PRP in Ukraine: the complete guide to permanent residence

Two steps

Step one is the immigration permit. A foreigner who is lawfully in Ukraine applies to the ДМС (State Migration Service, DMS). Someone living abroad applies to a Ukrainian consulate. The DMS checks the ground, the documents and whether any reason for refusal applies.

The second step is the card. A foreigner who has received the permit and is in Ukraine applies to the DMS no later than 15 working days before their permitted stay ends. Those living abroad first get a type D visa at the consulate, enter Ukraine and then apply to the DMS in the same way. The application form for the card can be filed within one year from the date the permit was issued. The card is processed within 15 working days of the documents being accepted.

Where to apply

When you are lawfully in Ukraine, the permit application goes to the territorial DMS office where you live. A foreigner living abroad applies through a Ukrainian embassy or consulate. The place of filing affects the review period, as explained below.

Cards are issued by the DMS. Application forms for the card are also accepted by the state enterprise "Document" and by ЦНАП (administrative service centres, TsNAP) that work with migration documents. Check before you go that your TsNAP takes these applications, because not every centre has the equipment.

Review period

Article 9 of the law sets maximum periods for reviewing a permit application. When the application is filed with the DMS in Ukraine, the review may not exceed six months. When it is filed with a consulate abroad, the period is up to one year. The law offers no fast track. Still, separate checks by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the SBU, the National Police and the State Border Guard Service run on their own timelines, and in practice a decision sometimes arrives before the maximum period ends.

Should something change during the review, for example you get a new passport or move house, submit documents on the change to the authority handling your application within 10 days of the change. They are added to your file, and the DMS takes them into account when it decides. Missing this deadline can become an argument for refusal.

Your status during the review

While the DMS reviews the application, you must remain in Ukraine lawfully. Filing for the permit does not by itself extend your permitted stay. Plan a "bridge" for this period in advance.

Your options for the bridge are:

How to extend your stay is explained in the article on extending the period of stay.

• a temporary residence permit, which is the most convenient choice if you have a ground for it, such as work or marriage;
• extending your stay through the DMS, keeping in mind that the review may require several extensions;
• filing the documents and leaving Ukraine, in which case the usual visa-free or visa rules apply each time you return.

Address and background checks

Your application states an address in Ukraine. If you hold a TRP and have a declared place of residence, the document confirming it is enough. Otherwise you need the property owner's consent to your living there. The DMS may check whether you really live at that address, and being absent from it raises doubts.

During the review several authorities examine the file, among them the police, the SBU and the State Border Guard Service. They look for criminal records, entry bans, overstays and unfulfilled decisions. This is the stage where old fines resurface, so go through your own history beforehand.

Grounds outside the quota

Part 3 of Article 4 of the law lists the grounds on which the permit is granted outside the quota. The most common are:

This group is covered in detail in the article on permanent residence outside the quota. For a full overview of every ground, read the article on grounds for permanent residence.

• marriage to a Ukrainian citizen lasting more than two years;
• being a child or a parent of a Ukrainian citizen;
• guardianship or care by Ukrainian citizens;
• the right to citizenship by territorial origin, except for former Ukrainian citizens;
• закордонний українець (foreign Ukrainian) status, extended to the spouse and children who enter together;
• being a family member of a fallen service member;
• immigration that serves the interest of the state.

Quota grounds

Part 2 of Article 4 lists the categories for which the Cabinet of Ministers sets an immigration quota. They include:

A quota is set every year. If no quota has been set for the year, applications in these categories are not considered. So if you also have a ground outside the quota, such as marriage, choose that one. More in the article on the immigration quota.

• scientists and cultural figures;
• highly qualified specialists and workers the economy needs;
• investors with a foreign investment of at least USD 100,000;
• siblings, grandparents and grandchildren of Ukrainian citizens;
• former Ukrainian citizens;
• foreigners who served in the Defence Forces for three years or more, or at least one year under martial law;
• certain categories of TRP holders after continuous residence for the last five years.

Investment as a ground

Investment is one of the quota categories. The law requires a foreign investment in Ukraine's economy in foreign convertible currency of at least USD 100,000, registered in the manner set by the Cabinet of Ministers. Buying property or opening a bank account is not enough. What counts is an investment in a business, backed by documents on the transfer of funds and on its registration.

Because the category depends on the quota, an investor should first check whether a quota has been set for the current year. Until there is one, the investor can live in Ukraine on a TRP, for example as a company founder, and return to permanent residence later. Running a business as a foreigner is covered in the business guide.

Marriage as a ground

Marriage to a Ukrainian citizen is the most common path to permanent residence. While the marriage has lasted less than two years, the foreigner lives on a TRP. After that they apply for an immigration permit outside the quota. The first stage is described in the article on the residence permit through marriage.

Article 4-1 of the law lists the circumstances in which a marriage is not accepted as a ground. They are not living together or sharing a household, no contact before the marriage, no common language, not knowing each other's basic personal details, payment for agreeing to the marriage, and refusing an interview or written tests. The DMS interviews both spouses.

Children

A child of a Ukrainian citizen receives an immigration permit outside the quota. For a foreign child moving with their parents, the ground depends on the parents' status. An immigrant's parents and minor children fall within the quota categories. If one parent is a Ukrainian citizen, it is therefore better to apply for the child through that parent.

For a child you usually need a passport and birth certificate with translations, the parents' documents, a statement on financial support, consent to residence and a notarised consent from the other parent if they are not applying together. The law does not require a medical certificate or a criminal record certificate for children of Ukrainian citizens.

Foreign Ukrainians

A foreign Ukrainian, their spouse and their children who enter together receive the permit outside the quota. The ground is the foreign Ukrainian certificate issued by the National Commission on Foreign Ukrainians. The certificate therefore comes first and the permit application second. People entitled to citizenship by territorial origin also receive the permit outside the quota, provided they were never Ukrainian citizens before.

Fee

For the procedure of granting an immigration permit you pay an administrative fee of 0.5 of the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons as of 1 January of the year. In 2026 that comes to UAH 1,664. If you apply through a consulate, you pay a consular fee instead of the administrative fee. Processing of the card itself is paid separately at DMS rates.

The interview and the marriage check

Each spouse is interviewed by the DMS separately. Questions cover how you met, the wedding, your shared household, relatives, work and plans. The officer compares the answers, and significant differences lead to a closer check. Rehearsing a script is a poor idea, because memorised answers are easy to spot. It works better to calmly recall the facts you both know.

Besides the interview, the DMS may ask for written explanations or documents on your life together. These can be a lease or property documents, joint accounts, photos, correspondence and tickets for trips together. If you and your spouse live apart for a while because of work or the war, explain the reason and back it up with documents.

Details to prepare

In the application and during the review the DMS asks for information that is worth gathering in advance. This covers changes of surname or first name and the reasons for them, previous citizenships, place of birth, any past criminal liability and details of close relatives. Close relatives here means your spouse, parents, children, brothers and sisters, with their years of birth, citizenship and addresses. An inaccuracy in these details can look like concealment, even when it is accidental.

A criminal record certificate and a medical certificate stay valid only for a limited time. Order them closer to the filing date rather than at the start of collecting documents.

Documents

For the immigration permit, Article 9 of the law requires an application, photos, a passport with a certified translation of the personal data page, a document confirming lawful stay in Ukraine, a document on the place of residence, information on family composition, a medical certificate and a criminal record certificate from the country of citizenship. Spouses, children and parents of Ukrainian citizens and some other categories are exempt from the medical and criminal record certificates.

On top of this come the documents proving your ground. Foreign documents are legalised or apostilled and then translated. The full list is in the article on documents for permanent residence, and legalisation is covered in the article on apostille and legalisation.

The card and its exchange

A permanent residence permit is issued for 10 years. The right to live in Ukraine has no end date, and the card itself is exchanged when it expires, when your details change or when it is damaged. After a change of details, the exchange documents are filed within one month. When the card is about to expire, they are filed no later than 15 working days before the expiry date. Details are in the article on exchanging the permanent residence permit.

Martial law

Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1202 protects holders of permanent residence permits. A card that expired or was due for exchange after 24 February 2022 confirms the right to live in and enter Ukraine for the period of martial law and 30 calendar days after it ends. Once martial law ends, the exchange documents are filed within 30 calendar days. These rules do not apply to citizens of the Russian Federation.

What permanent residence gives you

With permanent residence a foreigner works in Ukraine without a work permit. They can run a business, including registering as a ФОП (individual entrepreneur, FOP), change jobs freely and enter Ukraine without a visa while the card is valid. How to set up a company is explained in the article on registering an LLC.

Permanent residence also opens the way to citizenship. Among other conditions, naturalisation requires an immigration permit and continuous residence in Ukraine for five years. Some categories, spouses of Ukrainian citizens for example, have different periods. All routes to citizenship are covered in the citizenship guide.

After you receive the card

Once the card is in your hands, declare or register your place of residence. The law gives you 30 calendar days for this, as the article on residence registration explains. A declared address is needed for the bank, the tax number, medical care and further administrative services.

Drivers on a national licence should note that after the card is issued the licence remains valid in Ukraine for only 60 days. You can exchange it under a simplified procedure, but the national licence is then taken from you. The other route is to pass the full exams for a Ukrainian licence. Details are in the article on exchanging a driving licence.

Refusal and revocation

Article 10 of the law sets out the grounds for refusing an immigration permit. They include an unspent conviction, false documents, a sham marriage, an incomplete set of documents, previous breaches of the law on foreigners, an entry ban and unpaid fines. A refusal can be appealed administratively within two months or in court. More in the article on refusal of an immigration permit.

Even a permit already granted can be revoked, for example after a court sentence or a breach of the law on foreigners. The card is cancelled together with the permit. How to defend yourself is explained in the article on revocation of an immigration permit.

Expired passport

As a general rule you need a valid passport. An exception applies to certain categories linked to military service and to family members of fallen service members. They may submit an expired passport of the state that committed aggression against Ukraine, both for the permit and for the card. Civilian categories have no such exception.

If you have no ground

When no ground outside the quota fits you, the quota categories remain, such as investment or highly qualified work. They are considered only once a quota is set for the year. Until there is a quota, the practical alternative is a TRP that can be renewed, for example one based on work. The options are described in the article on grounds for a temporary residence permit.

Plan the process so that you have a valid basis for stay at every stage. The first stage, the immigration permit, takes the longest. The second stage is shorter, because the card is issued within a period fixed by law.

Lawyer's experience

Most people reach permanent residence through marriage, and here the DMS interview is decisive. Spouses who live together and know each other go through it calmly. Problems arise when a couple lives apart because of work or the war. In that case I suggest gathering evidence of your life together well in advance.

My second piece of advice concerns the quota. Many foreigners count on permanent residence through work without knowing that these categories are considered only once a quota is set for the year. I recommend checking whether there is a quota before you collect documents and, if you have a ground outside the quota, choosing that one.

Third, think about your past. An old fine, an overstay or an expired document can turn into a ground for refusal years later. Before filing, I go through the client's whole history of stay in Ukraine.

Timing is my fourth point. The decision on the permit is sent by post to the address in your application. If you move, tell the DMS. Otherwise the letter comes back, and the deadline for applying for the card runs out without you knowing.

If you are planning permanent residence, at a migration law consultation we will identify your ground and draw up a plan.

Common mistakes

• Applying in a quota category when no quota has been set for the year.
• Collecting a medical certificate and a criminal record certificate when your category is exempt.
• Missing the deadline for applying for the card after the permit is granted.
• Being left without a valid basis for stay while the application is reviewed.
• Not exchanging the card after a change of passport or name.
• Ignoring old fines that later become grounds for refusal.

Everything on this topic

• [Grounds for permanent residence](/knowledge/permanent-residence/grounds-for-permanent-residence)
• [Immigration quota](/knowledge/permanent-residence/immigration-quota)
• [Permanent residence outside the quota](/knowledge/permanent-residence/permanent-residence-outside-quota)
• [Documents for permanent residence](/knowledge/permanent-residence/documents-for-permanent-residence)
• [Exchanging the permanent residence permit](/knowledge/permanent-residence/permanent-residence-exchange)
• [Refusal of an immigration permit](/knowledge/permanent-residence/permanent-residence-refusal)
• [Revocation of an immigration permit](/knowledge/permanent-residence/permanent-residence-revocation)
• [TRP, permanent residence and citizenship compared](/knowledge/permanent-residence/statuses-compared)