Application for a temporary and permanent residence permit in Ukraine

Application for a temporary residence permit

Foreign nationals who have legally entered Ukraine are entitled to reside in Ukraine within the period specified in the visa. If a foreign national does not need a visa to enter Ukraine, he/she is allowed to stay in Ukraine for a maximum of 90 days within the period of 180 days, unless another term is established by an international agreement. Nationals of Germany, Austria and Switzerland do not need a visa to enter Ukraine (for stays of up to 90 days).

Foreign nationals who intend to stay in Ukraine longer than 90 days within a 180 day period must apply for a residence permit. A temporary residence permit is a document entitling a foreign national to temporarily stay in Ukraine.

A temporary residence permit, once obtained, allows the foreign nationals:

to enter Ukraine for employment purposes;
to enter Ukraine for the purpose of working in representative offices of foreign companies;
to enter Ukraine for the purpose of working in branches or representative offices of foreign banks;
to enter Ukraine for the purpose of implementing international technical assistance projects;
to enter Ukraine to spread doctrines of faith, to engage in religious practices, or to carry out other canonical activities at the invitation of religious communities upon agreement with competent authorities;
to enter Ukraine for the purpose of participating in the work of branches, divisions and other structural units of civic (non-governmental) organizations of other countries according to the prescribed established procedure;
to enter Ukraine for the purpose of participating in cultural, scientific and educational activities on the basis of international agreements or within the framework of special programs;
to enter Ukraine as a journalist or representative of foreign mass media;
to enter Ukraine for educational purposes;
to enter Ukraine for the purpose of family reunification with a Ukrainian citizen or marriage with a Ukrainian citizen;
the period of stay having expired, to file an application for the renewal of a temporary residence permit with the competent immigration authorities.

In order to obtain a temporary residence permit, foreign nationals must submit to the relevant office of the State Migration Service of Ukraine the following documents:

an application form;
a passport or identity card of the foreign national with a type D visa (a long-term visa to be obtained from Ukrainian consulates), a copy of the passport with a visa and its copy and the original of the immigration card (if any);
a copy of the foreign national’s passport with its notarized translation into Ukrainian;
a medical insurance certificate;
a non-conviction certificate issued by the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs stating that the foreign national does not have a criminal record;
four passport photos 3.5 х 4.5 cm printed on matte paper;
an identification number certificate of the foreign national (if any) – a copy signed by the foreign national;
receipts of payment of the state duty and the processing fee.

The additional documents to be submitted depend on the purposes of applying for a temporary residence permit. When applying for a temporary residence permit after the marriage with a Ukrainian citizen, the following additional documents must be submitted:

a guarantee letter from the future spouse;
an income certificate of the future spouse;
a marriage certificate.

When applying for a temporary residence permit, the foreign national must also submit a copy of the work permit issued by the employment office. From the date of issuance of such a residence permit, in employment relationships foreign nationals shall enjoy the same legal status as Ukrainian nationals. Foreign nationals who have been employed by an investor on the basis of a production sharing agreement must submit a copy of the production sharing agreement as well as a copy of the employment agreement indicating his/her position.

The temporary residence permit shall be issued within 15 days after the application has been submitted. The document must be personally collected by the foreign national. When issuing a temporary residence permit, the State Migration Service shall also stamp a relevant mark in the foreign national’s passport.
After obtaining the temporary residence permit, the foreign national must register at the address he/she indicated in the documents when applying for a temporary residence permit. The foreign national may carry out his/her registration in person or via an authorized representative.

The registration of the foreign national at the indicated address must be made within 10 days after the date of issue of the temporary residence permit. If this time period has expired, there is a risk of imposing a fine.

The reasons for the refusal of the application for a temporary residence permit include, inter alia, posing a threat to the public order and national security as well as protecting health, rights and legal interests of Ukrainian citizens.

The temporary residence permit is issued for one year with a right to renew it. In case of renewal of a temporary residence permit, the same documents as when applying for a temporary residence permit shall be submitted. The documents for the renewal of a temporary residence permit shall be submitted at least 15 days prior to the expiry date of the temporary residence permit to be renewed. If this deadline is missed, the foreign national must cancel its registration at his/her place of residence and leave Ukraine.

Application for a permanent residence permit

A permanent residence permit is a document entitling a foreign national or a stateless person to permanently reside in Ukraine.

A permit for permanent residence in Ukraine, once obtained, offers significant benefits to foreign nationals. One of the advantages is that a foreign national may freely enter Ukraine at any time without a visa, and there is no need for a foreign national to obtain a work permit, provided that he/she is formally employed in Ukraine. The validity term of the permanent residence permit in Ukraine is not limited.

In order to obtain a permanent residence permit, a foreign national shall submit to the territorial authority of the State Migration Service of Ukraine at the place of his/her residence an application for granting a permanent residence permit. The application shall be accompanied by:

the original of the foreign national’s passport and a copy of pages with personal data, a visa and a stamp on crossing the Ukrainian border;
a notarized Ukrainian translation of the passport page with personal data;
a notarized copy of the decision on issuing the immigration permit;
documents on availability of housing in Ukraine, where the person is entitled to registration. It should be noted that provided there are no such documents, the registration shall be carried out with the consent of the owner/co-owners of housing, a tenant and his/her family members for the registration of residence;
a receipt of state duty payment;
a receipt of payment for services rendered by the State Migration Service of Ukraine;
four photos 3.5 х 4.5 cm (matte paper) and a copy of the identification number certificate issued by the tax authority (if any).

Thus, the aforementioned documents having been successfully submitted, the territorial body of the State Migration Service shall issue the original of the permanent residence permit to the applicant (a foreign national) within one week following receipt of the application. A relevant mark shall be also stamped onto the last free page of the foreign national’s passport, which certifies that the person has a permanent residence permit in Ukraine.

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