Romania – a safe haven and transit point for Ukrainian refugees

RomExpo – a hub for refugee reception in Bucharest 

In the past one year, UNHCR estimates that over 750,000 refugees have crossed from Ukraine to Moldova. Most have transited through Moldova where 109,410 refugees from Ukraine are recorded as of February 2023. The rest have moved on to reach Romania and even further afar. With over 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees, Poland remains the neighbouring country hosting the highest number of people from Ukraine. For the many who have decided to seek refuge in Romania, the large RomExpo facility in Bucharest, the capital, is now a central hub for registration, aid and critical information.

‘During April and early May, we had the initial centres with registration and basic activities and some days receiving up to 850 people per day. We then opened RomExpo in the second half of May 2022 as a central hub and where we at the time saw up to 500 Individuals as part of those who were coming in the Registration Center to obtain the Temporary Protection document issued by the Immigration Service supported by the European Union Agency for Asylum -EUAA and for UNHCR Registration to access Cash assistance,‘ tells Kasongo Kaparo, UNHCR Registration Officer at RomExpo, the service center hub for Ukrainian Refugees in Bucharest, Romania.

Registration is the first step at RomExpo which is part of a large complex where refugees are accessing many types of services at one place, including a nearby shop for free food, hygiene items and clothing assistance.

‘Now, the average is 250 arrivals per day, and with pendular movements, meaning that some are temporarily based here but traveling back for short visits to Ukraine. The movement patterns are constantly changing, and we need to make sure that we have a set-up and capacity that is ready and well-prepared to receive and cope with a larger and sudden influx of people, tells Kasongo Kaparo, UNHCR Registration Officer in Romania.

Visiting Odesa

Svetlana is among those who have been back home. She recently traveled to Odesa. That was back in November when it was still early winter. It was good to be back home, she explains, but also a reminder of how difficult and unpredictable life still is in many parts of Ukraine.

‘I wanted to go to the dentist as it is too expensive here. But there was no electricity, water or heating - and the winter season had started in Ukraine. We had three days without light but also without any of the regular air alarms. So, my husband got worried that something would happen and told me to hurry back to Romania. And the day after, bombings started again. He is safe and unhurt, but it is a difficult time for us being here and being apart and away – actually no matter where we are. Yes, this is safer, but it is not home.’

Svetlana prefers to stay on in Romania for the time being and not further away from Ukraine. It is the best option as it is – safe and still close to home.

‘Honestly, Denmark, Germany and those countries are just too far away. I also tried to move to Turkey, but that did not work well and was not a place for us to stay. So, we went back. Here in Bucharest, I like it and what I also appreciate is that the bus runs three times a day to Odesa and costs around 50 Euro per person. It gives me comfort to know that I am not too far away from home.’

Local partners ensure access to critical information

International and local NGOs operate in the Refugee Reception Centre side by side to make sure that people are receiving information, access to critical translation and general awareness of their basic rights having arrived in Romania and thereby the European Union. Some want to make a short stop in Romania before traveling onwards to other countries primarily in Europe. Many countries have in the past year offered free public transport for Ukrainians meaning that they can also board trains to travel further afar, depending on their personal networks, options, and aspirations.

Others opt to stay in Romania for a start – at safe distance from the war in Ukraine, but not too far from home and remaining family there with husbands, sons, fathers, or elderly and others who cannot or will not travel.

‘Romania has not been a go-to-country as such for people now arriving here from Ukraine. We see that language here is often a barrier and that the support to translation services is critical to make sure that information is well understood and delivered to people in need in their own languages, and whether they prefer Ukrainian and Russian. This is a precondition to accessing relevant, timely and efficient humanitarian aid and services,’ tells Angela Movileanu, Project Coordinator from the NGO National Romanian Council for Refugees - in Romanian 'Consiliul National Roman pentru Refugiati' (CNNR) - that is offering assistance and legal aid to refugees and asylum seekers from Ukraine and elsewhere.

CNNR is based at the RomExpo and offers translation and other services there and across sites in Romania, including at border points, to offer support to new arrivals from Ukraine.

‘At CNNR, we had 26 translators in the first phase made possible with DRC support. But to keep up with the requests and make sure we are present where it is needed, including to be with people who need to go for example to a doctor or to the hospital, to court, to access education or employment options, we need many more. Or estimate is that our network should in fact include around 100 translators to be able to meet needs,’ says Angela Movileanu from CNNR.   

A moment to find help – and to forget about war

Back at RomExpo, the registration continues as more people have just arrived. Those who have ID show this before they have their fingerprint and photo taken for the refugee registration documents, and as they can then move on to the next booth. The process is required to receive official cash assistance and support dedicated to the Ukraine crisis response.

Some have arrived from Ukraine with a few items only and some have lost their passports or personal documents. Some arrive with only the clothes they were wearing.

Next to the registration centre, people line up for food distribution or go to the site offering secondhand clothes that is organised in a large hall where new arrivals are guided to find and take what they may need.

Close by is a line of children and youths who look cheerful and with big smiles. The Christmas holidays are around the corner and all children arriving here are entitled to receive Christmas presents - and for a moment they can forget about uncertainty, the friends they are missing, and all that they have left behind. 

*Name changed for confidentiality purposes.