Visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens

Visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Ukraine.

As of 1 May 2020, Ukrainian citizens with biometric Ukrainian passports had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 128 countries and territories, thus ranking the Ukrainian passport 43rd in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.[1]

Visa requirements map

Ukraine

Visa not required

Visa issued upon arrival

Electronic authorization or eVisa

Visa available both on arrival or online

Visa required prior to arrival

Travel documents of Ukrainian citizens

For traveling to certain countries, Ukrainians do not need to use a passport, as they may use their Ukrainian identity card or internal passport.

Front cover of a biometric Ukrainian passport
Front cover of a non-biometric Ukrainian passport
Biometric internal passport (identity card)
Internal passport

General information

Documents which give the right to leave Ukraine and to enter Ukraine and certify the identity of a citizen of Ukraine while staying abroad are:

passport of a citizen of Ukraine for traveling abroad (citizens of Ukraine can use a general-purpose passport for travel to Georgia, Belarus and Turkey);
diplomatic passport;
service passport;
travel document of the child;
seaman's identify card.

It's important to know, that the special rules of arriving in a particular country should be studied carefully. Thus, in most countries that do not require visas or issue visas, upon arrival you must have a passport, which is valid for at least 3 months from arrival in that country.[2]

Regardless of the entry regime, foreign border services may require documents confirming the purpose of the visit and the availability of sufficient financial resources for travel.

The visa-free regime with other countries does not give the right to work in them. Failure to comply with this rule may result in a fine with subsequent deportation.

Some countries may charge a fee for entry or exit.

In cases where a visa is issued upon arrival, it may be necessary to have 1-2 color passport photographs of the person crossing the border.

For visa-free travel to the countries of the Schengen zone, you need only a biometric passport. Owners of passports of the old model need a visa or residence permit in one of the countries of the Schengen zone.

Europe

From June 11, 2017 Ukrainians with biometric passports can travel to Schengen Area countries visa-free for up to 90 days.

Five European countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia have a visa-free regime with Ukraine (entry is possible for up to 30 days upon presentation of a passport (to Montenegro and North Macedonia - up to 90 days). Other EU countries, that are not part of the Schengen area, also allow Ukrainians to enter with biometric passports (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Romania).

The United Kingdom and Ireland have a visa agreement, according to which it is possible to enter the territory of the Republic of Ireland from the territory of the United Kingdom with a United Kingdom visa. In addition, the United Kingdom is the only European country and one of the few in the world that issues visas with a very long stay (up to 10 years inclusive with the possibility of obtaining a new visa).[3] In January 2020 British ambassador to Ukraine announced that there would be no visa-free arrangements for Ukrainian citizens.[4]

Crimea

The entry of Ukrainian citizens into the territory of the Crimea that is controlled by the Russian authorities should be carried out through the Ukrainian entry-exit checkpoint and the Russian border checkpoint; entering is possible within 90 days out of 180 without a visa on the internal or international passport of Ukraine. Return from the Crimea to the territory controlled by the Ukrainian authorities should be carried out through the same checkpoints; transit travel through the Crimea is prohibited by Ukrainian law. Other entry into the Crimea or departure from the Crimea may be illegal from the point of view of the authorities of Ukraine or the authorities of the Russian Federation, and entail administrative or criminal liability in the territories controlled by them. Arriving in the Crimea from another territory under the control of the Russian Federation is considered by the Russian authorities as moving inside the country and does not require additional permits, but it is considered by the Ukrainian legislation as a crime - illegal crossing of the state border.[5]

Recent

Recently visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens were lifted by Paraguay (May 2009),[6] Montenegro (October 2010),[7] Hong Kong (November 2010),[8] Israel (February 2011),[9] Argentina (October 2011),[10] Brunei (2 November 2011),[11] Bosnia and Herzegovina (November 2011),[12] Serbia (December 2011),[13] Brazil (December 2011),[14] Panama (August 2013),[15] Turkey (August 2012),[16] Chile (October 2015),[17] Indonesia (March 2016),[18] Costa Rica (December 2016),[19] Saint Kitts and Nevis (January 2017),[20] Albania (April 2017),[21] the Schengen Area countries (11 June 2017),[22] Qatar (August 2017),[23][24] United Arab Emirates (31 December 2017),[25] Kuwait (18 April 2018)[26], New Caledonia (20 May 2018), Uruguay (15 February 2019) and Thailand (14 April 2019).