VISA TYPES AND CATEGORIES, VISA VALIDITY, GROUNDS FOR ISSUING VISAS

Depending on the purpose of travel, these are the following types of visas

1) Transit Visa (B type)

Transit visas are issued to foreigners and stateless persons to allow transit passage through the territory of Ukraine to a third country and transit carriage of cargo and passengers by automobile transport. Transit visas can be issued as singe-entry, two-entry and multi-entry visas for a period indicated in documents serving as a basis for visa issuance, but for no longer than one year, unless otherwise stipulated by Ukraine’s international treaties. The period of stay on the territory of Ukraine during each transit through Ukraine may not exceed five days.
Grounds for issuing transit visas:
• Proof of transit (entry to a third country (if necessary), ticket, etc.);
• Proof of transit carriage of cargo or passengers by automobile transport;
• License for international freight issued by relevant competency authority of a foreign state.

2) Short-term visa (C type)

Short-term visas are issued to foreigners and stateless persons for entry to Ukraine if their stay in Ukraine does not exceed 90 days in the period of 180 days.
Short-terms visas can be issued as singe-entry, two-entry and multi-entry visas with the typical period of six months or a period indicated in documents serving as a basis for visa issuance, but for no longer than five years. Notice that validity period of visa may not exceed validity period of passport.
Grounds for issuing short-term visas:
• Letter of invitation from a legal person registered in Ukraine, presented on the official letterhead, containing indication of the number assigned in the Unified State Registry of legal entities, individual entrepreneurs and citizens’ associations, registration number, date and signature, full name of the invited person, information about his/her date and place of birth, nationality, passport details, place of residence, purpose of visit, duration of intended visit to Ukraine, number of entries and place of stay in Ukraine, legal person’s obligations towards possible costs related to the invited person’s stay or departure from Ukraine;
• Notarized letter of invitation from a physical person – Ukrainian citizen, foreigner or stateless person who legally reside, temporarily or permanently, in Ukraine. Invitation shall contain full name of a physical person, details of his/her passport and temporary or permanent residency permit (for a foreigner or stateless person), address, and full name of the invited person, information about his/her date and place of birth, nationality, passport details, place of residence, purpose of visit, duration of intended visit to Ukraine, number of entries and place of stay in Ukraine, physical person’s obligations towards possible costs related to the invited person’s stay or departure from Ukraine. The invitation shall be appended by copies of a hosting person’s passport and temporary or permanent residency permit in Ukraine (for a foreigner or stateless person);
• Letter of invitation from a government body, government institution, state enterprise or government organization;
• Contract on transit carriage of cargo or passenger by automobile transport, and license for international freight;
• Ukrainian foreigner’s ID. A spouse of a Ukrainian foreigner and his/her children shall submit proof of kinship;
• Documents confirming that the purpose of travel is tourism;
• Document attesting to foreign investment activity, according to the legislation on foreign investment regime on the territory of Ukraine;
• Proof that a foreigner or stateless person owns immovable property on the territory of Ukraine;
• Letter of invitation from a religious organization agreed with a government agency that registered the charter (regulation) of a corresponding religious organization for a short-term stay with the purpose of preaching a set of beliefs, performance of religious rituals or other faith-related activity;
• Request from a foreign mass media outlet about issuance of visa for a foreign correspondent or representative of a foreign mass media outlet who enters Ukraine for a short-term stay with the purpose of performing job-related responsibilities;
• Request from government bodies of foreign states and international organizations;
• Order of the Central Election Commission on registration of official observers from foreign states and international organizations for presidential elections, parliamentary elections, local elections and national referendums;
• Proof that a foreigner or stateless person is a spouse, parent or child of a Ukrainian citizen;
In cases when a foreigner or stateless person enter Ukraine with the aim to ensure its foreign and internal policy interests or with a humanitarian purpose, short-term visas can be issued upon written decision of a head of a Ukrainian diplomatic mission aboard or consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

3) Long-term visa (D type)

Long-term visas are issued to foreigners and stateless persons for entry to Ukraine with the intention to obtain a document allowing stay or residency in Ukraine for a period exceeding 90 days. Long-term visas are issued by a Ukrainian diplomatic mission abroad as multi-entry for 90 days, unless otherwise stipulated by legislation or international treaties of Ukraine.

Grounds for issuing long-term visas:

• Notarized copy of permission to employ foreigners and stateless persons as labour force. Foreigners and stateless persons whose employment, according to the law, is not subject to permission to employ foreigners and stateless persons as labour force, shall instead produce an employment agreement (contract), and persons with foreign Ukrainian status shall produce an employment agreement (contract) and foreign Ukrainian’s ID.
• Copy of decision on immigration permission issued by the State Migration Service;
• Poof that the applicant is a family member to a person who has been granted refugee status in Ukraine, or a person in need of subsidiary protection who has been granted subsidiary protection in Ukraine;
• Invitation for study (internship) issued by a higher education institution and registered according to the procedure established by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine;
• Letter of invitation from a government institution, state enterprise or organization that is a recipient of international technical assistance;
• Letter of invitation from a religious organization agreed with a government agency that registered the charter (regulation) of a corresponding religious organization for a long-term stay with the purpose of preaching a set of beliefs, performance of religious rituals or other faith-related activity;
• Letter of invitation from a branch office, division, representation or other structural unit of a civil society (non-governmental) organization of a foreign state registered according to the established procedure;
• Letter of invitation from a branch office, division, representation of a foreign business operator registered according to the established procedure;
• Letter of invitation from a branch office or representation of a foreign bank registered according to the established procedure;
• Request from a foreign mass media outlet about issuance of visa for a foreign correspondent or representative of a foreign mass media outlet who enters Ukraine for a long-term stay with the purpose of performing job-related responsibilities;
• Request from competent authorities of foreign states or international organizations to issue visas to employees of diplomatic missions and consular posts, international organizations and their representations who enter Ukraine for a long-term stay with the purpose of performing job-related responsibilities, and their family members;
• Letter of invitation from a relevant government agency responsible for implementation of cultural, educational, scientific, sport, or volunteering programs for participation in which a foreigner or stateless person arrives in Ukraine, or letter of invitation from an organization or institution that engages volunteers in their activity, information about which is placed on the official website of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, accompanied by the copy of state registration certificate of this organization or institution;
• Document certifying that a person is married to a Ukrainian citizen (if the marriage between a Ukrainian citizen and foreigner or stateless person was concluded outside Ukraine according to the law of a foreign state, validity of such marriage shall be determined on the basis of the Law of Ukraine “On International Private Law”). Documents issued by competent authorities of a foreign state shall be legalized, unless otherwise stipulated by the law or international treaty of Ukraine, and submitted together with the translation into the Ukrainian language, attested according to the established procedure; however, translation into the English language may be provided if the Ukrainian translation in not possible;
• Proof that the applicant is a family member to a foreigner or stateless person who hold permit for temporary residency in Ukraine (documents issued by competent authorities of a foreign state shall be legalized, unless otherwise stipulated by the law or international treaty of Ukraine, and submitted together with the translation into the Ukrainian language, attested according to the established procedure; however, translation into the English language may be provided if the Ukrainian translation in not possible), copy of the relevant permit for temporary residency in Ukraine and of the proof of financial sufficiency of a foreigner or stateless person to support family members in Ukraine;
• Other documents, if stipulated by Ukraine’s international treaties.

For all visa types, unless otherwise stipulated by legislation or international treaties of Ukraine, the following documents are mandatory to be submitted to the authorized body:

1) passport that should meet the following requirements:
be valid for at least three months after the stated date of departure from Ukraine;
have at least two blank pages;
have validity period of no longer than 10 years;
2) copies of all pages of the applicant`s valid passport that contain any information such as passport data, residence address, data of the parents and spouses, visas and entry/exit stamps;
3) dully filled and signed visa application form. Applicants are requested to ensure uploading high-quality photos. Digital photograph to be uploaded along with the visa application should meet the following requirements: format – JPEG. Photo should present full face, front view and white background. 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.
On behalf of legally incapable persons, visa application forms are submitted by their legal representatives. Persons whose information is included in passport of a foreigner or stateless person and who travel together with them shall submit their own visa application forms. Visa application forms of minors shall be submitted with signature of a parent or legal guardian.
4) one colored photo 35 mm x 45 mm attached to the visa application form;
5) valid health insurance (original and copy) with coverage of at least 30,000 EUR or equivalent in other currency, unless otherwise stipulated by legislation or international treaties of Ukraine. When multi-entry visa is requested, availability of health insurance valid for the first intended visit to Ukraine shall be considered. Holders of diplomatic or service passport shall be exempt from this requirement;
6) payment slip for consular fee, unless otherwise stipulated by legislation or international treaties of Ukraine. Applicants should submit the original of the payment slip to the Embassy at the time of submission of visa application;
7) bank statement for the last six months certified by the issuing bank, confirming sufficient funds for the period of intended stay in Ukraine or other proof of the applicant’s financial sufficiency for the intended period of stay and return to the country of origin, or transit to a third country, or the possibility to legally obtain sufficient financial means on the territory of Ukraine, as required by the Rules for proving financial sufficiency of foreigners and stateless persons for entry to Ukraine, stay on the territory of Ukraine, transit through the territory of Ukraine and departure from Ukraine, and establishment of the amount of such sufficiency.
When multi-entry visa is requested, financial sufficiency for the first planned visit to Ukraine shall be considered. Holders of diplomatic or service passport shall be exempt from this requirement;

IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

In accordance with the Ukrainian migration legislation, foreign travelers are required to present the proof of their financial status for the purpose of a selective control at Ukrainian border checkpoints while entering (including transit) the territory of Ukraine.

In this regard, foreign nationals who are visiting Ukraine for one month are to possess the financial assets equal to 30 880 Ukrainian HRN upon their arrival.
The proof of traveler’s financial status can be confirmed at the checkpoint upon arrival to Ukraine by presenting to officers of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine the following documents:
– the amount in convertible currency which is equal to 30 880 HRN;
– a valid bank document containing money amount which can be presented for payment in Ukrainian banks (e.g. travelers cheques of American Express, Visa, Thomas Cook, Citi Corp., Bank of America, Swiss Bakers Travelers Cheques etc.);
– international pay system cards along with a statement of personal account (e.g. Visa International, CONTACT, Western Union, MoneyGram, MIGOM, Interexpress, VIGO, American Express, Xpress Money, Coinstar Money Transfer, MasterCard International, BLIZKO, MONEY EXCHANGE, U.S. Money Express, FLASHCHEQUE, Faster, UNITED EUROPHIL, Caspian Money Transfer, RIA Financial Services (RIA Money Transfer), MEEST etc.);
– a document which proves hotel or residence booking;
– a tourist voucher;
– a warranty letter issued by a private entrepreneur or legal entity which confirms that inviting organization (person) bears all the expenses related to the foreigner’s stay on the territory of Ukraine;
– a traveler’s return ticket.
If required, the authorized staff may ask a foreign citizen or stateless person who is applying for a visa for additional documents to clarify the purpose of traveling or other proof of the applicant’s financial sufficiency.

Applicants for student visa (“D” type) along with the application have to submit the following documents:

1. Original of invitation for study and its photocopy;
2. Original of birth certificate and its photocopy with translation into Ukrainian language;
3. Original of school-leaving certificate with transcript of marks and their photocopies with translation into Ukrainian language;
4. Medical certificate of general fitness and its photocopy issued no more than 2 months before University studies’ process begin;
5. Original of affidavit (sponsorship letter), which has to contain: a full name of a sponsor, his/her address, telephone numbers, e-mail, and obligation of a sponsor to cover expenses (stating sum of expenses) of an applicant;
6. Photocopy of sponsor`s ID/passport;
7. The original of person’s or sponsor’s bank statement for the last six months. Minimum amount should be sufficient to cover all applicant’s expenses during his/her first year in Ukraine (tuition fees and daily expenses);
8. The insurance policy valid for the period of stay in Ukraine and its photocopy.
Originals of birth certificates, school-leaving certificates and medical certificates must be legalized by the relevant Ministry of foreign affairs.

Time limits for visa issuance by the Embassy of Ukraine are:
– for urgent issuance – up to five working days from receipt of necessary documents. Urgent visa issuance is processed upon request of a foreigner or stateless person and in the period determined by a Ukrainian diplomatic mission abroad;
– for ordinary issuance – up to ten working days from receipt of necessary documents, unless otherwise stipulated by Ukraine’s international treaties. This period may be extended up to 30 working days if necessitated by additional checks.
Express visas are issued upon the decision of the consular officers