Who can get a Ukraine e-visa, and what does it allow?

What an e-visa is

An e-visa is a Ukrainian visa you obtain remotely over the internet, with no visit to a consulate. The Rules for issuing visas, approved by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 118, call it a visa in electronic form. Requirements are set by the МЗС (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MFA), and applications go through the evisa.mfa.gov.ua portal. The general visa procedure is covered in the guide to getting a Ukrainian visa.

Paragraph 33 of the Rules provides that an e-visa is single or double-entry and allows a stay in Ukraine of up to 30 days. You receive the approved visa electronically and print it out for the border.

Which trips it covers

An e-visa is issued for entry with a specific purpose. The Rules list these purposes:

Employment, study and moving to Ukraine to live are not on the list. Each of them requires a long-stay visa D, which only a consulate issues.

• a business trip;
• a private visit, for example to relatives or friends;
• tourism;
• medical treatment;
• activities in culture, science, education or sport;
• official duties of a foreign correspondent or a representative of foreign media.

Who is eligible

Not every foreigner can get an e-visa. It is open only to citizens of countries on a list kept by the MFA, and that list changes from time to time. Before you travel, check whether your country appears on evisa.mfa.gov.ua. If it does not, apply for an ordinary visa C at a consulate instead. A visa C can be multiple-entry and stay valid longer than an e-visa, although the length of each stay on it is limited too.

Citizens of countries with visa-free entry to Ukraine do not need an e-visa at all. To find out whether you need any visa, read the article on visa requirements for your country.

Processing times

Paragraph 35 of the Rules sets two processing times. Standard processing takes three working days, and urgent processing takes one working day. For urgent processing the consular fee is charged at double the rate.

These times cover only the processing itself. Allow extra time to prepare documents and to answer any follow-up questions from the MFA. Applying on the last day before your flight is a gamble.

Consular fee

You pay the consular fee online when you submit the application. The amount depends on whether the visa is single or double-entry. Paragraph 34 of the Rules sets USD 20 for a single-entry e-visa and USD 30 for a double-entry one. Urgent processing doubles the fee, so you pay twice these amounts. The portal shows the final amount due at the payment step.

As with an ordinary visa, the fee is not refunded if the visa is refused. What makes up the cost of the different visas is explained in the article on how much a Ukrainian visa costs.

Documents for the application

On the portal you upload a scan of your passport, a digital photo and documents that show the purpose of the trip. For tourism this can be an accommodation booking, for a business trip an invitation from a company, and for treatment a document from the clinic. A medical insurance policy is needed as well.

Your passport has to meet the same requirements as for an ordinary visa. It must remain valid for at least three months after you leave Ukraine and contain at least two blank pages.

E-visa and the residence permit

An e-visa gives no basis for a посвідка на тимчасове проживання (temporary residence permit, TRP). Citizens of countries that need a visa apply for a TRP after entering on a visa D, which a consulate issues for a specific ground such as a work permit. The difference between the short-stay and long-stay visas is set out in the article on visa C and visa D.

Sometimes a person comes to Ukraine on an e-visa, finds a job and wants to stay. In that case they have to leave the country and apply for a visa D at a consulate once the employer has obtained the work permit.

At the border

Print the e-visa and carry it together with your passport. The border guard checks the visa and the passport and may ask about the purpose of the trip and your funds. Bring the documents you uploaded to the portal, because you may be asked to show them.

Conditions of entry on an e-visa, including which border crossing points you can use, are set by the MFA. Check them on the portal before you buy tickets.

Lawyer's experience

In my practice the e-visa is most convenient for short business trips. A partner flies in for negotiations or a conference, and there is no need to go to a consulate. Still, I always ask about the purpose first. If the person plans to work here, an e-visa is the wrong tool, and it is better to start with the work permit and a visa D from day one.

My second piece of advice concerns the length of stay. An e-visa gives you a limited period, and you cannot extend it the way you renew a residence permit. Plan your departure in advance, and if your circumstances change, contact the ДМС (State Migration Service, DMS) before your period of stay ends, not after.

When an e-visa does not suit you, our visa support through a consulate covers everything from choosing the ground to entry.

Frequently asked questions