According the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Ukraine dated 5th of May, 2000, invitation letters are not required for citizens of European Community countries, the USA, Canada and Japan for applying for the following types of Ukrainian visas: business, service, science, cultural, private. According to clarifications of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Ukraine and Visa Policy Department in Kiev this resolution became active in the Diplomatic Missions of the Ukraine in the abovementioned countries. However, they have underlined that original application form is still required and it requests address, name of inviting organization/company/person and places of stay in the Ukraine. There are no changes in the regulations for tourist visas. Ukrainian visa for entering Ukraine is required for citizens of most countries. Visas are issued by Ukrainian Consulates (see the list of Ukrainian Consulates here). Unfortunately, it is impossible to obtain Ukrainian visa in airports or Customs' Offices on the border, therefore visa has to be taken care of in advance.

a) diplomatic, official/service or regular travel passports of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan;
b ) diplomatic passports for citizens of Europian Union member-states (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spaine, Sweeden) who is visiting Ukraine on business up to 90 days of staying in Ukraine;
c ) Estonian and Israeli diplomatic passports;
d ) diplomatic and official/service passports of Argentina, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Hungary, Iran, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Vietnam and Yugoslavia;
e ) regular travel passports of Bosnia/Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cuba, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Yugoslavia traveling to Ukraine from countries of their citizenship with documents specified in paragraph 7 ;
f ) US citizens transiting immediately and continuously through Ukraine provided that they are in possession of one of the documents listed in paragraph 7 for a transit visa.

Due to the specifics of pertinent visa agreements all passport-holders listed in sub-paragraphs ( c ), ( d ) and ( e ) must still call the Consular Department for further clarification.

Qualified personnel assigned on a permanent or temporary basis to diplomatic and consular missions of all countries in Ukraine and also representations in Ukraine of other US government organizations, household servants of the above-mentioned diplomatic and consular personnel , as well as non-accompanying immediate family members, relatives and guests of all the above personnel having official letters of invitation from respective representations in Ukraine for a visit of a limited duration, and bearers of diplomatic passports intending to enter Ukraine for any other purpose are requested to call the Consular Department before submitting their applications.

Based on the purpose of entry, a BUSINESS (VB) , TOURIST (VT), PRIVATE (VP) or a TRANSIT (VF) VISA is granted. IMPORTANT: Since only one type of visa is issued per entry, the primary purpose of entry should be stated in the application form and the supporting document related to this purpose must be provided.

TRANSIT VISA (VF) Transit visas are issued provided your passport has valid visa for the next country on your itinerary, or if visa to that country is not required then tickets for transportation via Ukraine to the country of your destination are to be presented. Transit visa does not allow its holder to stay in Ukraine; it is supposed that travel through Ukraine to the country of destination can not exceed 5 days for one or several entries.
Transit visas are expedient when Ukraine is a transit country of your travel itinerary.
Transit visa can not be extended on the territory of Ukraine.

PRIVATE VISA (VP) Private visa is for home stay visits; it is issued basing on original invitation from residents of Ukraine in the applicant's name by local "Visas Permits and Passports Department" office (OVIR). Please, note invitations are to be in original, the Consulates do not accept e-mail or fax copies. Private visa holder is authorized for stay on the territory of Ukraine up to 180 days.
This type of visa is good if you are going to visit your relatives or acquaintances. Please, make sure that you have enough time to wait for the invitation that is to be mailed from Ukraine (Ukrainian post system is not very efficient and reliable) and those who invite you have time and willingness to go through local OVIR invitation issuing routine.
Private Ukrainian visa can be extended on the territory of Ukraine provided serious reasons (such as marriage, illness, etc.) are stated by the inviting party in their visa extension supporting documents which are to be authorized by a local OVIR.

BUSINESS VISA (VB) Business visa is for business visits to Ukraine and is issued basing on invitation of a legal business registered in Ukraine according Ukrainian regulations and a copy of State Registration Certificate of this company. The majority of Consulates accept fax copies of these documents. Business visa holders are authorized for stay in Ukraine up to one year. Term of visa validity depends on purpose of a visit. Visa supporting documents for long-term business visas should have serious business motivation. Long-term business visas may require Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine authorization; it is to be processed in Kiev and takes 7-10 working days. Business visa is expedient if you have business affiliate in Ukraine, and/or you need to make frequent and long-term visits to Ukraine. Business visa can be extended on the territory of Ukraine upon request of inviting party, which is to be applied to a local OVIR office.

TOURIST VISA (VT) Tourist visa is for visiting Ukraine with purpose of tourism. Tourist visa holder is authorized for staying in Ukraine up to 180 days for one or two entries. Tourist visa is issued basing on invitation from travel agency and hotel vouchers confirming hotel(s) reservations. Vouchers might be substituted by hotel confirmations produced by hotels. The majority of Consulates accept fax copies of these documents. Tourism agency must be authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine for producing visasupporting documents; each authorized agency has an MFA reference number. Tourist visa can be extended on the territory of Ukraine. Some Ukrainian Consulates (e.g. in USA) issue tourist visas valid for 6 months, no matter what term is given in the application form and visasupporting documents. Tourist visa is the easiest in terms of collecting visasupporting documents and Consulate processing.

Each of the above visas may be applied for at the most convenient Ukrainian consular post on the standard visa application form which can be duplicated. Any application received on Saturday, Sunday or legal Ukrainian (January 1 & 7, March 8, April 11 (Orthodox Eastern, 1999), May 1-2 & 9, , August 24, November 7-8) holidays will be considered received on the next business day.

FOR ALL VISAS THE FOLLOWING MUST BE SUBMITTED:

• ORIGINAL PASSPORT or TRAVEL DOCUMENT, both hereinafter referred to as "THE TRAVEL DOCUMENT", valid for at least one month after the expiration date of the requested visa and having a blank visa page;

• ONE VISA APPLICATION FORM PER TRAVEL DOCUMENT HOLDER - answered completely and legibly typed or printed in ink in block letters, dated and personally signed by the applicant aged 16 or over or by a parent or a legal guardian of the applicant under 16 ( a child included in an adult's travel document must be included in the adult's visa application form with a photograph and will be listed on adult's visa );

• PHOTOGRAPH - recent, passport-sized, resembling applicant's travel document photo.

TOGETHER WITH ALL ITEMS LISTED ABOVE THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS, each hereinafter referred to as "the supporting document", RELATED TO THE PURPOSE OF ENTRY MUST BE SUBMITTED IN SUPPORT OF THE APPLICATION FOR:

A) BUSINESS VISA:

1) An invitation (legible fax version accepted) from a legal entity duly registered in Ukraine, typed on its letterhead containing its official address and telephone number, signed by an authorized officer (other than the applicant) of the entity, bearing its seal and accompanied, when applicable, by a clear copy of its valid Certificate of Registration in Ukraine. The invitation must detail the purpose and if necessary the number of visits, exact travel dates, cities and/or towns to be visited and provide basic passport data of the invitee.
2) IMPORTANT: A letter of invitation from a Ukrainian religious organization for a foreign missionary must contain or be accompanied by a written confirmation under the signature and seal of a responsible official of the State Committee of Ukraine on Religious Matters or of the department on religious matters of a regional or city administration depending on where the sponsoring organization is registered.
3) For individuals providing HUMANITARIAN AID, a visa is issued on the basis of a letter of support from the Committee on Humanitarian Aid of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, or of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea or from a similar institution of an Oblast (Province), or of Kyiv or Sevastopol State Administrations.

B) TOURIST VISA - a request for a visa typed on a travel agency's letterhead, signed by its manager and accompanied with a printed itinerary of the applicant's visit listing the cities and/or towns to be visited and the name (-s) of hotel (-s) the tourist will be staying at, exact dates of accommodation with confirmation number (-s) as well as the consular reference number (-s) of the Ukrainian travel agency (-ies) which will provide services to the tourist in Ukraine.


VISA DURATION: a SINGLE or DOUBLE-ENTRY BUSINESS or TOURIST VISA - up to 6 months for US citizens and up to 3 months for non US nationals and stateless persons; a SINGLE-ENTRY PRIVATE VISA - up to 3 months for a home stay or medical treatment visit and up to 2 weeks (once per a calendar year) for a burial site visit for all nationals and stateless persons; a MULTIPLE ENTRY BUSINESS VISA - up to 3 years for US citizens and up to 6 months for other nationals (stateless persons must apply for this visa in Ukraine) ; a TRANSIT VISA - 3 days (a period of time sufficient to cross Ukraine by train, ship, automobile or other mode of transportation). IMPORTANT: The approved length of stay in the visa is determined in each case by the period indicated on the application form but in no case can it exceed the period of time indicated in the supporting document.

VISA ENTRIES: According to the request contained in the supporting document, a DOUBLE ENTRY BUSINESS, TOURIST, and a TRANSIT visa or a MULTIPLE ENTRY BUSINESS visa (which entitles the holder to unlimited entries) can be issued by the Consular Department.

THE ITINERARY listed on the visa will be identical to the itinerary indicated on the supporting document.

EXTENSION OF A VISA: Each visa except a multiple entry business visa can be extended in Ukraine at the request of the sponsor by an appropriate institution which should be known to the sponsor, or by the Consular Department within its respective maximum validity period indicated in paragraph 8 provided that it has been originally issued by the Consular Department, submitted for extension to the Consular Department before its expiration date, and that its extension is substantiated by the supporting document.

ADJUSTMENT TO A VISA: After a visa is received, it should be checked for accuracy and returned to the Consular Department, if necessary, for corrections. The Consular Department shall not be responsible for any discrepancies which were not brought to its attention. If there is a necessity to adjust a visa, it may be done as long as it is permitted by the supporting document.

PROCESSING FEES: Visa issuance, extension or adjustment are subject to a processing fee in US dollars payable to the Consular Department in Budapest only in the cash at the time of the application.

* Although there is no expedition fee for US citizens, a $ 45 additional non-refundable fee per person is collected on a reciprocal basis for visa issuance except from children under 16 and others receiving visas gratis. IMPORTANT: Fees for holders of Slovenien regular travel passports are collected on a reciprocal basis. d) FEES ARE WAIVED FOR: children under 16, individuals providing humanitarian aid substantiated by one of the documents listed in paragraph 7.A.3.
ON THE RECIPROCAL BASIS FEES are WAIVED or REDUCED for all persons listed in paragraph 2.

Holders of a BUSINESS or a PRIVATE VISA, excluding children under 16, crew members, transit visa holders and visitors staying less than three days, are required to have their sponsors register their travel documents within 72 hours of arrival at the appropriate institutions which should be known to the sponsors. The registration requirement is automatically met for holders of a TOURIST VISA with their registration in hotels. Requirements in this list are subject to change without notice.






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