What to do if the grounds on which you received a residence permit, permanent residence or work permit in Ukraine have changed?

After the introduction of martial law in Ukraine, the State Migration Service of Ukraine published an official clarification for foreigners staying in Ukraine on the basis of temporary or permanent residence permits. The clarification notes that even if these documents have expired,  they will all be valid for identification and stay in Ukraine.

In March the state registers gradually began to work and provide administrative services. That is why in a few months all authorities demanded to show a valid document.

In our article lawyers will tell you about the peculiarities of the extension of the permit and how to proceed if the grounds for obtaining the document have changed.

Today, the units of the Migration Service and state enterprises “Document”, which are located in the unoccupied territories, accept documents for the exchange of permanent and temporary residence permits.

Important! In case of violation of exchange deadlines administrative penalties are applied in the form of a fine in accordance with Article 203 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses.

Please note! No documents for residence permit and permanent residence permit for Russian citizens are accepted. The documents are accepted from Belarusians, but they are additionally checked by the Security Service of Ukraine.

You may also like: Frequently Asked Questions About Permanent Residence in Ukraine.

What are the grounds and terms of residence permit exchange?

The grounds for the exchange of a residence permit are as follows:

• changing the information specified in the permit;
• discovery of an error in the information specified in the permit;
• expiration of the permit;
• unsuitability of the permit for further use.

To change the permit, one shall submit documents 15 business days before the expiration of the permit. If the permit has expired, the foreigner is obliged within 7 days after the certificate has expired to deregister from the place of residence, surrender the permit to the Migration Service subdivision and leave Ukraine.

Please note! Instead of the permit, a foreigner will receive an appropriate certificate.

If you need to exchange your visa due to a change of information, you must do so within 1 month from the date of such changes or from the date of your new passport document, if your passport is also subject to exchange. Most often it happens as a result of a change of surname after marriage.

If the one-month deadline is violated, a fine is imposed on the foreigner.

You may also like: Permit to Immigrate to Ukraine

Exchange of residence permits due to life circumstances

It is not uncommon when a foreigner obtains a temporary residence permit for employment, study or volunteering, and in the meantime marries a Ukrainian citizen. In this case you can exchange the permit and get a new one on the basis of marriage with a citizen of Ukraine (family reunification).

Please note! Do not to miss the deadline for submitting documents.

The point is that the preliminary visa was obtained on the basis of the visa D code (employment, training, etc.), and now the basis is family reunification with a citizen of Ukraine, that is, it is another code of visa D.

Therefore, if you miss the permit exchange deadline, you will need to leave and apply for the appropriate visa.

That is why our lawyers constantly ask clients to be in touch and ask for advice and analysis of their situation in time.

There may be other situations, such as when a temporary residence permit was issued for study or marriage, and during the time of residence in Ukraine a foreigner intends to get a job. The employer must understand that if a foreigner does not have a permanent residence permit in Ukraine, he/she must obtain a work permit and accordingly exchange the temporary residence permit, as the basis for issuing the document has changed.

You may also like: Obtaining a Work Permit for a Foreigner in Ukraine during the War

What to do if you failed to get your Temporary Residence Permit because of the war?

By the beginning of the war, many foreigners had submitted documents for registration/exchange of certificates, but because they were forced to go abroad, they did not have time to take them. Many also submitted documents to Migration Service offices, which do not work today because they are in the occupied territories.

In fact, you cannot get a visa by power of attorney – only in person after undergoing the verification procedure (by fingerprint or face identification).

Lawyers of our company will help you to find out where your document is (the documents were taken out to other regions through military actions) and to obtain the document as fast and conveniently as possible.

We will help you to get or change your temporary or permanent residence permit without unnecessary problems.

Didn’t find an answer to your question?

The cost and terms of getting a Temporary Residence Permit here.

The cost and terms of getting a Permanent Residence Permit here.