Temporary Residence Permit in Ukraine

To successfully obtain a temporary residence permit in Ukraine, a foreigner or stateless person who has arrived in Ukraine in accordance with the law must submit the following documents:

• A completed application form, prepared by officials of the State Migration Service of Ukraine (SMSU).
• A passport with a D visa (the passport is returned after verification); in certain circumstances (for citizens of the Republic of Moldova, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Georgia, the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia) and in the case of exchanging a temporary residence permit on the basis of marriage, a D visa is not required.
• A copy of all passport pages.
• In the case of a minor applicant — a document confirming the status of the legal representative or guardian (originals are returned after verification, only copies of the documents are submitted).
• A notarized translation of the passport pages into Ukrainian.
• A valid medical insurance policy for 1–3 years depending on the applicant’s category.
• A document confirming payment for the service or entitlement to an exemption (the original is returned after verification, only a copy is submitted).
• Other documents depending on the applicant’s category.

When applying for a temporary residence permit in Ukraine, in addition to the required documents, you also need to take into account the payments associated with the procedure. Here are some of the payments to consider:

• A state duty of UAH 34 (under clause 6 of Article 3 of the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine “On State Duties”).
• A fee for administrative services of UAH 884 (in accordance with the List of migration-related administrative services and the fees for them, approved by Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of 2 November 2016 No. 770, which governs certain matters of providing administrative services in the field of migration).
• A fee for an administrative service of UAH 340.

It is important to note that certain categories of persons are exempt from paying the state duty. These categories include:

• Citizens classified in categories 1 and 2 of persons affected by the Chornobyl disaster.
• Persons with disabilities resulting from the Second World War and the families of servicemen (combatants) who were killed or went missing, as well as persons equated to these groups in the established manner.
• Persons with group I and group II disabilities.

You must take these payments and exemptions into account if you are planning to obtain a temporary residence permit in Ukraine.

No — to obtain a temporary residence permit in Ukraine, the applicant must be present in the country. This requirement is mandatory, since the competent authorities will review the foreigner’s application and may invite them to an interview. In addition, they will verify their address of residence and the history of crossing the state border upon entry into Ukraine. The applicant’s presence in the country is therefore necessary before obtaining a temporary residence permit.

If you have exceeded the period of authorized legal stay in Ukraine, there are situations in which it is still possible to carry out the procedure for extending the period of stay, even without leaving the country again.

However, this is only possible if you have valid reasons for such an extension. Assessing whether you have grounds to extend the period of stay without re-entering on a new visa requires an individual legal consultation with an experienced immigration lawyer.

Units of the State Migration Service of Ukraine (SMSU) may refuse to issue a residence permit in the following cases:

1. The applicant already holds a valid temporary or permanent residence permit, a refugee certificate or a certificate of a person granted complementary protection, except in cases of exchanging a residence permit.
2. The applicant has violated the rules of stay in Ukraine, is subject to a decision on forced return or a ban on further entry into the country.
3. The applicant has provided inaccurate information that does not match the SMSU databases.
4. The applicant holds Ukrainian citizenship.
5. The applicant’s legal representative has failed to provide the relevant documents.
6. The applicant has submitted an incomplete set of documents or has failed to meet the established deadline for their submission.
7. Information has been received from the National Police, the SBU or another public authority that the applicant’s actions threaten national security, public order, health, or the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens of Ukraine and other persons, or that the applicant has committed a crime against peace, a war crime or a crime against humanity as defined by international law, or is wanted by law enforcement.
8. The applicant’s passport is forged, damaged, does not conform to the established form or belongs to another person, or its validity has expired.
9. The applicant has submitted knowingly false information or forged documents.
10. The applicant has failed to comply with court decisions or acts of public authorities within their competence, or has other property obligations towards the state or natural or legal persons, including a prior expulsion from Ukraine.
11. In other cases provided for by law.

The SMSU unit officially notifies the applicant of the refusal to issue or exchange the residence permit. The list of grounds is not exhaustive and may be expanded depending on the circumstances and the requirements of the current legislation of Ukraine.