VISA TYPES AND CATEGORIES, VISA VALIDITY

Depending on the purpose of travel, these are the following types of visas:
1
Transit Visa (indicated by letter B) is issued to foreign citizens and stateless persons for passing through Ukraine to a third destination, as well as for the transit of cargo and for the transit of vehicle passengers. There are single, double and multiple entry transit visas issued for the period indicated in the supporting documents. However, the period should not exceed one year unless otherwise stipulated by International Agreements of Ukraine. Each transit through the territory of Ukraine should not exceed five days.

Transit visa application should be accompanied by one of the following documents:

  • Document confirming the nature of travel is transit (such as a visa to the third country if it is required, a ticket etc);
  • Document confirming the nature of cargo and the nature of vehicle passengers is transit;
  • License for international transportation services issued by the competent authority in the host country.

2
Short-term visa (indicated by letter C) is issued to foreign citizens and stateless persons if the duration of their stay in Ukraine does not exceed 90 days in a given 180 day period from the date of first entry. Short-term visas can be single, double or multiple entries for six months or for the period of time indicated in the documents that constitute grounds for obtaining the visa, but not exceeding five years.

Short-term visa application should be accompanied by one of the following documents:

  • Standardized invitation of a person or entity issued by the regional body or by the state division of the Immigration Service of Ukraine;
  • Invitation from the ministry, other central executive authorities, state institutions, enterprises or organizations;
  • Document confirming family relationship with a citizen of Ukraine or a foreign citizen or stateless person that has permanent or temporary residence permit (such as a marriage certificate or birth certificate);
  • Certificate of the Person of Ukrainian origin and his/her application along with the results of the interview with the Ukrainian diplomatic or consular staff and evidence for Ukrainian ethnical descent or Ukrainian origin of the foreign citizen or stateless person. The spouse and children of the Person of Ukrainian origin, if traveling and staying in Ukraine together, have to submit an application and provide documents confirming family relationships;
  • Document confirming that the nature of travel is tourism in accordance with the Ukrainian Law On Tourism;
  • Invitation from a Ukrainian medical treatment facility;
  • Document confirming that the person is a co-founder of a joint venture or a company (firm, association etc.) representative and that he/she travels to Ukraine to monitor the performance of contracts;
  • Confirmation from the Committee on Humanitarian Aid of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on the entry of the foreign citizen or stateless person for the purpose of providing humanitarian aid or charity;
  • Invitation from a duly registered religious organization attested by the Ministry of Culture, for short-term stay in Ukraine for religious matters;
  • Petition from the head of a foreign mass media for a foreign correspondent or representative of a foreign media who travels to Ukraine for short-term stay to perform his/her professional duties;
  • Petition from state authorities of foreign states or international organizations;

3
Long-term visa (indicated by letter D) is issued to foreign citizens or stateless persons traveling to Ukraine for a period not exceeding 90 days with the purpose of processing documents that give the right to stay or reside in Ukraine. The long-term visa can be issued by the Diplomatic Mission or the Consulate General of Ukraine as single entry visa for 45 days, except as otherwise required by law.

Long-term visa application should be accompanied by one of the following documents:

  • Duly certified copy of the permit to engage foreign workers or stateless persons issued by the State Employment Center or issued on its instruction by the Employment Center of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Regional City Employment Centers, Kyiv City Employment Center and Sevastopol City Employment Center;
  • Copy of the Immigration permit obtained from the Regional Authority or Division of the State Migration Service of Ukraine;
  • Permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to obtain visas for family members of a person who has a refugee status in Ukraine;
  • Original standardized invitation for study. For applications submitted between August 15 and November 15: Lists from the Ukrainian Center for International Studies that are submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (provided that on the list there is information regarding the foreign national or stateless persons). Outside this period of time, a visa request from the Ministry for Education, Science, Youth and Sports of Ukraine is required.
  • Invitation from the state institution, enterprise or organization that is a recipient of international technical aid;
  • Invitation from a duly registered religious organization attested by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine to work for a religious organization.
  • Invitation of the branch office, divisional office, representative office or any other structural cell of a duly registered foreign public organization (Non Governmental Organization).
  • Invitation from a duly registered foreign representative of a foreign business entity attested by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine;
  • Invitation from a duly registered branch office or representative of a foreign bank attested by the National Bank of Ukraine;
  • Confirmation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine regarding registration of the passport or travel document of a foreign correspondent or representative of the foreign media and his/her family members;
  • Foreign government’s petition for diplomatic and consular staff, or staff and representatives of international organizations who enter Ukraine long-term to perform their professional duties, and for their family members;
  • Other documents if required by International Agreements of Ukraine.

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The duration of a foreign citizen’s or stateless person’s stay is indicated in the visa sticker. The total duration of stay in Ukraine for foreign citizens and stateless persons: Transit visa and short-term visa are valid for no more than 90 days in a given 180 day period from the date of first entry.

If required, the authorized staff may ask a foreign citizen or stateless person who is applying for a visa, for an additional interview and any additional documents to clarify the purpose of traveling such as:

  • Documents confirming booking or payment for accommodation, payment for food in Ukraine;
  • The host party’s letter of guarantee that it undertakes all the expenses related to the foreign citizen’s or stateless person’s stay in Ukraine and exit from Ukraine;
  • Other documents proving that a foreign citizen or stateless person has sufficient funds for the expected stay in Ukraine and for a return to the home country or for the transit through the territory of Ukraine to a third destination; or a lawful way of receiving such funds while staying in Ukraine;
  • Documents demonstrating the foreign citizen’s or stateless person’s intentions to leave Ukraine before the visa expires (such as tickets, bank statements, confirmation of employment, real estate documents, family relationships etc.)

Foreign citizens and stateless persons may submit their short-term visa application during three months period prior to the planned trip. The competent authority will make an appropriate decision within 15 calendar days from the date of submission of the visa request, visa application and supporting documents. Decisions can be extended to 30 calendar days in the case of further investigation. Personal interviews are held for first time applicants by the staff of the Diplomatic Mission of Ukraine except for cases determined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Foreign citizens and stateless persons have to submit a duly filled and signed application form. Persons whose details are endorsed in the passport of the foreign citizen or stateless person have to submit a separate application form. The application form of a minor must be signed by a parent or a legal representative.

Passport or Travel Document Requirements:

  • Must be valid for at least three months after the declared exit date from Ukraine. In case substantial grounds are presented the said requirement may not apply;
  • Must have at least two spare pages;
  • Must be issued no more than ten years ago.

For the processing of visa applications for minors: a parent’s or legal representative’s permission, other necessary documents for a minor’s independent exit and travel overseas or provision for exit with a parent or legal representative will be additionally verified. In case of refusal to issue a visa, a foreign citizen or stateless person may reapply under the current legislation of Ukraine.

VISA PROCESSING

Getting a visa to enter Ukraine is a two-step process. Firstly, you will need to obtain an official letter of invitation from a company authorized by the Ukraine Ministries of Foreign and Internal Affairs. This document is called Visa Support Document or Official Invitation. Then you will need to lodge this invitation along with your application form, two passport size photographs and your current passport to the Ukrainian Embassy in order to have your visa processed.

Visa processing time is up to 15 working days. Express visa is processed within 5 working days from the day of submission and costs double price.

  • Visa Application form should not contain any corrections related especially to the name, passport details of the applicant, dates of proposed entry into/exit from Ukraine, number of entries, date of submission and etc.
  • All documents for Ukrainian visa should be submitted in original along with 1 attached copy of each document (copy of application form is not required).
  • An applicant has to submit the copy of the passport with all pages of the passport having any information.

VISA TYPEDOCUMENTS REQUIRED
FOR TOURIST VISITTourist voucher and Invitation letter from tour operator with signature and company stamp
FOR BUSINESS VISITLetter of invitation issued in the applicant’s name by a local Immigration Authorities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine based on the request of the inviting company
FOR PRIVATE VISITLetter of invitation issued in the applicant’s name by a local Immigration Authorities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine based on the request of the inviting person
When a foreign citizen or stateless person applies for a visa in person, the competent authority performs the following:

  • Receives a visa application and supporting documents, registers and processes the application;
  • Makes visa decisions;
  • Fills in the visa sticker and affixes it to the passport or travel document;
  • Returns the passport or travel document with the affixed visa sticker to the foreigner or stateless person.

* In case of visa refusal, the visa application and supporting documents are not returned; only the passport has to be returned. In the passport a note on the visa request and date should be mentioned, and also such a note should be signed by the authorized person and stamped.


CONSULAR FEES

The Diplomatic Mission or Consulate General of Ukraine charges the following fees for the processing of a visa, unless exempted by International Agreements of Ukraine:

VISA TYPEFEE
SINGLE ENTRY VISA:$85
DOUBLE-ENTRY VISA:$130
MULTIPLE VISA:$200

The expedited issuance of a visa or issuance of visa during non-working hours will be subject to a double consular fee rate. The expedited issuance of a visa can be done at the request of a foreign citizen or stateless person and provided expedited processing is possible.

In case of visa refusal, the consular fee is not refunded.


GROUNDS FOR VISA REFUSAL OR VISA CANCELLATION

Decision on visa refusals can be made in the following cases:

  1. necessity to ensure national security or public order protection;
  2. necessity of health protection, protection of rights and legal interests of Ukrainian citizens and other persons residing in Ukraine;
  3. availability of information about the foreigner or the stateless person in the database of persons denied entry into the territory of Ukraine in accordance with law;
  4. travel document presented by the foreigner or the stateless person is forged, damaged, different from the original specimen or belongs to another person;
  5. intentional submission by the foreigner or the stateless person of untrue information or forged documents;
  6. disclosure of the fact of violation of the legislation of Ukraine by the foreigner or the stateless person during his/her previous stay in Ukraine;
  7. justification for the purpose of the intended stay was not provided by the foreigner or the stateless person;
  8. intention of the foreigner or the stateless person to leave the territory of Ukraine before the expiry of the visa could not be ascertained;
  9. proof of holding an adequate and valid travel medical insurance was not provided by the foreigner or the stateless person (if acquisition of such insurance is possible in the country where the application is lodged);
  10. revocation of the visa was requested by the foreigner or the stateless person.

A foreign citizen or stateless person who has been refused a visa, has the right to challenge the decision with the Head of the Diplomatic Mission that considered the visa application. An applicant must reapply, with proof of visa refusal, and a letter of appeal, within two months of the date of the visa refusal.

If a foreign citizen or stateless person decides to withdraw the visa application, he/she looses the right to appeal.

Visa may be cancelled by the same authority that made the decision to issue the visa.