Ukrainians receiving social benefits in Germany are sometimes asked by the Jobcenter or other authorities when exactly they left Ukraine, whether they went back, and for how long. Passport stamps do not always help: they can be illegible, some trips may have been made on an ID card, and passports get replaced. For recorded crossings of the Ukrainian border, the data of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine is an important official source.
Why you might need it
- Being reachable. Under § 7b SGB II, an employable benefit recipient must remain reachable for the Jobcenter (Erreichbarkeit). Staying outside the defined reachability area usually has to be agreed with the Jobcenter; the law provides exceptions, for example for work-related travel.
- Checking absences. If the Jobcenter has information about a possible unapproved absence, it may examine the circumstances and ask for an explanation. If a breach is established, benefit decisions may be revoked and repayment demanded; suspicion alone is not enough.
- Case law. In its judgment of 24 January 2024 (L 13 AS 395/21), the Lower Saxony–Bremen Higher Social Court largely upheld a Jobcenter claim for about EUR 33,000: the court found numerous signs that the couple had lived abroad for a long time and that their explanations were not credible, and a registered address alone did not prove actual residence in Germany.
- Other cases: proving when you left Ukraine, disputes with authorities, court, pension and family matters.
What Border Guard data proves — and what it does not
The Border Guard database records crossings of Ukraine’s state border, including time, direction and the document used. If there are no records for a period, the authority may say that no such information is held. But such an answer does not by itself prove that a person stayed in Germany the whole time: the Border Guard holds no data on movements between EU countries (for example, Poland–Germany). The Jobcenter or a court weighs the answer together with other evidence.
Changes in Germany worth knowing
As of 21 October 2026, Germany is considering the Leistungsrechtsanpassungsgesetz bill, which would move some Ukrainians who arrived after 1 April 2025 to benefits under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act (AsylbLG). At the time of publication it is not yet in force, so § 7b SGB II applies to those receiving SGB II benefits. Separately, since 1 July 2026 SGB II has new rules on the consequences of repeatedly missing Jobcenter appointments — a different matter from staying abroad.
How to get the information without travelling to Ukraine
Your own request
You have the right to access your personal data (Article 16 of the Personal Data Protection Act). Give your full name (also in Latin letters, as in your passport), date of birth, the details of all passports and ID cards you used, and the period. The request must allow the authority to identify you; a Ukrainian qualified e-signature is the most reliable option, but not the only one. It is pre-assessed within 10 working days; the overall deadline is up to 30 calendar days.
A lawyer’s request
Under a legal services agreement, a Ukrainian lawyer sends a request to the Border Guard Service Administration, attaching proof of their authority. The general deadline is 5 working days; for large volumes of information or searches through large amounts of data, the authority may extend it to 20 working days by notifying the lawyer in writing. A complete list of crossings is not guaranteed: what the answer contains depends on the data held and legal access restrictions, and a partial answer or reasoned refusal is possible. You sign the agreement and the data-processing consent online.
What to consider before submitting it to the Jobcenter
- Translation. The official language of proceedings is German (§ 19 SGB X). If the Jobcenter cannot assess a Ukrainian document, it may ask for a translation within a reasonable time; in justified cases a certified translation or one by a sworn translator. Check with your Jobcenter in advance.
- All documents. List all passports and ID cards for the period — this helps find records made under different documents.
- Period. Ask for exactly the period the authority is asking about, and a little wider.
- An answer, not a certificate of a set form. The Border Guard Service provides the information it holds and may lawfully disclose; a document in any particular form is not guaranteed.
How to order a request online
On our site you can order a lawyer’s request to the Border Guard Service about your border crossings from any country. The price is UAH 4,000 per request. The reply received by the lawyer — including an answer that no records exist or a reasoned refusal — is passed to you in your personal account. We do not guarantee that particular information will be provided or that a German authority will decide in your favour.
This article is for general information and is not individual legal advice under Ukrainian or German law. For Jobcenter rules, contact your Jobcenter or a social-law adviser in Germany.