Many refugees are entering Germany and Berlin by train. There are train connections from Gdynia, Poznań, Warszawa, Przemyśl, Kraków and Wrocław in Poland, from Budapest in Hungary and from Prague in the Czech Republic. Most trains from Poland travel to Berlin, but some also travel to Frankfurt (Oder), Cottbus and Hanover. From Budapest you can travel to Munich, Nuremberg or Passau via Vienna and from Prague to Dresden. There are rumours circulating that arrival and registration are only possible in Berlin. This is false. You can register and receive assistance in all German towns and cities.
Travelling by train is free of charge for refugees. You do not need a ticket. You only need to show your Ukrainian ID card or passport.
If you are not being picked up by friends or family at the Berlin Main Station, please follow the signs to the containers. All further help and assistance will be coordinated from there. A German Red Cross (DRK) team will greet you with marked vests and in your native language to give you advice depending on your needs. Here you can also find contact persons for unaccompanied refugee children and youth.
Take the S-Bahn or U-Bahn to the station Jungfernheide. From there, shuttle bus number 410 will take you to the Ukraine Arrival Centre at the former Berlin-Tegel airport. This bus also stops at the U-Bahn station Jakob-Kaiser-Platz and at the General-Ganeval-Brücke. You cannot reach the airport by foot! The shuttle bus is free of charge and a bus comes every 10 minutes starting on 1 May 2023. The shuttle bus will also take you from the Ukraine Arrival Centre back to the Jungfernheide station.
Alternatively, you can take bus number 109 from the stations Zoo or Charlottenburg and transfer to the shuttle bus 410 at General-Ganeval-Brücke. Please note: You must pay the regular BVG fare to take bus 109.
Until December 31, 2024, refugees may use public transportation within the VBB free of charge for a short period. The “Emergency Ticket” or the “Help Ukraine Ticket” is valid on the day of issue and the following day. These are distributed free of charge in the trains. In addition, the regulation to recognize the free ticket for one week (6 days plus the day of issue) within the Berlin AB fare zone (only BVG, S-Bahn and DBRegio) is also to be continued until December 31, 2024.
You can also enter Germany in your own car. In Germany, third-party liability insurance is mandatory.