The priority: secure your status and a roof.

1. Book the prefecture to get the APS (autorisation provisoire de séjour) marked "bénéficiaire de la protection temporaire" for you and your children.
2. Bring passports, the children's birth certificates and proof of arrival from Ukraine after 24/02/2022.
3. With the APS, go to OFII to apply for ADA (allocation pour demandeur d'asile) and its payment card.
4. No housing: call 115 or the Ukrainian welcome point at your town hall.
5. Get a French SIM card: you will need the number for CAF, CPAM and school.

Health cover starts right away, with no three-month wait.

1. Apply at CPAM for PUMA and Complémentaire santé solidaire: with the APS, care is free for the whole family.
2. Children under 6 are followed at the PMI: free check-ups, vaccines and pregnancy care.
3. Register a médecin traitant for yourself and a paediatrician for the children for full reimbursement.
4. Bring vaccination records: schools require mandatory vaccines (DTP, etc.).
5. Urgent or at night: call 15 or go to the urgences pédiatriques of the nearest hospital.

School is compulsory and free from age 3 to 16.

1. Children aged 3–11 are enrolled at the town hall (maternelle and élémentaire): ID, proof of address and vaccines.
2. Teens 11+ take a language test at CASNAV, then join a collège or lycée with a UPE2A class.
3. Ask the town hall for the reduced canteen (cantine) and after-school (garderie, centre de loisirs) rate.
4. Under 3: a crèche through the town hall or an assistante maternelle, with CAF support.
5. Take out school insurance (assurance scolaire), often required for trips.

Temporary protection lets you work straight away.

1. Open a bank account: if refused, ask for the refusal letter and the Banque de France will assign a bank (droit au compte).
2. Apply to CAF: family benefits, APL for housing, ARS for school. ADA and some CAF benefits cannot always be combined.
3. Register with France Travail: training, CV help, diploma recognition.
4. If you or your children are threatened: 17 or 112; women: 3919; children: 119. Free and anonymous.
5. Keep copies of all documents on your phone and in the cloud.