Residence permit in Ukraine

To obtain a residence permit in Ukraine, foreigners must meet specific eligibility criteria, collect a standard set of documents, and apply through regional migration offices. This guide explains both temporary and permanent options, including who qualifies, step-by-step process, and common pitfalls to avoid. What should you know about staying in Ukraine for more than usual tourist’s 90 days? You will have to get a residency in Ukraine.

There are two types of residency permits in Ukraine: temporary residence permit and permanent residence permit, which differ in the procedure of acquiring (grounds for the issue) and the scope of rights that are granted with such a document.

Temporary Residence Permit

The temporary residence permit is the official document, that gives the right to the holder to legally stay in Ukraine, leave and reenter the territory of Ukraine an unlimited number of times within the term of validity.

The temporary residence permits’ validity varies: from several months up to several years (for example, in case of the work or long-lasting international project, etc. permits are given for a 3-year validity term).

The law of Ukraine provides the following list of grounds for getting temporary residence permit:

• Official employment;
• Participation in international technical assistance projects (such projects must be officially registered);
• Preaching, performing religious rituals, or conducting other canonical activities at the invitation of an officially registered religious organization (there must also be an approval to involve foreigners);
• Employees of branches or representative offices of foreign legal entities registered in Ukraine;
• Employees of representative offices of foreign banks;
• Participants of international cultural, educational, or scientific activities provided for by international contracts of Ukraine or specific programs, participants of international or regional volunteer programs;
• Volunteering in Ukrainian NGOs (there is a government-approved list of organizations that can invite foreign volunteers);
• Provision of medical assistance or rehabilitation assistance on a volunteer basis during martial law;
• Correspondent activity of representatives of foreign media;
• Studying in Ukraine;
• Investing at least 100,000 EUR in a business in Ukraine;
• Marriage to a citizen of Ukraine or a foreigner holding a temporary residence permit in Ukraine;
• Military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service, or the National Guard of Ukraine;
• Provision of shooting, tactical, radio-technical, explosive, medical, and other assistance to units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, including units of territorial defense and volunteer formations of territorial communities, provided they are directly in combat zones and jointly carry out combat missions with such units for at least 6 months.

Before applying for a temporary residence permit, a foreigner must obtain a type D visa (learn more about visas to Ukraine).

Permanent Residence Permit

The permanent residence permit is another type of a document that gives a foreigner the right to stay in Ukraine legally for a long period. It has no validity limits (has an indefinite duration, but the document itself has to be renewed in certain cases). Likewise the temporary residence permit, the permanent residence permit allows staying in Ukraine, easily leave and enter its territory, employment by any company without obtaining a work permit. Therefore, the legal status is quite similar to citizenship, but a bit reduced – no voting rights, no title rights to agricultural land, no option to benefit from the visa-free entry to EU due to the Visa Waiver Treaties, etc.

The grounds for acquiring permanent residence permit is available for:

• Being a highly qualified specialist (that are highly demanded by the Ukrainian economy);
• Scientists and/or cultural figures whose immigration is in the state’s interest;
• Investors who have invested at least 100,000 USD in the economy of Ukraine;
• Brothers/sisters, grandsons/granddaughters, or grandfathers/grandmothers of Ukrainian citizens;
• Spouses of Ukrainian citizens, as well as of persons with permanent residence permits in Ukraine, provided they have been married for at least 2 years;
• Former citizens of Ukraine;
• Incapacitated parents or minor children of foreigners who have a permanent residence permit in Ukraine;
• Persons who have served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service, or the National Guard of Ukraine for 3 or more years, or for at least 1 year during martial law, or have served less but were recognized by a military medical commission as unfit as a result of illnesses or wounds received during military service;
• Overseas Ukrainians;
• A legal guardian or trustee of a Ukrainian citizen, or a person under the guardianship of a Ukrainian citizen;
• Persons who have continuously resided on the territory of Ukraine for 3 years from the date of establishing their status as a victim of human trafficking;
• Persons who have continuously resided in Ukraine for 5 years on the basis of temporary residence permits;
• One of the spouses, if the other spouse died during military service in Ukraine;
• Persons who have the right to acquire citizenship by territorial origin;
• Stateless persons who have resided in Ukraine on the basis of a temporary residence permit for 2 years from the date of obtaining the status of a stateless person in Ukraine.

Before applying for a permanent residence permit, a foreigner must obtain an immigration permit.

It is worth noting that foreigners are obliged to register their place of residence in Ukraine within 30 calendar days after receiving a residence permit.