Receiving refugees from Ukraine

The city administration offices are not able to accept donations.

You can drop off clothing in one of the containers placed around the city or you can take clothing or other items directly to a recycling shop. Please observe opening hours and guidelines for dropping off donations at the individual shop.

See a map of Red Cross recycling shops and used clothing containers (in Danish)

See a map of Folkekirkens Nødhjælp’s recycling shops and used clothing containers (in Danish)

The city’s activity house, Welcome House, has its own recycling shop, Bixen, where refugees can get access to clothing and other donations.

Contact Bixen’s Facebook page where they coordinate needed donations and make an appointment to make a donation.

The City of Copenhagen advises private persons wishing to help refugees by volunteering to contact one of the aid organizations. This could be the Red Cross, the Danish Refugee Council, or an association or initiative in your local area, for example.

Red Cross Copenhagen (in Danish)

Røde Kors Parat (in Danish) (country-wide network)

Danish Refugee Council  (in Danish)

The City of Copenhagen runs Welcome House, which is an activity house for new residents in Copenhagen and volunteers. Here you can offer your help as a volunteer.

Find out more about Welcome House.

The City of Copenhagen is not able to coordinate contact between private citizens and displaced people from Ukraine for the purpose of private accommodation.

If you would like to offer private housing to displaced people from Ukraine this is at your own responsibility and to be arranged as an agreement between private individuals.

It will be a good idea to have a clear agreement about the stay and, for example, that you make a contract (you can find a standard letting contract online) so that the terms of the stay are well defined.

Examples of things to talk about:

• Rent, household duties, house rules, and so forth.
• Finances, shopping, and expenses
• Duration of the stay
• How to give notice to terminate the lease

The city encourages private persons to make use of listing services and networks already in existence, such as Facebook groups, Airbnb, or similar listings.

The City of Copenhagen is using city properties for emergency accommodation.

At the moment the City of Copenhagen shelter is at full capacity and therefore unable to receive further displaced people from Ukraine in need of emergency shelter.

Displaced people from Ukraine should go to Center Sandholm which is open around the clock.

Center Sandholm will arrange for accommodation and provisions under the Danish Immigration Service while waiting for a decision on an application for temporary stay under the special law, or asylum, as relevant.

Center Sandholm

Sandholmgårdsvej 40

3460 Birkerød

Telephone: 35 27 99 00

Find out more about Center Sandholm (External page)

If you are a business owner and would like to offer work to refugees from Ukraine, you can contact Københavns Erhvervshus (Business House Copenhagen) directly.

We don’t yet know the exact framework for Ukrainians and work in Denmark.

A majority in the Danish Parliament have agreed on a special law which will make it possible for displaced people from Ukraine to obtain a residence permit to enable them to quickly start school, education, or a job. The special law is expected to come into force by vote on 16 March 2022.

If you would like to hear about your options in offering work to refugees, please contact Københavns Erhvervshus (Business House Copenhagen).

Whether you would like to help a Ukrainian refugee seeking asylum, want to know more about rights, or you are looking for specific advice, you can find help here:

The Danish Immigration Services’ homepage, specifically for Ukrainians

Danish Refugee Council’s Asylum department: Telephone (+45) 33 73 50 00 or email advice@drc.ngo

Danish Refugee Council’s Good advice, Councelling, and Legal representation

If you want to apply for asylum

The Danish authorities strongly discourage private individuals from going to collect unaccompanied children from Ukraine.

If you learn that unaccompanied children have arrived, it is important that you contact the Danish Immigration Service.