The purpose of this article is to describe the current visa policy in force in Ukraine. You can refer to this article, if you wish to clarify whether or not you need a visa when entering Ukraine. For your information, currently Ukraine receives the most visitors from Moldova, Belarus, Russia, Poland and Hungary with over 1 million annual visitors from each.
The following map illustrates the basics of the visa regime:
As you can see, visitors from most western countries can enter Ukraine visa-free. This list includes all EU countries, Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Paraguay, Panama, Qatar, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Serbia, South Korea, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, UAE, United States, Uruguay, and Vatican City. The visa-free visit applies for a stay of up to 90 days in any 180 day period for most countries.
E-visas are granted for tourism and business purposes for many countries since 2018. The visa-on-arrival system has been scrapped since January 1 2019.
Additionally, citizens of the following countries can enter Ukraine visa-free for an unlimited period: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Uzbekistan.
Visitors to Ukraine have to pay attention to the fact that entering Ukraine from Crimea is not possible for normal visitors, and in fact Ukrainian law states that foreigners having entered Crimea via Russia may face an entry ban and/or imprisonment if proof of such a visit is discovered. Visiting the Donetsk or Luhansk regions is possible through Ukraine, but the purpose of the visit must be explained.
Some predictions about changes in Ukraine´s immigration rules in the near future include:
- Establishing a visa regime with Russia is a possibility
- Due to Brexit, a visa regime with the UK is a possibility
- The current visa-free regime with Israel may be cancelled due to violations of Ukrainian citizens´ immigration rights by Israel.
