How does a foreigner get a visa to Ukraine, from choosing the type to entry?

A visa lets you enter, not live here

A visa gives a foreigner the right to enter Ukraine and stay for a set period. It does not give the right to live in Ukraine. For long-term residence the foreigner applies after entry for a посвідка на тимчасове проживання (temporary residence permit, TRP), and the visa D is only the first step. How the permit itself works is explained in the guide to the temporary residence permit.

Visa procedure is governed by the Rules for issuing visas for entry into Ukraine and transit through its territory, approved by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 118 of 1 March 2017. They define the visa types, the documents, processing times, the consular fee and the grounds for refusal. The current version of the Rules is dated 21 May 2025, and this guide relies on it. Other documents a foreigner arranges after entry are covered in the guide to first steps in Ukraine.

Do you need a visa

Citizens of some countries enter Ukraine without a visa and stay under the 90/180 rule. How to count those days is explained in the article on the 90/180 rule. Citizens of other countries need a visa even for an ordinary trip.

Visa-free travel covers short trips only. If the purpose of coming is to live and work in Ukraine, some foreigners need a visa D even though they could visit as tourists without one. The list of visa-free countries depends on international treaties and changes over time, so check it for your country of citizenship on the website of the МЗС (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MFA) before you travel.

Three types of visa

The Rules set three types of visa. Each has its own purpose and its own permitted length of stay.

Grounds for a visa D

A visa D is issued only for a specific ground, and that ground has to be proved with a document. Paragraph 8 of the Rules lists such documents. Our clients most often submit these:

The order of steps here is strict. For work, the employer first obtains the work permit, and only then does the foreigner apply for a visa D. Applying for a visa "for a future permit" will not work, because the consulate will refuse for lack of evidence of the purpose of travel. How to get a residence permit through work is covered in the article on the residence permit for employees, and for families in the article on the residence permit for family members.

Foreign documents for a visa D, such as a marriage certificate or a document proving a family relationship, must be legalised unless the law or an international treaty provides otherwise. A certified translation into Ukrainian is attached to them, or into English if a Ukrainian translation is not possible. How to legalise a document is explained in the article on apostille and legalisation.

• a certified copy of the дозвіл на застосування праці (work permit), or an employment contract for those who do not need a permit;
• a copy of the decision of the ДМС (State Migration Service, DMS) to grant an immigration permit;
• an invitation to study from a higher education institution, registered under the procedure of the Ministry of Education and Science;
• a document confirming marriage to a Ukrainian citizen;
• a document confirming membership of the family of a foreigner with a residence permit, a copy of that permit and proof of funds to support the family;
• an invitation from a volunteer organisation listed on the website of the Ministry of Social Policy;
• an invitation from a religious organisation or from a branch or representative office of a foreign company or bank, or a request from a foreign media outlet.

Visas for families and children

Each family member gets their own visa, even if the children are entered in a parent's passport. People entered in a passport submit separate application forms, and a minor's form is signed by one parent or the legal representative. Biometrics may not be taken from children under 12.

If a foreigner already lives in Ukraine on a residence permit, their family can obtain a visa D as family members. For this they submit a document proving the family relationship, a copy of the foreigner's residence permit and proof that the foreigner has enough money to support the family in Ukraine. Marriage or birth documents issued abroad are legalised and translated.

Plan visas for the whole family at the same time. If one family member gets a visa later, their own deadline for applying for a residence permit also starts later, and the family ends up filing at different times. For the spouse of a Ukrainian citizen the ground for a visa D is the marriage document, and this route is described in the article on the residence permit through marriage.

Where to apply

The main route is a Ukrainian diplomatic mission abroad, meaning an embassy or a consulate. The Rules also allow documents to be filed through an external service provider, that is, a visa centre, if one operates in your country. You can apply in person, through an authorised representative, or by means of communication if the consulate allows it.

At a border crossing point a visa is issued only in exceptional cases expressly listed in the Rules. They include urgent medical treatment, attending the funeral of a close relative, dealing with the aftermath of an emergency, and humanitarian cases decided by the MFA consular service. Do not count on getting a visa at the border for an ordinary trip.

For short trips some foreigners can get an e-visa online. It is covered separately below.

When to apply

You can apply to the consulate no earlier than three months before the trip begins. Applying at the last moment is risky, because processing can be extended for additional checks.

There is one more consideration for a visa D. The visa is valid for 90 days, and within that time you have to enter Ukraine and apply for a residence permit. So choose your travel date in a way that leaves enough time after entry to prepare the residence permit documents.

Documents for any visa

Paragraph 5 of the Rules sets a list of documents common to all visa types. Documents specific to a given type are added to this list rather than replacing it.

Your passport must remain valid for at least three months after the declared date of departure from Ukraine and must have at least two blank pages, while its total validity must not exceed 10 years. A passport that falls short of these requirements is the most common cause of a technical refusal, so check it first.

Along with the passport you submit a completed and signed visa application form and one colour photo measuring 35 x 45 mm. A minor's form is signed by one parent or the legal representative. People entered in a foreigner's passport submit separate forms.

You also need a medical insurance policy, proof of funds and proof of payment of the consular fee. For a visa D add the document proving the ground, and for a visa C a document on the purpose of the trip, such as an invitation.

Biometrics

When you apply, your biometric data are taken, meaning fingerprints of both hands and a digital photo of your face. This requirement may be waived for children under 12, for holders of diplomatic and service passports, and in humanitarian cases. A larger colour photo is then submitted instead of biometrics.

Biometrics are given in person, so even if a representative files your documents, you will have to visit the consulate or the visa centre yourself. The Rules name a refusal to provide biometric data as a separate ground for refusing a visa.

Medical insurance

The policy must cover costs of at least EUR 30,000 or the equivalent in another currency. For a multiple-entry visa the consulate checks for a policy valid for the period of the first planned trip.

This is a different policy from the one needed for a residence permit. The visa policy and the residence permit policy have different requirements, so do not buy one policy for both procedures without checking. Insurance for a residence permit is covered in the article on insurance for a residence permit.

Proof of funds

A foreigner shows that they have enough money for their stay in Ukraine and for the return journey, or that they can lawfully obtain it in Ukraine. How to calculate a sufficient amount and how to prove it is set by the Procedure approved by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 884.

In practice funds are proved with a bank statement, card documents or a guarantee letter from the host. A guarantee letter is convenient because it covers the funds requirement and explains the purpose of the trip at the same time. That is why, for a visa D, we almost always prepare a guarantee letter from the employer or the organisation.

The MFA online form

The consulate will not accept documents without a registered online form. The form is filled in on visa.mfa.gov.ua in Latin script, then printed and signed after registration. Your surname and first name in the form must exactly match your passport and any other Ukrainian documents, or a discrepancy will arise that causes trouble for both the visa and the residence permit. Why this matters is explained in the article on name spelling discrepancies.

For a step-by-step walkthrough of the form, see the article on the online visa application form.

Invitation

A visa C most often requires an invitation. It is issued either by a Ukrainian legal entity on official letterhead or by a private person in notarised form. The Rules require specific details in the invitation, and the consulate may reject one that lacks them. What an invitation must contain and how to arrange it is explained in the article on invitations for a Ukrainian visa.

Visa D does not always need a separate invitation. There the ground is a work permit, an immigration decision or another document from paragraph 8 of the Rules. For volunteers, religious organisations, branches and representative offices, the organisation's invitation is itself the document proving the ground.

Consular fee

Ukrainian diplomatic missions charge a consular fee for issuing visas of types B, C and D. Under the Rules the base rate is USD 65, and the fee is doubled for urgent processing, so an urgent visa costs twice the base rate. For citizens of countries that charge Ukrainians more, Ukraine applies the principle of reciprocity, and the fee may be noticeably higher than the base rate.

Some categories pay a zero rate, including children under six and foreign Ukrainians holding a посвідчення закордонного українця (foreign Ukrainian certificate) and their family members. If a visa is refused, the fee is not refunded.

Where reciprocity applies to your country, the amount will differ from the base rate. Confirm the fee for your country of citizenship with the consulate where you are applying. A full budget breakdown is in the article on what a Ukrainian visa costs.

Processing times

The standard processing time is up to 10 working days from the day the required documents are received. Urgent processing takes up to five working days. If additional checks are needed, the term can be extended, and it then runs up to 30 working days.

For citizens of some countries a special procedure applies, with approval from other authorities and a personal interview. In such cases the processing time is hard to predict, and we never promise a client a specific date. What we can guarantee is the quality of the package, not the speed of the consulate.

Grounds for refusal

Paragraph 28 of the Rules lists the grounds for refusal. They include a threat to national security or public order, information about the person in the database of those banned from entry, a forged or unusable passport, and false information or forged documents. Listed separately are the lack of a valid medical insurance policy, insufficient funds, and the lack of evidence of the purpose of the trip or of the intention to leave Ukraine on time.

Most of these grounds can be dealt with at the preparation stage. A package with insurance at the right level of cover, proof of funds and a document on the purpose rarely gets a refusal for technical reasons.

How to appeal a refusal

A foreigner can challenge a refusal with an appeal letter to the authority that considered the application. The letter is filed within 60 working days of receiving the decision and sets out the applicant's position. The review takes no longer than 10 working days.

If the application is refused again after that review, a further appeal letter is not allowed. What remains is a new application with a new package and a new fee payment. This is often the more reliable route when the reason for refusal can be fixed with documents.

E-visa

An electronic visa is issued online on the evisa.mfa.gov.ua portal. It can be single or double-entry and allows a stay in Ukraine of up to 30 days. The e-visa suits business, private and tourist trips, medical treatment, activities in culture, science, education or sport, and work by foreign journalists.

Not every country's citizens can get an e-visa, only those on the MFA list. It does not work for a residence permit, since it is not a visa D. If you plan to live in Ukraine, apply for a visa D at a consulate.

After entering on a visa D

A visa D cannot be extended and does not replace a residence permit. After entry the foreigner applies for a temporary residence permit while the visa is still valid. Missing that deadline means breaching the rules of stay and a fine, and sometimes leaving the country and getting a new visa.

At the border, ask the border guard to put the entry stamp on the visa itself. Keep your boarding pass or ticket, because the date of entry will be needed for later procedures. What to do next is described in the guide to the temporary residence permit.

Lawyer's experience

Clients most often come to me believing that a visa D is valid for a year, like a residence permit. That is a costly mistake. The visa only gives you time to enter and apply for a residence permit, and that time runs out sooner than it seems. So together with the visa we plan the residence permit application from the start.

The second typical situation concerns the passport. A person collects a full package, and the consulate refuses because the passport expires too soon or lacks blank pages. I always begin by checking the passport, even before the form and the insurance.

My third piece of advice concerns the document proving the ground. For an employee this is the work permit, and there is no point applying for a visa before it is issued. We handle the permit and the visa as one case, so there are no gaps between them.

If you want the consulate package put together right the first time, we provide visa support from choosing the ground through to entry.

Common mistakes

• Applying for a visa C when the purpose of the trip is to live and work in Ukraine.
• Applying for a visa D before the work permit has been issued.
• Buying insurance with lower cover than the Rules require.
• Spelling your name in the form differently from your passport and other Ukrainian documents.
• Confusing the validity of a visa C with the permitted length of stay.
• Putting off the residence permit application after entering on a visa D.

All articles on this topic

• [Types of Ukrainian visa](/knowledge/visas/types-of-visas)
• [Visa C and visa D, the difference](/knowledge/visas/visa-c-vs-d)
• [Invitation for a Ukrainian visa](/knowledge/visas/invitation-for-visa)
• [Online visa application form](/knowledge/visas/visa-online-application)
• [The 90/180 rule](/knowledge/entry-border/90-180-rule)
• [Do you need a visa for Ukraine](/knowledge/visas/do-i-need-visa)
• [Ukraine e-visa](/knowledge/visas/e-visa-ukraine)
• [Documents for a visa D](/knowledge/visas/documents-for-visa-d)
• [Work visa D](/knowledge/visas/work-visa-d)
• [Family reunification visa D](/knowledge/visas/family-visa-d)
• [How much a Ukrainian visa costs](/knowledge/visas/visa-cost)
• [Visa refusal](/knowledge/visas/visa-refusal)

Frequently asked questions