Moving to Ukraine
The Ukraine is an Eastern European country that is on the Black Sea and the Sea of Asov. Its history is identified with the East Slavs, under the name of Kievan Rus’, which was a very powerful European civilzation from the 9th-12th century. It was also part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Russian Empire, before being integrated into the USSR. It is a unitary state that has 24 provinces and one autonomous republic, the Crimea. Its government is a republic under a semi-presidential status. It has the second largest military in Europe, after Russia. The country has a popuation of about 46 million people, 78% of which are ethnic Ukranians, and then there are Russian, Belarussian and Romanian minorities. Its official language is Ukranian, but most people also know Russian. Its capital and largest city is Kiev. Its main religion is Eastern Orthodox Christianity. It is also the second largest country in Europe, after Russia. It mostly has a temperate continental climate.
Visas
Work Visa
All foreigners who intend to work in the Ukraine are required to obtain a work visa. You must have a job lined up, and your prospective employer applies for your visa on your behalf. Employers can only hire foreigners if they possess certain skills that are not available in the Ukraine, or there are substantiated grounds to hire a foreigner. Work permits are sentenced for a year, and can then be renewed. They are issued through the State Employment Center, wherever your prospective company is located.
You and your employer must submit the following documents, translated into Ukranian, and apostillized:
1. Valid passport
2. Completed application form
3. 2 recent passport photos
4. Proof from your employer that it is necessary to hire a foreigner
5. Copy of employment contract
6. Certificate from the employment center showing that the company is not in debt
7. Your educational and professional qualifications
8. Police clearance
9. Certificate that the company does not owe any taxes, paid them on time
10. Fees
11. Letter of invitation, if necessary
They may request additional documents, depending on your case.
Once you land in the Ukraine and begin working, your company must register you within 90 days to obtain a temporary residency certificiate. You will be allowed to enter and exit the Ukraine as long as your work contract is in session.
Click here for more information.
Click here for information on how to get a job in the Ukraine.
Student Visa
To study in the Ukraine, you must obtain a Ukranian student visa. You must first be accepted by an accredited instituion.
You must mail the following documents to your school:
1. Application form
2. Copy of document of secondary application, signed by notary
3. Copy of birth certificate, signed by notary
4. Medical certificate
5. 8 passport photos
If there are no problems, your school will then send you an official proposal, and 2 copies of invoice. They will send you an official invitation for a visa. You must fill that application out, and submit it to your nearest Ukranian embassy. They may ask you for additional documents.
Moving Pets
In order to move your cat, dog or bird (not pigeon) to the Ukraine, you must provide a valid veterinary health certificate with the seal of a state vet from your home country. If you are importing a rabbit, you need confiromation of recent innoculation. Cats and dogs must be over 3 months in age.
Other Information
Click here for a map of the Ukraine.
Click here for information about cycling in the Ukraine.
Click here for information on the climate in the Ukraine.
Click here for a transportation guide for the Ukraine.