Moving here after a week in a basement under shelling in the Kyiv region was the best decision: "At first we left for Lviv," recalls Bohdana, "but the air raid signals scared my son so much, he was hysterical. We decided to go abroad. Bohdana didn't have a passport , but we were assured that we shouldn't do this now, because of the war, the procedure for crossing the border is simplified, we will be let through anyway. I myself thought that it would be for a month, at most two."

There were really no problems with crossing the border.

A child's foreign passport was not required, a birth certificate was sufficient.

On the spot, volunteers and acquaintances helped Bohdana and her son get settled.

The woman submitted documents to obtain a temporary residence permit, made payments for herself and her son, and enrolled little Bohdanek in school.

"In the summer, I already understood that I would have to live here longer than we had initially planned.

I didn't work, I was learning the language, but local payments were quite enough for us to live on.

I received a card that gives permission for temporary residence in Germany and crossing the country's borders.

The son was not given such permission.

And in August, we did not receive Bohdan's money at all," the woman says.

It turned out that this was not just a delay.

At the beginning of August, local authorities changed the living conditions for refugees from Ukraine.

This happened not only in Germany.

Almost all European countries that sheltered Ukrainians at the beginning of the war implemented one or another changes in the legislation. 

"Probably everyone began to understand that we are here for a long time.

If before we were not asked for anything in particular, now they informed us that the birth certificate of our son was not enough.

In order to renew the son's payments and still make a document giving permission for residence and border crossing, it was necessary to make a foreign passport.

What can you do, such orders are everywhere.

Without documents, it's like you're not a person," says Bohdana.

But issuing a foreign passport for a child turned out to be a difficult task.

It took four and a half hours to get to the nearest consulate of Ukraine.

"We bought tickets and went with my son to Frankfurt.

They spent the night in a hotel, the next day they went to the consulate early in the morning.

We stood in a line of Ukrainians like us and learned that those who managed to get to the consulate earlier had the opportunity to simply enter their children's personal data in their foreign passports.

I couldn't do that anymore.

Besides, if I had applied for a passport that day, I would have received it seven months later," Bohdana shares.

The fact was that, in addition to the increased excitement in Germany, Ukraine also received a double burden.

After all, all foreign passports are made in Ukraine.

And then the printing simply couldn't stand it.

"Yes, no problem, we returned to our temporary accommodation.

My husband remained in Ukraine, but without both parents and the child himself, it was impossible to make a passport for Bohdan.

Of course, we could come to Ukraine," the woman says.

- But Bohdan would no longer be able to return to Germany, because he did not have a temporary residence permit, and I myself would hardly be able to return in time, because according to this document, I have the right to stay outside Germany only 21 days a year."

So Bohdana decided to return home forever.

And it was at this time that new massive shelling of the capital began.

"We didn't know what to do anymore.

But one day a man called and said that the legislation in Ukraine has changed and now he can issue a passport for Bohdanko without our presence.

In two weeks, my husband sent us the document and a permit for temporary residence in Germany is already being prepared for my son, Bohdana is happy.

"My son can't wait to come to Ukraine for a few days and finally see his dad."

On November 17, a new resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, according to which the mechanism of issuing foreign passports to citizens of Ukraine, has been significantly simplified.

They allowed the transfer of prepared documents through the Ministry of Internal Affairs from local migration services to embassies and consulates of Ukraine abroad.

This means that one of the parents can make a passport for their child in Ukraine and transfer it abroad.

To do this, you need to take a copy of the child's birth certificate from the RAC and contact the nearest migration center.

Another problem faced by Ukrainians who were forced to emigrate is the expiration of their passports.

It is possible to extend the validity of a foreign passport abroad, for this you need to contact the nearest embassy or consulate of Ukraine.

Recently, the government of Ukraine also simplified this procedure, now it can be done for free and on the day of the application.

You only need to make an appointment in advance.

On the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you can find out what you need to have with you for this:

• passport with a copy;

• a pre-filled application for extending the validity of the passport (a sample can be found on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

It is important that the extension of the passport can be issued no earlier than 2 months before the end of its validity period.

In order to extend the validity period of the child's passport, you need to have with you:

• child's passport with a copy;

• a child's birth certificate with a copy;

• parents' passports with copies;

• a pre-filled application for extending the validity of the passport.

If your child is not yet 16 years old, it is not necessary to take him with you to the consulate.