Updated : 27/03/2022

Step 1 : Prepare your trip and follow ukranian government evacuation instructions. At minimum, bring your passport or national identity card and a bill with your address in Ukrain.

Step 2 : Cross the border of Ukrain. Be sure you have a proof that you crossed the Ukranian border after 24 february. If not ukranian, you will need to prove you were a permanent resident in Ukrain. More explanations on the protection status in the European Union and in France here .

Step 3 : You absolutely need to change UAH before coming to France to EUR (Exchange offices may accept USD or CHF and some PLN). In France, it is very difficult to impossible to convert the UAH currency.

Step 4 : Ask for temporary help in the neighbouring country, but do not register for resident unless you want to stay there.

Step 5 : Choose your destination in France and organize your travel to France . Remember you have 90 days to be registered in France.

Step 6 : Travel to France. You can use some free train tickets.

Step 7 : Arrive preferably to an official welcome center (Paris, Nice), unless a non profit organization expects you with housing at arrival. Expect not to have good housing conditions there. Try to sleep in the train and arrive early in the day.

Step 8 : Choose a city in France. There are lot of people in big cities (Paris, Nice, Lyon). Other regional cities are very well equiped and with cheaper housing. There is housing available almost everywhere. Cost of life is cheaper. Pulic services are the same.

Step 9 : Register with an approved non-profit organization [ CROIX ROUGE FRANCAISE , FRANCE TERRE ASILE ] they will tell you where to get housing and immediate food. If you don't have housing, ask a french person to call 115 in the arrival city.

Step 10 : Register with the local government authorities PREFECTURE . They should have a list of housing that French have made available.

Step 11 : Register with the city CCAS center (CENTRE COMMUNAL D'ACTION SOCIALE) they will tell you where to find food, clothes. Else you can search on the internet for CCAS with the name of the city or ask at the MAIRIE (city hall).

Step 12 : In most cities free food is available at RESTO DU COEUR or BANQUE ALIMENTAIRE .

Government link to important official forms and websites (some are in Ukrainian here) : https://parrainage.refugies.info/ukraine/

You will need one French mobile phone number per family for documents in the Prefecture: How to buy it?