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Help for LGBT+ refugees from Ukraine
Here you will find the main information about coming to Estonia if you are fleeing the war in Ukraine. Most of it is general, some LGBT+ specific. If you are an LGBT+ refugee from Ukraine and need any other help, please contact us at info@lgbt.ee in English, Russian, or Estonian.
The information on this page will be updated as necessary.
ENTERING ESTONIA
People who have left Ukraine after 24 February
All Ukrainian citizens can come to Estonia without a visa, a biometric passport or a travel document. It is possible to apply for international protection at the Police and Border Guard Board. This protection will give you a one-year residence permit with social security (health insurance, subsistence allowance, first rent allowance). You can start working in Estonia as soon as you submit the application. You receive international protection at the moment of submitting the application. Information and booking: www.politsei.ee/en.
Refugees from Ukraine can live in accommodation centers provided by the state or with thier relatives and friends in Estonia. The state accommodation also provides meals.
People who were in Estonia before 24 February
Citizens of Ukraine can continue their stay in Estonia and also work with a work permit. They can apply for regular international protection, but this process can take up to six months and it is not allowed to work during this time.
More information on www.kriis.ee/en.
ENTERING ESTONIA WITH A PET
Currently it is possible to come to Estonia from Ukraine with a pet even if they do not fill the necessary requirements for travel (microchip/tattoo, rabies vaccination, documents). In that case you will need to fill out a form and send it to the Agriculture and Food Board and the Tax and Customs Board.
The form and contacts are here only in Estonian, but you can ask for help at the Estonian border crossing point.
TRANSPORT TO ESTONIA
The Estonian Refugee Council is coordinating buses that bring Ukrainian people to Estonia from the Poland-Ukraine border.
+372 57835266
The latest updates on the locations and the leaving times of the buses can be found on the Facebook page of the Refugee Council where they post in Estonian, Russian, and English.
LEGAL AID
The Estonian Human Rights Center offer free legal aid to asylum applicants and those who have received international protection as well as refugees and their loved ones who are in Estonia. The center is also experienced in advising and representing LGBT+ applicants. They can be contacted in English and Russian.
+372 644 5148
PSYCHOLOGICAL AID
The Estonian LGBT Association offers free preliminary psychological counseling in English, Russian, and Estonian. Our counselor Evelin can offer a safe environment where you can discuss LGBT-specific as well as general issues and topics. We can also help you find an LGBT-friendly psychologist or psychiatrist.
EVERYDAY NECESSITIES
If you need accommodation, food, medicine, clothes, work, or other everyday necessities, contact the Estonian Refugee Council. They will help you with the entire process.
+372 5665 9118
anu@pagulasabi.ee
Refugee Council information center: Liivalaia 28, Tallinn; open at 10-17
Tallinn city information and reception center: Niine 2, Tallinn; open 24/7
OTHER AID
If you are coming to Estonia and you need help with finding LGBT-specific services (including hormone therapy), safe housing, community support, or anything else, contact the Estonian LGBT Association at info@lgbt.ee or +372 55515817. We answer the phone in English and Estonian and we can reply to emails in English, Russian, or Estonian. Replying in Russian will take longer as most of our staff don’t speak Russian.
THE UKRAINIAN COMMUNITY IN ESTONIA
The Congress of Estonian Ukrainians
+372 5232275
+372 5650 2572
The Association of Ukrainian Organisations in Estonia
+372 55659763
IF YOU ARE AN LGBT+ REFUGEE FROM UKRAINE AND NEED ANY OTHER HELP FROM US, PLEASE WRITE TO INFO@LGBT.EE.