Under new Cabinet decree, foreigners working permanently in Ukraine no longer need to apply for visas
The Cabinet has lifted visa requirements for foreigners who permanently reside in Ukraine and simplified visa regulations for those who work or study in the country on a long-term basis.
In a resolution approved June 5, the Cabinet amended the 1995 regulations for the entry, exit and residence of foreigners in Ukraine. The amendments introduced a new passport stamp that will allow permanent visa-free residency for its bearer.
Foreign employees and foreign students staying in Ukraine on a long-term basis are also eligible for special stamps in their passports, which will allow them visa-free travel during the period of stay in Ukraine after their current visa expires.
Officials at the Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department said the new resolution has already entered into effect.
The newly introduced stamps are to be issued at Interior Ministry visa and registration departments, better known by their Russian acronym OVIR.
OVIR can consider granting the permanent residency status to those foreigners who are either married to a Ukrainian citizen, have other close relatives, or who have a stable source of income in Ukraine, said Serhy Ufimtsev of the Interior Ministry’s central OVIR department.
These foreigners also have to produce proof that they presently reside in Ukraine legally – i.e. they have a current visa and a special OVIR registration stamp in their passports, the one that every foreigner arriving in Ukraine for more than three days must obtain under Ukrainian law.
Refugees and people without citizenship have to present a standard international document that confirms their status instead of a passport.
After obtaining the new, permanent residency stamp, these foreigners will never have to apply for a Ukrainian visa again, he said.
“We practically made such foreigners the equal of Ukrainian citizens,” Ufimtsev said. “Those permanently living here get their stamps once and for all.”
Foreigners officially working in Ukraine have to present a work permit issued by the Labor Ministry, and a letter from the employing company, while foreign students have to present a letter from their university or college in order to apply for a visa-free travel stamp.
However, OVIR officials were unable to clarify how long the period of validity for the stamps for the latter two categories of foreigners would be.
Ukrainian embassies usually issue visas valid for a maximum of three years, after which a new visa has to be obtained.
The introduction of visa-substituting stamps follows the recent abolishment of the requirement that foreigners obtain a written invitation from Ukraine in order to be able to apply for a Ukrainian visa.
That decision applied to citizens of European Union countries, the United States, Canada and Japan.
Despite the recent improvements, Ukrainian travel regulations still draw a lot of complaints from foreign visitors.
These mainly focus on the obligatory medical insurance that foreigners are required to buy at the port of entry to Ukraine and the OVIR registration stamp.
Failure to register, if discovered by police, results in a fine, but many foreigners said they were still unaware of the registration rule after having stayed in Ukraine for more than three days, when the deadline for registration expires.
