Questions and Answers

If a person who has arrived from Ukraine and is in receipt of financial assistance takes up employment – casual, part-time or full-time – they must inform the Department of Social Protection. They can call into their local Intreo or branch office or contact the department by telephone at 0818-625625. Phone lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.

The department operates a range of income support schemes, including in-work supports, and a person who has taken up employment may qualify for payment under some of these schemes, eg: Working Family Payment, or Jobseeker’s Allowance where a person is employed for less than a full week.

Depending on the nature of the employment and the income received, officials will identify the most appropriate payment relevant to a person’s circumstances and will assist them in applying for those payments. They will continue to receive financial support until a final determination has been made on the new payment.

The income support payments which have been provided by the department (apart from Child Benefit) are means tested payments which are required to take account of a person’s income, and a person is obliged to inform the department of any income which they have so that it can be taken into account. Understandably, the reality is that individuals fleeing Ukraine have arrived with few possessions and no ready access to income or assets.

The department has a Benefit of Work estimator available on its online portal MyWelfare.ie. This provides information to welfare recipients of how starting work or increasing hours of work can affect their payment. The estimator is available at this link: Benefit of Work Estimator for Jobseekers and One Parent Families (mywelfare.ie)

Free travel is being provided for newly arriving Ukrainian refugees on any Public Service Obligation (PSO) or Local Link public transport service from port of entry to their end destination.

This is being applied across all PSO contracted services, including commercial bus services included in emergency PSO contracts, and those services that are part of the emergency commercial bus operator grant scheme. Some commercial bus operators have also kindly offered this service. The situation is being monitored on an ongoing basis.

The department says the issue of providing additional public transport services to support Ukrainian nationals is being considered. Additional funding would be required to support any increase in services. It says this situation is evolving daily, and the Department of Transport is working with other relevant departments and agencies to establish the transport needs and how these might be met.

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan on April 22, 2022, signed an order that will allow Ukrainians, who are temporarily resident in Ireland because of the war, to exchange their native driving license for an Irish license so that they can drive their cars while in the country.
The new license will be valid for 12 months and will apply to cars only.

You can find out more about what you need to know about driving in Ireland at this link.

In recognition of the difficulties facing people fleeing Ukraine and in order to facilitate travel, flexibility is being shown to people who do not have a current passport.

The following documents are being accepted for travel to Ireland from people who do not have current passports:

• National ID Card
• Birth Certificate
• Internal Passport
• Expired documents may also be accepted for travel

It is important to note that the Temporary Permission letter given to those who have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine is not a travel document.

Anyone intending to travel outside of Ireland is advised to check the rules applying, in terms of required travel documents and permissions, for the country to which they are travelling.

If you arrive in Ireland from Ukraine, you can get the same healthcare services as people who live in Ireland.

Read about the care you can get: Healthcare services for Ukrainian nationals in Ireland

There are 16 illnesses covered by the Long-Term Illness scheme.

These conditions are

• acute leukaemia
• mental handicap
• cerebral palsy
• mental illness (in a person under 16)
• cystic fibrosis; multiple sclerosis
• diabetes insipidus
• muscular dystrophies
• diabetes mellitus
• parkinsonism
• epilepsy
• phenylketonuria
• haemophilia
• spina bifida
• hydrocephalus
• and conditions arising from the use of Thalidomide.

The Health Service Executive has statutory responsibility for the administration of the community drug schemes, including the LTI scheme.

Under the LTI scheme, patients receive drugs, medicines, and medical and surgical appliances related to the treatment of their illness, free of charge.

Ukrainian refugees coming to Ireland who have one of these conditions may be eligible for this scheme.

Normally, to qualify, a person must be ‘ordinarily resident’ in the Republic of Ireland, which means that they are living here and intend to live here for at least one year.

However, the HSE is anticipating applications for the LTI and will take into account the refugee status of relevant applicants who need a PPS number to apply.

Further information on how to apply for the LTI scheme can be found here.