Grounds for Obtaining a Residence Permit in Ukraine in 2022

How to get a residence permit in Ukraine with the legal company "Pravova Dopomoga"

What is a residence permit, what does it give, what are the types of residence permits?

A residence permit is a document that allows a foreign citizen to legally stay on the territory of Ukraine for a certain amount of time, as well as expands the rights of a foreigner (for example, entitling them to free medical care). 

There are temporary and permanent residence permits. The difference can be already understood from the name. However, all the differences are not limited to the period of validity. 

Differences between the Temporary Residence Permit and the Permanent Residence Permit in Ukraine

Here is a brief table of differences between the two residence permits in Ukraine.

You can obtain a residence permit in Ukraine only if you have legal grounds for this, a list of which is established by law. Today we will talk about the most common grounds for obtaining a temporary residence permit in Ukraine, as well as what to do if you do not have grounds.

Rights and obligations of foreigners with residence permits

Having obtained a residence permit in Ukraine, a foreigner receives almost all the same rights as a citizen of Ukraine. That is, you can go to the polyclinic in case of health problems, apply to an educational institution and count on the protection of your rights and property.

The residence permit does not give the right to vote in elections in Ukraine.

Also note that a Temporary Residence Permit does not grant automatic right to work in Ukraine, a foreigner must additionally apply for a Work Permit. A Permanent Residence Permit, on the other hand, does provide this right.

The foreigners living in Ukraine are obliged to follow the laws of Ukraine, and apply for the extension of their Temporary Residence Permit or Permanent Residence Permit on a timely basis, if they plan to continue to live in the country. 

There are no mandatory military service, conscription or other similar obligations for holders of residence permits in Ukraine. On the other hand, foreign military personnel who come to Ukraine to defend the country or to perform military service are entitled to a Temporary Residence Permit.

The period for obtaining a residence permit, how long you can live in the country with a residence permit

As we said above, the period for obtaining a Permanent Residence Permit is about 1 year, a Temporary Residence Permit - 15 days.

In addition to this period, one should also account for the preparatory stage. They will differ depending on the basis, please see more details here.

As for the validity periods:

• a Temporary Residence Permit - from 6 months to 3 years, depending on the grounds;
• a Permanent Residence Permit - 10 years.

Please note! In case of any changes in the documents that you have submitted for the permit, you will have to obtain the permit all over again. For example, if you have changed your passport, you will need to change a Temporary Residence Permit or a Permanent Residence Permit as well.

You may also like: How to Get a Business Invitation Letter in Ukraine?

What are the grounds for obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit in Ukraine?

1. Temporary Residence Permit through employment:

This type of a Temporary Residence Permit is issued on the basis of a work permit obtained in Ukraine.

This option is suitable for those foreigners who have already received an offer of cooperation from a company located in Ukraine.

This procedure involves several steps:

1. Obtaining a work permit;

2. Submission of documents for a Temporary Residence Permit.

Documents needed to obtain a Temporary Residence Permit through employment:

• Original work permit (can be obtained with the assistance of our lawyers);

• Company commitment;

• Original passport with D-04 Ukrainian visa (except for citizens of CIS countries and Georgia), with a mark about crossing the Ukrainian border after the date of work permit;

• Health insurance policy (can be arranged by our lawyers).

You can read more about the procedure for obtaining a work permit here.

Our lawyers provide services for obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit in Ukraine through employment on a turnkey basis, the cost of the service can be found out on the service page. 

There is a separate option of registering a personal company in Ukraine and obtaining a work permit for employment there. We will tell you more about it further on.

2. Temporary Residence Permit by marriage

This option is suitable for you if your spouse is a citizen of Ukraine. 

Please note! This type of a Temporary Residence Permit is also called “family immigration” or “family reunion”. 

The procedure involves submitting the following documents:

• Marriage certificate with a citizen of Ukraine, as well as his/her passport (when submitting documents, the husband/wife, a citizen of Ukraine, must be present in person);

• Original passport with a D-14 Ukrainian visa (except for citizens of CIS countries and Georgia) and a stamp on crossing the Ukrainian border; 

Note: If the marriage was not concluded on the territory of Ukraine, the document must be properly legalized.

• Health insurance policy (our lawyers can arrange it for you)).

You can read an example of the detailed procedure here.

When obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit on such grounds, you may have many additional questions. For example, what to do if the marriage is civil, or whether you can move grandparents on such grounds, etc.

Having analyzed your situation and the possibilities of its solution in legal ways, we will find the best way to achieve your goal.

3. Temporary Residence Permit in Ukraine through work in volunteer organizations

First, the volunteer organization in which the foreigner will participate must be in the register of volunteer organizations on the website of the Ministry of Social Policy. After that, this volunteer organization must prepare an invitation (application), which will be the basis for obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit.

Documents needed to apply for a Temporary Residence Permit by volunteering:

• a non-resident’s passport (including a notarized translation);

• a D-10 visa;

• an application from the host party (a volunteer organization responsible for the program);

• a certificate of state registration of the volunteer organization (an original document and a copy);

• a health insurance policy (from 1 to 3 years);

• receipt of payment of the state fee (UAH 2535 for the Temporary Residence Permit).

The period for obtaining the permit is from 15 business days.

In fact, obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit through work in volunteer organizations is something akin to obtaining a residence permit through employment. We wrote about this procedure in detail here.

The procedure for obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit on this basis is relatively simple, but the result has its own drawbacks - the Temporary Residence Permit is issued only for one year, and if you want to find a job in Ukraine to earn money, you will have to apply for a Work Permit. 

4. Temporary Residence Permit in Ukraine through work in representative offices of foreign companies

This type of a residence permit is relevant for those who are going to come to Ukraine and stay on its territory for a long time in connection with the work in the representative office of a foreign company.

This type of a Temporary Residence Permit is issued only for one year.

The procedure provides for submission of the following documents:

• an original and a copy of the certificate of registration of the representative office;

• an original passport with a Ukrainian D-type visa (except for the citizens of CIS countries and Georgia) and a mark of crossing the Ukrainian border (notarized translation);

• a health insurance policy;

• a copy of the certificate of assignment of an identification number;

• a receipt of payment of administrative fee for a Temporary Residence Permit;

• an invitation of a respective representative office of a foreign company in Ukraine and a service card, which is to be obtained from the Ministry of Economic Development of Ukraine (our lawyer will help with obtaining service cards).

An example of the procedure for obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit for employees of a representative office can be found here.

In our practice, there are cases where during the registration of a foreign representative office, we organize the receipt of service cards for its employees in large numbers, then provide employees with services for obtaining temporary residence permits.

5. Temporary Residence Permit in Ukraine on other grounds

There is also a set of other grounds for obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit:

• for study at Ukrainian universities;

• on the basis of a visit to Ukraine for the purpose of preaching religious doctrine;

• on the basis of a visit to Ukraine for scientific, cultural, educational or volunteer activity on the basis of international treaties or special programs;

• on the basis of the work as a correspondent or representative of foreign media;

• on the basis of an investment.

Please note! In connection with the current situation in the world, periodic border closures due to quarantine, your visit to Ukraine, as well as the entire procedure, should be thought through and organized in advance. You may need additional help in organizing legal entry to Ukraine.

Beginning cooperation with our company, you, first of all, will receive an analysis of your situation and consultation of a migration lawyer on the grounds and the procedure that are suitable in your case

What to do if you have no official basis for obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit in Ukraine?

Lack of grounds for obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit in Ukraine does not mean that you have no opportunities. Everything will depend on your situation and opportunities. One of the standard ways of obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit in Ukraine without grounds is a Temporary Residence Permit in Ukraine through starting a company.

Such a solution will provide you with a guaranteed Temporary Residence Permit, as well as will allow you start your life in Ukraine with a ready-made company for business.

The whole process will look as follows:

1. Obtaining an identification number in Ukraine;

2. Registration of the legal entity (LLC) established by a foreigner. At this stage we register an LLC in Ukraine, where a temporary Ukrainian director (lawyer) is appointed, whose place is later taken by our Client;

3. Obtaining a work permit for a foreigner by the employer (registered LLC);

4. Replacement of the General Director by a foreigner;

5. Obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit;

6. Registration of the place of residence in Ukraine.

You can read a detailed example of the procedure here.

The price of this service, as well as the full scope of legal services can be found here. The standard price for obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit in Ukraine through registration of a company starts from USD 2,500.

We also have the opportunity to help you obtain a residence permit in Ukraine through participation in a volunteer organization. Please contact our specialists to select the best option for you.

How to get a Temporary Residence Permit and a Permanent Residence Permit in Ukraine?

In order to obtain any residence permit, temporary or permanent, you need to follow certain rules:

• you need to have a clear basis for the permit - we will talk about them further on;
• your stay in the country must be legal, without violating the terms of stay;
• you must have no non-expunged criminal records in Ukraine.

A foreigner must also adhere to the algorithm and deadlines set for each procedure. Thus, to apply for a Temporary Residence Permit or a Permanent Residence Permit, you must submit all documents no later than 15 days before the end of your legal stay in Ukraine. We advise you to do this even earlier, at least a month in advance. So if you are planning to apply for a residence permit in Ukraine, you should contact us before you come to Ukraine. It will give you an opportunity to prepare the documents in advance and to meet all the deadlines.

Update: Note that during the war or quarantine all state authorities in Ukraine may work with a delay. But this will not save you from breaking deadlines, so it is better to start preparing before you arrive in the country. Most preparatory steps can be done without personal presence, through a power of attorney to our lawyer.

Necessary documents and differences between the documents required for a Temporary Residence Permit and a Permanent Residence Permit 

The documents for obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit were described above, with examples according to the grounds.

The procedure and the documents for obtaining a Permanent Residence Permit in Ukraine are almost identical to those needed for a Temporary Residence Permit. The only difference is that the grounds for obtaining a Permanent Residence Permit must be more serious, for example:

• investments in Ukraine of a certain size;
• marriage with a citizen of Ukraine for 2 years and more;
• official employment of an IT specialist or other in-demand specialty.

Another difference is that according to the procedure, a person shall first apply for an Immigration Permit, and only after getting this Permit, one may apply for a Permanent Residence Permit. The documents are considered within 1 year and a person can reside in Ukraine during this period.

Buying a residence permit. Investments for obtaining the residence permit 

There is no such a thing as buying a residence permit in Ukraine. But a foreigner can obtain a Permanent Residence Permit through investments.

This implies an investment in foreign currency of at least $ 100,000 (according to the official exchange rate of the NBU on the day of investment).

More detailed information about this residence permit here.

Differences between visas and residence permits in Ukraine

A visa and a residence permit in Ukraine are two different documents that you will need for entry and residence.

Visa D is a document that is issued only to enter Ukraine, if you intend to get a residence permit. It requires its own set of documents, the visa is obtained by our specialists.

A residence permit is a document that permits a foreign citizen to reside in Ukraine. To obtain it you need to obtain visa D and use it to enter Ukraine.

Important! Visa D is needed only for those foreigners, whose countries have visa regimes with Ukraine.

Assistance of our company in obtaining residence permits in Ukraine

Our company offers you the following range of services:

• Analysis of your situation and the possibility to solve it by legal methods;

• Legal consultation on obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit in Ukraine on the grounds available to you;

• Assistance in obtaining missing documents for obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit in Ukraine;

• Obtaining a visa to Ukraine, insurance policy, assistance in obtaining a work permit in Ukraine, etc. - preparation for the procedure of obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit;

• Submission of documents to the state authorities and support of the Client during his/her visits to the migration service;

• Legal services on various issues in Ukraine.

Please note! Within 30 days after obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit, you must register your place of residence in Ukraine. If you do not have the address of registration - our lawyers can offer you an alternative option.

Do you want to get a residence permit in Ukraine? Don’t hesitate to contact us! 

Didn’t find an answer to your question?

More information about a Temporary Residence Permit in Ukraine here.

More information on obtaining a Permanent Residence Permit in Ukraine here.

How to get a residence permit in Ukraine with the legal company "Pravova Dopomoga"