address.

Refugees receive an appointment for PIK registration (PIK appointment) directly when they register at the Citizens' Office.

Refugees receive further forms at the appointment at the Citizens' Office:

People who are gainfully employed receive benefits according to SGBII via MainArbeit. The necessary forms will be given to you at the Citizens' Office. The application for MainArbeit must be submitted to MainArbeit together with the fiction certificate, the registration confirmation from the Citizens' Office and a membership certificate from the health insurance company.

People who have reached retirement age or are unable to work due to illness receive benefits in accordance with SGBXII from the social welfare office. The necessary form can be obtained from the Citizens' Office. The application for the Social Welfare Office must be submitted to the Social Welfare Office together with the fictitious certificate and confirmation of registration from the Citizens' Office.

An account should be opened at a bank so that benefits can be transferred to the refugees. This requires the passport and confirmation of registration from the Citizens' Registration Office.

It is a good idea to bring a translator with you to appointments at the Immigration Office, Social Welfare Office or MainArbeit.

If you are in Germany because of the war in Ukraine and would like to apply for a long-term right of residence in Germany or receive social support or work in the short term, you can apply online for a residence permit.

After refugees have received all the necessary certificates and the fictitious certificate, they can receive benefits if they are in need. They receive either unemployment benefit II/ALG II (benefits in accordance with SGB II) or basic security benefits in old age and in the event of reduced earning capacity (benefits in accordance with SGBXII).
If refugees have problems filling out the applications, they can contact the migration advisors. They will help them to complete the applications. For migration counseling contacts, see "Help and contact points" below.

When you register at the immigration office, you will usually first receive a temporary certificate - a so-called "Fiktionsbescheinigung". Currently for six months. This allows you to apply for financial aid, receive medical benefits and work. The electronic residence permit (eAT) is issued retrospectively.

For technical reasons, all people from Ukraine who have registered with the Citizens' Office of the City of Offenbach am Main receive an "allocation decision" from the Darmstadt Regional Council. (picture).
Important: You do not have to do anything.
The letter is standardized and must be sent in this way for technical reasons. Your registration at the Citizens' Office of the City of Offenbach am Main means that you have already taken up residence. You therefore do not need to do anything else and do not need to visit the municipal authorities.

When exactly does the residence obligation come into effect? Can you deregister after registering at the citizens' office in Offenbach and then move to another city and register there?

You must remain in the city or municipality in Hesse to which you have been assigned for 3 years at the latest from the time you receive the assignment notice from the Darmstadt Regional Council. However, it is possible to move within the federal state of Hesse at any time if suitable accommodation is found elsewhere.

Regulation for people who came to Offenbach BEFORE July 15, 2022 and are already registered and have been to the Foreigners' Registration Office: There is a residence obligation in Offenbach. If these people have found another apartment in Hesse, they must go to the Foreigners' Registration Office.

You are always allowed to move (even to another federal state) if you are in another city:

• a job of at least 15 hours per week, or with
• a minimum income of 810 euros. You must be covered by social security at work
• start a course of study or vocational training
• have family members (nuclear family only)

In any case, you should contact the Foreigners' Registration Office of your current place of residence (if you are registered in Offenbach, i.e. the Offenbach Foreigners' Registration Office) before the possible move: auslaenderamtoffenbachde

After refugees have received all the necessary certificates and residence permits, the children can be registered at the daycare center or school.

Refugees should open a basic account at a bank so that social benefits can be transferred to them. This requires a valid biometric Ukrainian ID and confirmation of registration from the Citizens' Office. It is not possible to open an account without registering with the Citizens' Office. Registration is possible at almost any bank.

The city of Offenbach cannot offer apartments for refugees. People from Ukraine can try to find accommodation with relatives or privately.
If people from Ukraine stay with relatives, it is essential to clarify whether the landlord must agree. As a rule, you can have visitors for 6 to 8 weeks, after which the landlord must agree. However, there are also exceptions for close family members.
More on this under:

After refugees have received a residence permit and are receiving benefits, it is of course also possible to rent a room or an apartment.
However, apartments in Offenbach and Frankfurt are expensive and not easy to find.
Some landlords take advantage of people's need and rent out rooms or apartments that are too expensive and the quality is sometimes poor.

If you receive benefits from the social welfare office or MainArbeit and are looking for an apartment, you can find out how big the apartment can be on the following page. It also states the maximum amount of rental costs (including utilities) and heating costs that will be covered. You must have the apartment approved by the Mainarbeit or the social welfare office. They will check whether the rent is reasonable.

Do I have to pay the electricity costs myself?

Yes, you must pay the electricity costs yourself from the basic benefits granted.

What happens if the rent exceeds the maximum limit? Can I pay the difference between the actual rent and the rent paid by the office?

No, you cannot rent the apartment if the maximum rent limit is too high.

Once you have found your own accommodation, you must register it again with the Citizens' Office after making an appointment.
Private individuals are also currently offering accommodation free of charge and for a fee on various internet portals.

More detailed information on the process and membership of a health insurance fund can be found here:

Once refugees have received all the necessary certificates and a residence permit, they can start work without any restrictions.
It is also possible to work in the profession they have learned. Of course, this requires a good knowledge of German. Some professions are regulated. This means that the foreign qualification must first be officially recognized before you are allowed to practice the profession in Germany.

There are various ways to find work.

• On the Internet via job portals, for example the "Agentur für Arbeit" job exchange
• The local "Agentur für Arbeit", where you can register as a job seeker
• "Temporary work" companies

The Federal Employment Agency has a website with lots of information in English and Ukrainian.

Information on the legal status can be found here.

Due to current developments, the "Violence against women" helpline has expanded its language services. Women affected by violence can now also find support in Ukrainian.
At the request of a caller, the counselors will add an interpreter in the required language to the conversation within one minute. The free, anonymous and confidential advice service on 08000 116 016 is now available in 18 foreign languages.

Refugees from Ukraine who have arrived in Germany are confronted with many questions, for example

• How do I find a suitable contract for my cell phone?
• What do I do if I receive an invoice even though I haven't bought anything?
• What do I do if purchased goods are broken or don't work?

The Hesse Consumer Advice Center has compiled important information on consumer issues - in Ukrainian and German.