She obtained temporary protection status in Berlin.

The woman was not used to sitting without a job, so she decided not to issue social benefits, and immediately started looking for a job.

"In Kyiv, I worked with documents in a large company.

In Germany, it is impossible to get a job in a specialty without knowing the language.

For three months, I lived on my savings, tried to find a job, but good-paying offers came only in the service sector.

That's how I started cleaning the premises," says Victoria.   

When the woman got a job, she took out health insurance.

However, one of her local colleagues shocked her: for the time Victoria did not have insurance, she has to pay a fine.

"And not a small one, somewhere around a thousand euros!

I hope it won't come to that.

Because for this it is necessary that someone specially notify the social services about me.

I already officially work here.

I would not like to pay a fine, says Victoria.

- In general, I noticed that social workers are not very eager to talk about various "pitfalls" that Ukrainian refugees may encounter.

If you don't directly ask if I have to take out insurance, no one will ever tell you.

I didn't even know that such a problem could arise, so I didn't ask." 

Indeed, if a Ukrainian applies for social assistance or gets a job in Germany, he receives health insurance.

And the fine may not be due to the fact that the person did not issue it.

And because the Germans have a fair question: if a person does not receive money from social services or an employer, what does he live for?

She probably has income from Ukraine.

And if so, then he must pay tax on this income.

That is, in essence, this is a fine for tax evasion. 

"The good news is that the German state can begin to take an interest in the income of refugees from Ukraine no earlier than after six months of their residence here.

In practice, I have not yet encountered such a thing," says Maria Semashkina, a social service worker in one of the German cities. 

Maria traveled to Germany at the end of February.

When the full-scale invasion began, she decided to stay and work there because she knows the language well and has experience working in the social sphere.

Now the woman is helping Ukrainians to understand the peculiarities of the German bureaucracy. 

"This year, Ukrainians were given the opportunity to have a special status throughout the European Union, this is the so-called temporary protection.

This is not a classic refugee, the conditions for Ukrainians are different from the conditions for refugees from other countries.

For the most part, Ukrainians receive rights that are equal to the rights of local people.

Yes, putting these rights into effect requires a certain amount of time and paperwork, but Ukrainians are not left without medical care, money for water, food, clothes, and a place to sleep," Maria Semashkina explains. 

However, along with rights, the status of temporary protection also entails obligations.

And this is what Ukrainians fleeing the war to Europe are often not ready for. 

For example, in Germany, in order to receive social services and payments, Ukrainians must visit a special institution - a job center.

A person is regularly assigned a visit date - a term.

The German state perceives this as full-time work, so you should not miss these deadlines.

Because this is the duty of Ukrainians in the new status.

In the event of a missed appointment, the job center will send you a letter in which you will necessarily be informed of the responsibility that falls on the person after missing the deadline.

These are fines, a possible delay in payments or their complete cancellation.

"People simply perceive these letters from the job center as a free supplement to the Murzylka magazine.

Therefore, they do not know about the consequences of evading their duties.

But the German state is always hedging, even if it is two sentences at the end of a letter in the eighth font size," warns Maria Semashkina. 

Another important duty of Ukrainian refugees, the consequences of which Maria has to deal with, is attending a school for Ukrainian schoolchildren.

"All children must go to school, the obligations set for Ukrainians may differ in different EU countries, but for the most part they are similar.

In Germany, these are children under the age of 18 who have not yet received a certificate in Ukraine, says a social service worker.

- Our parents often do not stop the educational process of their children in Ukrainian schools, the time of visiting schools coincides, and the children start skipping the local school.

It is important to understand that in Germany, for example, there is a fine for skipping school.

It is very unfortunate when they may simply not know about it." 

In general, it is worth knowing that in Europe, the rights and responsibilities of children are especially valued.

It may also seem strange to Ukrainians, but juvenile services can take custody of your 17-year-old child, even if you left it with a relative.

It is better to protect yourself and write a certificate in an arbitrary form that you have personally entrusted the care of the child. 

"There is one more piece of advice that I give to all Ukrainians: always tell the truth to social service workers.

It is very unpleasant to admit, but among the people who fled from the war in Ukraine, there are different people.

There are also those who hide their income from Ukraine, the presence of property.

Women may lie about being divorced in order to get better terms.

You should not do this, if only because such actions are subject to criminal liability," warns Maria Semashkina. 

There is also another extreme - fatal naivety and ignorance of one's rights, which is used by unscrupulous locals.

It happens that refugees from Ukraine pay for registration, or even worse, agree to work for the help provided by the homeowners.

Cleaning the house, for example. 

"This is all a violation of the law.

You should remember that no matter which country grants you asylum, all services and payments are processed only through special social institutions.

Do not trust people from the street or from chats on social networks," warns the social service worker.

In order not to get into trouble with the law abroad, remember the main tips

: 

• To resolve all issues related to social services, contact only special social institutions. 

• Find a certified translator right away, most countries are not required to provide one.

  This way you will avoid confusion with documents and possible sanctions.

• Make all payments only to bank details that you personally have access to.

  This will protect you from fraud. 

• Enlist the help of local volunteers.

  They will be able to advise verified contacts of Ukrainians who arrived earlier and have more experience in solving various issues.