Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic have applied to extend their temporary protection, with around 350,000 people submitting applications by the March 15 deadline, according to preliminary data from the Ministry of the Interior.
The process was delayed until February 11 due to discussions over the Lex Ukraine VII law, which caused a late start to the application period. The delay created a backlog, with systems having to handle a significant increase in traffic. However, the process is expected to run more smoothly if the extension of temporary protection continues in the future without requiring further amendments to the law.
“In the first few days, the number of visitors to the foreigners’ portal was several times higher than during regular operations,” confirmed Czech Ministry of the Interior spokesperson Hana Málá. However, the traffic quickly returned to normal levels.
“Currently, about 350,000 people have applied for an extension of temporary protection,” Málá added, noting that the data will be verified, and the final version will be published in early April.
Refugees who applied for the extension online will have their protection extended until September 30 this year. If they want to extend it until the end of March next year, they will need to appear in person at the Ministry of the Interior. Temporary protection allows Ukrainian refugees to legally stay in the Czech Republic, access the labor market and education system, and receive humanitarian aid.
Those who missed the deadline for the extension must now submit a new application. With over 399,000 holders of temporary protection in the country, it is likely that some refugees failed to apply for an extension and will need to submit a new application. However, this will not grant them the same time-limited benefits as before. “For example, if a person has already exhausted the legally established benefit of ninety days of health insurance, they are not entitled to another ninety days by submitting a new application,” said Málá.
The Czech Republic has the highest number of Ukrainian refugees per 1,000 residents in Europe, followed by Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Slovakia.
