Business Immigration to Ukraine
Updated: . Page prepared by advocate Igor Balaban
This page covers a practical route to legalisation in Ukraine through your own LLC, a work permit for the foreign national as director and subsequent temporary residence permit. This route is typically chosen by foreign nationals who have no grounds through marriage or family but want to live and work in Ukraine lawfully through their own business.
Legal support fee: work permit and residence permit for 1 year — USD 1,000; for 2 years — USD 1,600.
Contact us to check whether this route applies to your situation, what documents are needed and where to start.
Who this route is for
- foreign nationals who have no grounds for a residence permit through marriage or family reunification;
- those who want to work lawfully in Ukraine through their own company;
- entrepreneurs who plan to operate a real business in Ukraine, not just register a company on paper;
- those who need a workable path to temporary residency in Ukraine through the corporate and employment route.
This is not the EUR 100,000 investment route
This page describes a different practical route: your own LLC, a work permit for the director and a residence permit on the basis of employment. It does not cover the separate basis of obtaining a residence permit through a foreign investment of EUR 100,000 into the share capital of a Ukrainian company. These grounds should not be confused.
What to understand before you start
- this route does not end with registering an LLC: it continues with an employment, immigration and organisational block;
- having a company does not automatically give you a residence permit: a properly issued work permit and subsequent residence permit application are required;
- to maintain this route the company must genuinely operate, not merely exist on paper: accounting, tax, payroll and employment obligations arise and must be properly met;
- the practical timeline depends not only on government authorities but also on the readiness of foreign documents, the visa stage, banking procedures and financial monitoring;
- if your lawful stay in Ukraine is already running short, this needs to be checked before the corporate stage begins.
Cost
| Support package | Fee |
|---|---|
| Work permit and residence permit for 1 year | USD 1,000 |
| Work permit and residence permit for 2 years | USD 1,600 |
The fee covers legal support for the main stages of the route: company registration, preparation of corporate documents, work permit support and preparation for the residence permit application.
Charged separately: state fees for the work permit, official fees for the residence permit, translations, notarisation, medical insurance, legalisation of foreign documents and other costs that depend on your specific documents and situation.
How the procedure works
- We check whether this route is right for you. At the outset we assess the grounds, your remaining lawful stay in Ukraine, foreign documents and the overall logic of the procedure.
- We prepare documents for the tax number and company registration. Depending on your country, documents may require apostille or consular legalisation.
- We register the LLC and set up the initial corporate structure. At the registration stage, the director must be a Ukrainian citizen or a foreign national with permanent residence. Therefore, a technical director may be used for the transition period. After you receive the work permit, the directorship is officially transferred to you.
- We obtain the work permit. This is the basis for the subsequent temporary residence permit application as an employed foreign national.
- We handle the banking and visa stage where required. In practice, opening a corporate bank account, passing the bank's financial monitoring and preparing to obtain a D visa outside Ukraine can each take additional time.
- We obtain the residence permit. We prepare the document package, support the personal filing, and after the permit is issued we check the address registration and any other follow-up formalities.
What legal support includes
- analysis of your situation and assessment of whether the LLC route is suitable;
- preparation of documents for the tax number and company registration;
- legal support for LLC registration and the corporate changes required to appoint the foreign director;
- preparation of documents for the work permit;
- checking whether a D visa is required and what documents to prepare at that stage;
- preparation of the residence permit document package and support during personal filing;
- guidance on next steps after the permit is issued.
Common mistakes that break the process
- starting the procedure without checking the remaining lawful stay in Ukraine;
- assuming that registering the LLC is enough without completing the employment and immigration stages;
- preparing foreign documents without the required apostille or consular legalisation;
- leaving the visa or immigration stage to the last moment;
- not accounting for the banking stage and financial monitoring;
- ignoring the ongoing accounting, payroll and tax obligations after the company starts operating.
Frequently asked questions
Is registering an LLC enough to get a residence permit?
No. In the route described on this page, company registration is only the first stage. A work permit and a temporary residence permit application must follow.
Can a foreign national be the company director immediately?
No. At registration the director must be a Ukrainian citizen or a foreign national with permanent residence. Therefore, a technical director may be used for the transition period. After you receive the work permit, the directorship is officially transferred to you.
Is a D visa required?
It depends on your nationality and the specific grounds. For some foreign nationals a long-stay D visa is required before filing for a residence permit, and it must be obtained outside Ukraine.
Can my spouse and children also get a residence permit?
In most cases family members can apply for temporary residency on the basis of family reunification. This is a separate document block and is better planned from the start rather than after your own process is complete.
How long does the whole process take?
There is no single figure that applies to everyone. In practice the timeline depends on the readiness of foreign documents, the visa stage, banking procedures, the work permit process and the subsequent residence permit filing.
Does the company need to be genuinely operational after the permits are issued?
Yes. The company must not exist only on paper. Accounting, tax, payroll and employment obligations arise and must be properly met. A non-operational company puts the work permit and residence permit at risk.
What happens when the residence permit period ends?
If the grounds remain in place and the documents are in order, the route can be continued. But this is not something to leave until the last day: the review should start well in advance.
Related pages
- Temporary residence permit in Ukraine
- Work permit for foreign nationals
- LLC registration in Ukraine
- List of countries requiring apostille
- List of countries not requiring legalisation
- Entry rules for foreign nationals
Contact us to assess whether the LLC route is right for you, what documents need to be prepared and what the practically correct steps are for your situation.