Ukrainian refugees will lose the right to one important payment in Estonia

Since the beginning of May, the Estonian Social Insurance Board and the Tallinn Department of Social Assistance and Health Care have been ending the co-operation that reimbursed the costs of rent and translation services for Ukrainian war refugees under temporary protection, ERR reports.

Lijs Paloots, head of the Migration Division of the Social Insurance Department, explained that it is not a question of a complete cessation of support, but a transition to a more sustainable and targeted assistance mechanism. According to her, priority will now be given to those who only apply for international or temporary protection, who do not have a personal support network in Estonia and who live in state accommodation centres referred by the Police and the Border Guard.

The agency is also considering cancelling similar agreements with other municipalities in order to develop a uniform and transparent approach to the provision of support across the country. This, they argue, would eliminate differences in the amount of assistance based on location and focus resources on those in real need - especially at the time of relocation from accommodation centres.

From June 2022 to April 2025, almost 11,000 households have benefited from such compensation, and in 2024, 1,710 families received it, of which more than half were in Tallinn. The maximum amount of assistance was up to 1,200 euros per household.