For detailed information on the documents required to cross the border, the procedure for crossing, checkpoints and the categories of citizens who are allowed to travel outside Ukraine, please see the link of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

You can get help through the chatbot here.

- In addition to the chatbot, citizens can also contact the call centre at +38 (044) 224-57-20.

- The SBGS hotline is 1598.

According to the rules that apply to dogs, cats, ferrets and others, it is necessary to have a numbered veterinary passport of an international standard, which must contain

• a mark on comprehensive vaccination against viral diseases: the last vaccination must be carried out no later than 30 days and no earlier than 12 months before the date of departure
• a photo of the animal before it reaches the age of 12 months
• a chipping mark indicating the date of chipping and the location of the microchip
• a mark of vaccination against rabies (name of the vaccine, signature, seal, date)
• information on treatment against ecto- and endoparasites (fleas and worms)

Also:

• chipping or titration prior to rabies vaccination and obtaining a certificate; the microchip implanted under the animal's skin must comply with ISO 11784, ISO 11785 standards
• an international veterinary certificate for an animal transported through the EU for non-commercial purposes
• a certificate stating that the animal is not of breeding value

If you have any additional questions, we recommend that you contact the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine:

- dovira@dpsu.gov.ua

- +38 044 527 63 63 (for calls from abroad), 1598 (for calls within Ukraine)

Detailed information on the rules for crossing the border with animals by country

You can stay in Switzerland for 90 days visa free. Once arrived you can apply for status S within these 90 days. Status S resident permit is currently limited to maximal 1 year, there is however the possibility to prolong it. After five years, persons in need of protection may receive a B residence permit, which is valid until the temporary protection is lifted.

Persons who are granted protection status S may travel abroad and return to Switzerland without a travel permit. They may engage in gainful employment (including self-employment) without a having to wait a certain period to do.

It is very important that you register your arrival with the Swiss authorities so that you can obtain all the help you need. Go to the closest federal asylum centre (BAZ) with processing facilities. You can find the addresses here . Swiss migration authorities (SEM) can also be contacted via email at ukraine@sem.admin.ch or via the hotline +41 58 465 99 11

If you have arrived in Switzerland alone, make sure you inform the authorities and explain where your parents and you family are, if you know it. If you had problems during your journey, please share this information. If you need help you can also contact the following organizations which have experience in helping young people. Best is to talk to your parents or a trusted adult first, but you can also contact them on your own.

• Social Service International Switzerland : They can be contacted via their hotlines: 0041 22 731 67 00 (in Geneva) and 0041 44 366 44 77 (in Zurich) or via their contact form.
• Save The Children : They can be contacted via phone 0041 44 267 74 70 or email info@savethechildren.ch.
• Ombuds Office Children’s Rights Switzerland : They can be contacted via phone +41 52 260 15 55 or email kinderjugendliche@kinderombudsstelle.ch.
• The UNHCR Office for Switzerland and Liechtenstein can be contacted via email swibe@unhcr.org or phone 0041 31 309 60 80.

Important tips

Take good care of your identity documents (such as ID card or passport) and show them only to the authorities or trusted organisations.
Always keep the contact details of your family or parents with you.
Help is free to all people. Nobody is allowed to make you work or ask for sexual or any other favours (things or money) in exchange for assistance or help.

Do not trust people you don’t know and that do not belong to any trusted organization, who offer to take you away from your family to give you a place to stay, for work or school. Don’t accept these offers if you don’t feel comfortable.
No one has the right to treat you badly. If someone has hurt you or touched or treated you in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable or scared, or if you are afraid that someone will, tell an adult person that you trust or one of the organisations mentioned above. If someone you know has experienced someone hurting them, encourage them to get help. REMEMBER that this is not your fault, and you are not to blame. It is important that you receive the support you need. You don’t need to be ashamed or shy to ask for help.

It is normal to feel upset after having to leave your country and seeing or hearing about so many terrifying things. You may have difficulty to put things that you saw or experienced out of your mind. You may be separated from people you love and worried about them or worried what will happen next. You may feel like nothing is familiar. Talk to someone you trust about how you are feeling. Don’t hesitate to ask for help.

Persons who arrive in Switzerland after fleeing Ukraine can report directly to one of the six federal asylum centres with processing facilities and register for protection status S. Waiting times at the centres may be long due to the large number of people currently trying to register. The website of the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) provides information on how busy each individual centre is. In any case, it is best to register quickly to ensure access to medical care and smooth processing of any claims for asylum social assistance (see the relevant section below).

In order to avoid waiting times, the SEM recommends that all persons seeking protection who are already accommodated apply for registration via RegisterMe as quickly as possible as a first step. The person seeking protection will then receive written confirmation from the SEM that the application for temporary protection has been submitted. People seeking refuge who do not yet have accommodation do not have to register for a registration appointment via RegisterMe. They can go directly to one of the six federal asylum centers with a procedural function to be accommodated and registered. There, the examination and decision regarding the request for temporary protection will take place. Subsequently, people seeking protection are then allocated to a canton .

You can also apply online for temporary protection status.

If a person has already been granted protection status in another EU country, he will not be granted S protection status in Switzerland, unless the EU country that granted it is a country particularly burdened by the war in Ukraine or a large number of migrants (e.g. Poland).

The State Secretariat for Migration of Switzerland (Staatssekretariat für Migration SEM) reports. Therefore, you can try to apply to this country, but first consult whether the host country is on the list of countries with a large number of refugees.

Confirmation of information here .

The Swiss authorities have announced that the country has decided to extend the temporary protection directive for Ukrainian refugees until March 4, 2024. The status will be extended automatically. Source .

Under protection status ‘S’, the persons concerned receive an S permit. This is limited to a maximum of one year, but can be extended. After five years, persons in need of protection may receive a B residence permit, which is valid until the temporary protection is lifted.

In order to issue a foreign passport, you need to contact the Ukrainian Embassy .

A foreign passport is issued to a person who has reached the age of 16 on the basis of an application-questionnaire submitted by him personally. At the same time, the issuance of a foreign passport to a person who has been recognized by the court as having limited legal capacity or incapacity is carried out on the basis of an application-questionnaire of the guardian or other legal representative.

The following are attached to the application:

• previous passport to be exchanged (if the passport is not issued for the first time);
• internal passport in the form of a booklet (if available);
• or ID card (if available);
• a document confirming permanent residence or temporary stay abroad (if available);
• certificate of registration of the place of residence in Ukraine / certificate of registration of the place of residence of a temporarily displaced person (if available);
• a certificate of assignment of the registration number of the taxpayer's registration card (RNOKPP; if available).

In case of loss or theft of the previous passport, a document (report, certificate, etc.) issued by the competent authority of the state in which the passport was lost or stolen is attached to the application, confirming the fact of the owner's application regarding its loss or theft. Such a document is submitted without legalization and translation into Ukrainian.

In the case of issuing a passport in connection with a change in personal data (surname and/or first name), a document confirming such a change (marriage certificate, divorce certificate, court decision, etc.) is attached to the application. When issuing a foreign passport with a new surname and/or first name, the "domestic" passport (ID card) must be reissued.

In the event that the applicant has not previously been issued with an identity document, confirming Ukrainian citizenship and/or granting the right to leave Ukraine and enter Ukraine, a certificate of registration of the person as a citizen of Ukraine is provided (with the exception of cases when the person's parents at the time of his were citizens of Ukraine at birth).

You can register the birth of a child only at the consulate. There, the determination of his origin and the assignment of his surname, first name, and patronymic are carried out.

The application for registration must be submitted immediately, but no later than one month after the birth of the child, and in the case of a stillborn child - no later than three days.

The registration process takes place at the place of birth or at the place of residence of the child's parents or one of them (with a written application). At the same time, in case of illness, death of the parents or for other reasons it is impossible to register the birth - the application can be submitted by relatives or other persons authorized by the representative of the health care institution in which the child was born or is currently.

What is required for registration?

• a document from a medical institution about the birth of a child, passports certifying the identity of the parents;
• application (written or addressed orally) to enter information about the father.

Registration is free, and based on its results, parents are issued a birth certificate.

How to return to the homeland with a child born in the Switzerland?

In order for Ukrainians to return home with a child born in the Switzerland, they must have with them:

• a document certifying his identity;
• a child's birth certificate issued by a consular institution.

Is the status of a citizen of Ukraine preserved during the birth of a child in the Switzerland?

A newborn Ukrainian in the Switzerland retains the status of a citizen of Ukraine. Data on citizenship and nationality in the act record of birth and certificate are not filled in, which is why a corresponding entry is made in the column "For marks".

In addition, a person whose parents or one of his parents were citizens of Ukraine at the time of his birth is a citizen of Ukraine. The place of birth of the baby does not affect the possibility of him acquiring Ukrainian citizenship.

There are several steps involved in the process of body repatriation from abroad to Ukraine:

1. Notify the authorities.

The first step of body repatriation from abroad to Ukraine is to contact the local authorities in Switzerland (the cantonal civil registry office), so you can register the death. Ukrainian embassy should also be able to help you in the process of registering the death abroad.

2. Arrange the correct documents.

You’ll need to have all the right paperwork before you can repatriate your loved one home from abroad to Ukraine. If you are repatriating a body to Ukraine for burial or cremation, the documents you will need include:

• Death Certificate.
• Certificate or Affidavit from the local health authorities stating that the cause of death of the individual to be shipped to Ukraine was not a communicable disease or infections.
• A Document about the absence of any excessive objects inside the casket or urn with the ashes.
• The Certificate of Cremation issued be the Funeral home or Cremation office.

All the mentioned documents should be authenticated, legalized and translated into Ukrainian by the certified translator. The originals of abovementioned documents and notarized translations, must accompany the casket containing the deceased, or urn with ashes, to Ukraine.

The passport of the deceased person should be sent to the Embassy of Ukraine along with a notarized and authenticated copy of the Certificate of Death, and a translation to Ukrainian. The Embassy is to make correspondent procedures with the passport and can forward it back if it is required to accompany the casket containing the deceased, or urn with ashes, to Ukraine.

The Embassy is to be informed of the date, time, and the place of delivery of the casket containing the deceased, or urn with ashes, to Ukraine. Only the next of kin relatives of the deceased, or persons correspondingly authorized by them, can receive the casket or urn.

3. Transport the deceased to Ukraine.

The casket containing the body, or urn with ashes, must be sealed by the Funeral Home. There are no strict requirements with respect to the urn with ashes; however, the body should be transported in a metal casket, made of zinc-plated steel or tinplate not more than 0,4 thick.

For the air cargo transportation, it is necessary to specify a cemetery in Ukraine as well as Ukrainian Funeral Home which will take care of the casket, or the urn with ashes, in Ukraine. Both are a subject of private choice by the relatives or friends of the deceased person. Source .