Displaced persons may be deprived of IDP status without their consent: what the new law provides

A new law on internally displaced persons has come into force in Ukraine, which defines the grounds for deregistration of internally displaced persons. In some cases, IDP status can be revoked without a personal application by a citizen. In particular, this applies to prolonged stay abroad, return to the previous place of residence, and submission of inaccurate information.

Under what conditions can IDPs be deregistered without an application

According to the new legislation, the status of an internally displaced person can be terminated without a personal application by a citizen under the following circumstances:

Return home. If a person voluntarily returned to the abandoned place of residence, but did not report this within the established period.
Permanent departure abroad. If the IDP left Ukraine for a permanent place of residence.
Long-term stay outside Ukraine. If a person was abroad for more than 90 consecutive days or more than 180 days in total during a year.
Inaccurate data. If a citizen knowingly provided false information when registering for IDP status.
Conviction for certain crimes. If a person has been convicted of crimes against the foundations of national security of Ukraine or for justifying Russian aggression, as provided for in Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Restoration of safe living conditions. If the conditions for a safe and dignified return have been restored in the territory that the person left.
Death of a person. If the displaced person has died or has been officially declared dead.
How long are displaced persons allowed to stay abroad

One of the important changes was the restrictions on the duration of an IDP’s stay outside Ukraine.

In particular, the grounds for deregistration may be staying abroad:

more than 90 calendar days in a row;
more than 180 calendar days in total during a year.

At the same time, the law provides for exceptions for citizens who are abroad for good reasons.

The list of such circumstances, as well as the permissible periods of stay, must be determined by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

Will displaced persons who have changed their place of residence lose their IDP status?

A change in their registered place of residence within the territory controlled by Ukraine is not in itself a reason for terminating IDP registration.

Thus, if a displaced person has moved to another city or region but has not returned to the abandoned place of residence, this does not mean an automatic loss of status.

Is it necessary to reissue an IDP certificate?

The new law provides for a gradual update of the system for registering internally displaced persons.

In the future, information about displaced persons will be kept in the Unified Information Database.

At the same time, IDP certificates issued before the law came into force remain valid.

Therefore, citizens do not need to reissue documents only due to the adoption of new legislation.

Will payments for displaced persons change in 2027?

The possibility of increasing state housing assistance for internally displaced persons is being considered separately.

In particular, the Budget Committee of the Verkhovna Rada included proposals to increase payments by 1,000 hryvnia in the government’s instructions.

If the relevant changes are implemented, the amount of assistance may be:

3,000 hryvnias per month for adult displaced persons;

4,000 hryvnias per month for children and persons with disabilities.

At the same time, these are currently proposals, not a finally approved increase in payments.