We cannot even begin to imagine your suffering and would like to use this information to provide you with answers to urgent questions and concerns after arrival.
Arrival at the stations
Germany has defined three main arrival stations – trains from Poland will bring you to Berlin, Cottbus or Hannover. At all stations you will be met by helpers and provided with help and information. Please do not hesitate to approach the relevant people and stands.
You can find details about the main arrival train stations under the following link: zugportal.de
You do not need a ticket to come to Germany. Your Ukrainian passport is sufficient and third-country nationals who were resident in Ukraine before the 24th of February are also entitled to use the trains free of charge.
For onward travel within Germany, you will be issued with a free "helpukraine" ticket.
Further information can be found on this page: Help for Ukrainian refugees (zugportal.de)
Safety note: You don't have to pay for any tickets! Beware of frauds!
You already have a fixed destination and want to travel there? Deutsche Bahn, together with the railroad companies of other countries, will support you on your journey!
If you arrive at a train station from Ukraine in Germany and want to continue your journey, then you have several options for getting to your destination. At all arrival stations you will be greeted by helpers who will explain the next steps of your arrival and are available to answer your questions.
The quickest way to get to another big city is to take a long-distance train from Deutsche Bahn. Such trains are marked with EC, ICE or IC. You can read the current connections on the large information board at the respective train station with all current departures or ask the corresponding helpers at the arrival stations. For onward travel in long-distance traffic, you will receive a free “helpukraine” ticket from the DB travel center. It will be issued to your desired destination (also abroad).
Furthermore, all other public transport is available to you free of charge. In Germany, these are all S-Bahn, regional trains, regional express trains, as well as all subways, trams, city trains and buses. You do not need a ticket for all public transport in Germany. You can easily continue traveling with your Ukrainian passport.
If you are looking for a specific connection, contact the helpers at the train stations, the DB travel center or the DB agency.
You can move freely in Germany. The onward journey by long-distance train to another destination in Germany is free of charge and possible without cash with the #HelpUkraine ticket, you can also use all other public transport within Germany free of charge. You will find more information here.
All you need to enter Germany is a Ukrainian passport or other identity document.
Free tickets for long-distance trains are available from a DB Reisezentrum (DB Travel Centre) located in a station. These tickets are called "helpukraine" tickets. Our staff will provide you with a ticket to your destination, which can also be outside Germany.
Yes. Ukrainian refugees only need a passport to enter Germany from Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria on or after 1 March 2022. Refugees do not need any train tickets.
If you are travelling to be with friends, relatives or acquaintances on a long-distance train (ICE, TGV, RJX, IC/EC), you can get a free "helpukraine" ticket at any DB Reisezentrum (DB Travel Centre) or DB agency.
Anyone arriving in Germany from Poland, the Czech Republic or Austria can get a free "helpukraine" ticket at any DB Reisezentrum (DB Travel Centre) or DB agency. You can also use this ticket to get to destinations outside of Germany.
We are coordinating the final details with other national rail companies. At the moment, you can use the "helpukraine" ticket to get to destinations in the following countries/regions:
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France (ICE, TGV and Thalys), Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Slovakia, and the Alto Adige/South Tyrol region of Italy if you take a Eurocity train going to Verona, Bologna or Venice.
Yes. You can take your children with you. Children aged 0-15 will be included on an adult's ticket.
Yes. You can take dogs with you. Please put a leash on any dogs and make sure they do not disturb other passengers.
A "helpukraine" ticket is valid for 2 days.
The "helpukraine" ticket is valid on all of DB's long-distance trains. You can also use it on local and regional trains. The "helpukraine" ticket can also, within Germany, be used for the return journey in the direction of Ukraine. Authorized users are Ukrainian citizens.
Flixbus is a private long-distance coach company with service to many destinations. Flixbus offers all Ukrainian refugees tickets free of charge. How to get a free ticket from Flixbus:
To receive your free ticket, please send your request via email to service@flixbus.com.ua.
Your email message must include the following information:
- Email title: UKRAINE (mandatory to process the request!);
- city of departure (Przemyśl / Rzeszów / Suceava / Tulcea) - city of arrival, date and time of departure (connections can be found on the website www.global.flixbus.com);
- first and last name of the traveler;
- telephone number;
- e-mail address (VERY IMPORTANT: the ticket will be sent to the address provided!).
After sending an email to the above address, you should receive an automated response - please ignore it and wait for direct contact from a representative. Our customer service team will handle the requests with the highest priority. However, please understand that if you have a large volume of requests, it may take a few hours for your ticket to be processed.
You can find more information about Flixbus, the Flixbus offer as well as the allocation to the free tickets directly on the company website under the following link: corporate.flixbus.com