Temporary Residence Permit in Ukraine

Updated: . Page prepared by advocate Igor Balaban

We help foreign nationals obtain a temporary residence permit in Ukraine on the basis of marriage to a Ukrainian citizen, official employment, family reunification, business ownership and other lawful grounds. If you need to understand whether this route applies to your situation, what documents are required and whether your deadlines are still valid, this page covers the main practical points.

Legal support fee from UAH 4,000. The official processing time after documents are filed is 15 working days. The validity period of the permit depends on the grounds of the application.

Contact us to quickly check your grounds, your remaining lawful stay in Ukraine and the correct steps for your situation.

Main grounds for a temporary residence permit

Marriage to a Ukrainian citizen

One of the most common grounds for a temporary residence permit. You need to confirm the marriage, prepare your passport documents and medical insurance, and if the marriage was concluded outside Ukraine, the foreign marriage certificate needs to be properly legalised for use in Ukraine.

Official employment

The permit is issued on the basis of a work permit. This route applies both to employment with a Ukrainian company and to working as the director of your own LLC.

Family reunification

This applies, in particular, to the spouse and children of a foreign national who already has lawful grounds to reside in Ukraine. The key here is properly confirming the family relationship and preparing the host party's documents.

Business ownership in Ukraine

If you have no grounds through marriage or family, registering your own LLC, obtaining a work permit and then applying for a residence permit is a practical alternative route.

When to start the process

For an initial application, documents need to be prepared well in advance. In most cases they must be filed no later than 15 working days before the expiry of the visa or, if the foreign national is staying in Ukraine on a visa-free basis, before the end of the lawful period of stay. Leaving preparation to the last few days is risky: if there is not enough time for the documents or the required D visa, the whole process can become more complicated.

What legal support includes

• analysis of the grounds for the permit and check of the remaining lawful stay;
• review of documents against the SMS requirements;
• determining which translations, apostilles, consular legalisation, insurance or other documents are needed in your specific case;
• preparation of the document package and support during personal filing;
• checking that official payments are made correctly and in the right order;
• support at permit collection and explanation of the next steps after it is issued.

Cost of the residence permit process

Legal support fee from UAH 4,000.

Separately, there may be costs for official fees, translations, notarisation, medical insurance, apostille or consular legalisation and other expenses depending on the grounds, the documents you already have and your specific situation.

Some clients already have translations, insurance or part of the documents in place. In other cases the additional costs are higher if foreign documents need to be prepared, lengthy certificates translated or additional confirmations obtained. The exact scope of costs is confirmed after reviewing your documents.

How to obtain a residence permit through your own business

One practical route is registering your own LLC in Ukraine. It typically involves company registration, obtaining a work permit for the director, arranging a D visa where required, and filing for the temporary residence permit.

Full support for this route is described on the Business immigration to Ukraine page.

Document checklist by grounds

Marriage to a Ukrainian citizen

• marriage certificate;
• passport document of the foreign national;
• long-stay D-14 visa where required;
• medical insurance;
• if the marriage was concluded abroad, the document needs to be properly legalised for use in Ukraine: list of countries requiring apostille, list of countries not requiring legalisation.

Official employment

• work permit;
• passport document of the foreign national;
• long-stay D-04 visa where required;
• medical insurance.

Family reunification with a foreign national who already holds a residence permit

• documents confirming the family relationship;
• passport document of the foreign national;
• residence permit of the host party;
• documents of the host party required to confirm the grounds and conditions of sponsorship;
• long-stay D-15 visa where required;
• medical insurance.

Common reasons for refusal or delay

• filing documents outside the required timeframe;
• incomplete document package or errors in preparation;
• missing apostille, consular legalisation or certified translation of foreign documents;
• mismatch between the stated grounds and the actual documents;
• issues with the remaining lawful stay in Ukraine;
• situations where a D visa is required but was not obtained in time.

What to do after receiving the permit

Receiving the card does not always conclude the process. After collection you need to check the next required steps, in particular address registration and other formalities that depend on your grounds and specific situation.

Frequently asked questions

When should I file documents for an initial residence permit?
For an initial application, documents should be prepared in advance. In most cases they must be filed no later than 15 working days before the expiry of the visa or, if the foreign national is staying in Ukraine on a visa-free basis, before the end of the lawful period of stay.

When should I file documents to renew an existing permit?
Documents for exchange of a permit due to expiry may be filed no later than the last day of the permit's validity. However, we do not recommend leaving it until the last day: if delays arise with documents, appointments or filing, this may complicate the process further.

Is a D visa required?
It depends on the grounds and your nationality. In some cases a long-stay D visa of the relevant type is required before filing for a temporary residence permit.

Can I get a residence permit without a work permit?
Yes. A work permit is only one of the possible grounds. A temporary residence permit can also be obtained, for example, on the basis of marriage to a Ukrainian citizen, family reunification or business ownership.

Does a residence permit give the right to work in Ukraine?
Not automatically. If the permit was issued on the basis of a work permit, the right to work is confirmed by that work permit. In other cases the question of employment needs to be assessed separately.

What should I do if I have already overstayed?
In this situation, general advice is not enough. You need to check your entry date, the basis of your stay, your available documents and the possible consequences before determining the next steps.

What should I do if my passport has expired?
First, the question of a valid passport document needs to be resolved, and then the procedure for exchanging or reissuing the residence permit can be assessed separately.

My residence permit was extended under the wartime rules. What should I do?
Permits whose validity was extended under the wartime regulations were subject to special rules and separate exchange deadlines. In this situation it is better to check the current procedure as of the date you apply.

Can I register as a sole proprietor (FOP) after obtaining a residence permit?
Yes, in many cases this is possible. However, the tax regime, the single tax group and your tax status need to be checked separately in light of your documents, your grounds for stay and your actual status in Ukraine.

Related pages

• Work permit for foreign nationals
• Business immigration to Ukraine
• Denial of entry: how to identify the authority behind the ban
• List of countries requiring apostille
• List of countries not requiring consular legalisation
• Entry rules for foreign nationals

Contact us if you need to check your grounds, deadlines, document requirements and the correct steps for your situation.