Visa Requirements for Ukrainian Citizens
All About the Visa Requirements for Ukrainians
For Ukrainian citizens travelling abroad, it can be complex to try and navigate the visa rules for every destination in the world, but hopefully, this page should help!
We’ve looked at the rules and regulations in place for every country and tried to make sense of them, so that you know which nations require a visa to get into and – equally importantly – what sort of visa you will need.
As you would expect, every country has slightly different entry rules, but there are some standard things that apply to Ukrainian passport holders as well as to other nationalities. In particular, if a visa is needed, then you’ll always need to complete the paperwork, share your personal and travel details, and usually also pay some sort of charge.
It’s also worth highlighting that, while there are different sorts of visas available – for tourism, study and work, for instance – most of this article assumes you’re a tourist.
Of course, please don’t let the talk of paperwork put you off from going abroad! These visa systems are about checking who comes and goes and not stopping people from visiting places. Plus, so long as you fill in the forms correctly, the vast majority of visa applications made for anywhere in the world are usually approved.
As well as your entry visa, the other key document for travel is a passport. You’ll always need one, and it’ll need to be valid for the whole duration of your trip. Make sure your passport is in date and has at least 2 blank pages before you travel.
Depending on where you’re going, you may also need to show additional documents, such as return flight tickets and usually an indication of where you are staying. We’ll discuss all this and more on this page, so it’s crystal clear for your next international journeys!
Contents
- 1 How Many Ukrainian Passport Visa-Free Countries Are There?
- 2 Where Can I Travel With a Ukrainian Passport Visa-Free?
- 3 Visa Requirements for Ukrainian Citizens: Visa on Arrival (VoA)
- 4 Embassy or Consulate Visas for Ukrainians
- 5 Countries Where Entry Is Not Permitted
- 6 Changes to European Travel Requirements (ETIAS Waiver)
How Many Ukrainian Passport Visa-Free Countries Are There?
There are almost 200 countries in the world and of these 87 currently allow Ukrainians to enter without any form of visa. That’s a really high number.
The Henley Passport Index, which is the internationally recognised measure of how “powerful” passports are, ranks yours at 35th best in the world. That puts Ukrainian travellers in the top third in the world and indicates that there are lots of places you’re able to visit without any sort of additional paperwork at all!
What’s more, this list of visa-free destinations is growing: the Marshall Islands and Colombia abolished the visa requirement for Ukrainian citizens in recent years, and Grenada has done so too.
If you do need a visa, though, it’s also worth knowing that an increasing number of countries offer eVisas (Electronic Visas), while others issue Visas on Arrival (VoAs) at some ports of entry.
The type of information you normally need to provide on a visa application includes:
- Accommodation – You need to show where you are staying and for how long.
- Reasons – You need to demonstrate why you are visiting.
- Flights/Transport – You need evidence of your transport arrangements.
- Financial – Some countries ask you to prove that you have the financial means to support yourself on your trip.
- Health – Vaccinations are required for some countries (not just COVID).
Where Can I Travel With a Ukrainian Passport Visa-Free?
So the question you are probably now asking is: which countries can you actually visit visa-free with a Ukrainian passport? Some of the more popular destinations are:
- Argentina
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Cyprus
- Greece
- Malaysia
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Serbia
- Turkey
Some of these countries are within the European Union (EU). In the near future, the visa requirements for the EU and the associated Schengen Area will change for everyone, as well as Ukrainian passport holders. As such, we provide more information on this further down this page in the section on the ETIAS visa waiver.
The full list of the 87 visa-free countries for Ukrainian passport holders is:
| Albania | Andorra | Antigua and Barbuda |
| Argentina | Armenia | Austria |
| Azerbaijan | Barbados | Belgium |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Brazil | Brunei |
| Bulgaria | Chile | Colombia |
| Costa Rica | Croatia | Cyprus |
| Czechia | Denmark | Dominica |
| Dominican Republic | Ecuador | El Salvador |
| Estonia | Eswatini | Fiji |
| Finland | France | Georgia |
| Germany | Greece | Grenada |
| Guatemala | Haiti | Honduras |
| Hungary | Iceland | Indonesia |
| Ireland | Israel | Italy |
| Jamaica | Kazakhstan | Kyrgyzstan |
| Latvia | Liechtenstein | Lithuania |
| Luxembourg | Malaysia | Malta |
| Marshall Islands | Mauritius | Micronesia |
| Moldova | Monaco | Mongolia |
| Montenegro | Namibia | Netherlands |
| Nicaragua | North Macedonia | Norway |
| Panama | Paraguay | Peru |
| Poland | Portugal | Qatar |
| Romania | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| San Marino | Serbia | Slovakia |
| Slovenia | Spain | Sweden |
| Switzerland | Tajikistan | Thailand |
| Turkey | United Arab Emirates | Uruguay |
| Uzbekistan | Vanuatu | Vatican City |
To enter any of these countries, Ukrainian citizens won’t need to get any kind of additional travel pass if you are visiting for tourism purposes.
In terms of how long you can stay in each of these countries, the most generous is Georgia, which offers a year. Meanwhile, most countries tend to offer 1 to 3 months, and for EU states it’s 90 days within a 180-day period.
If for any reason you wish to stay longer than the time normally granted to Ukrainian citizens, you will need to speak to the embassy or consulate of the appropriate country before you fly.
Visa-free travel is becoming an increasing norm. It is rare for a country to disappear from this list of easy-access countries for Ukrainian citizens, and the general rule is that new countries are added periodically. Fortunately, over time the world is becoming more open and accessible to travellers from a visa perspective, even if health checks for things like COVID vaccinations have been increasing too.
Visa Requirements for Ukrainian Citizens: Visa on Arrival (VoA)
Here’s the list of the 38 countries offering a VoA to Ukrainian passport holders:
| Bahrain | Bangladesh | Benin |
| Bolivia | Cabo Verde | Cambodia |
| Comoros | Cote d’Ivoire | Ethiopia |
| Guinea-Bissau | Iran | Jordan |
| Kenya | Kuwait | Laos |
| Lebanon | Madagascar | Maldives |
| Mauritania | Mozambique | Nepal |
| Palau | Rwanda | Samoa |
| Saudi Arabia | Senegal | Seychelles |
| Singapore | Somalia | Sri Lanka |
| Tanzania | Timor-Leste | Togo |
| Tonga | Tuvalu | Uganda |
| Zambia | Zimbabwe |
With a VoA you won’t need to submit any applications before you travel – instead, you make your application as soon as you arrive.
Once you have gotten off the plane, there will be a facility to get your VoA at the border control desk. You’ll usually need to pay a fee, although fortunately, the documentation won’t take long to fill in. Quite often, you get given copies of the VoA application during your flight, which will speed up the process when you actually arrive.
Obviously, when applying for a VoA you’ll need your personal and travel details, plus supporting documentation to hand. Every country asks for slightly different things, but generally, the type of information you’ll be asked for will be as follows:
- Personal information:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Passport number
- Passport issue and expiry dates
- Nationality
- Contact information:
- Address
- Mobile phone number
- Email address
- Trip specific information:
- Purpose of your visit
- Date of arrival
- Length of stay
There is no need to feel nervous about filling in these forms. In the vast majority of cases, so long as you provide the right information and supporting documents, your VoA will be granted smoothly.
Embassy or Consulate Visas for Ukrainians
Many other countries in the world do not use any form of visa waiver or simplified visa system for Ukrainian citizens, and these “embassy visas” are the most complex to obtain. There are 52 countries (a little over a quarter of the world) that require a consulate or embassy visit to get a visa, and these nations are:
| Afghanistan | Algeria | Angola |
| Australia | Bahamas | Belize |
| Bhutan | Botswana | Burkina Faso |
| Burundi | Cameroon | Canada |
| Central African Republic | Chad | China |
| Congo | Cuba | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Equatorial Guinea | Eritrea | Gambia |
| Ghana | Guyana | Iraq |
| Japan | Kiribati | Liberia |
| Libya | Mali | Morocco |
| Nauru | New Zealand | Niger |
| Nigeria | North Korea | Papua New Guinea |
| Philippines | Saint Lucia | Sierra Leone |
| Solomon Islands | South Africa | South Korea |
| Sudan | Syria | Trinidad & Tobago |
| Tunisia | Turkmenistan | United Kingdom |
| United States | Venezuela | Vietnam |
| Yemen |
If your destination is listed here, then an embassy or consulate visit is your only option. It’s best to first contact the embassy or consulate of that country to schedule a formal application and an interview, and then on the day of your appointment, go to the embassy. Make sure your book your appointment for well in advance of your trip, as “embassy visas” can often take some time to obtain.
The relevant contact details for different embassies and consulates can be found on our Embassies Finder page.
In most cases, embassies allow you to download the necessary application form in advance, which you can also sometimes complete in advance. Occasionally, embassies even allow you to complete part of your application online to speed up the process.
You will need to bring along supporting documentation pertaining to your travel, such as flight bookings, accommodation details, and sometimes your bank statement. Expect to leave your documents and passport at the diplomatic mission while the staff process your application.
There will always be a fee involved, so make sure you check this out too, and whether or not they accept card payments.
With embassy visas, there is always a waiting time between your application and the approval, though sometimes it can be done within 24 hours, especially if there is a fast track option available. You will usually need to return to collect your passport and visa, unless they have an option to post it to you.
Countries Where Entry Is Not Permitted
The good news for Ukrainian passport holders is that there are currently very few countries where you cannot enter. The only banned countries are Russia and Belarus.
This provides a worldwide panorama of travel opportunities! Of course, take care that you fill in the visa application forms carefully and you provide the right supporting documents, to ensure you’re approved to enter swiftly and smoothly. Be sure to double-check your visa application before submitting it, as any mistakes could lead to your application being delayed or even rejected. So long as you’re careful when filling in the forms, the world is your oyster.
Changes to European Travel Requirements (ETIAS Waiver)
The rules to visit countries within or aligned with the European Union are changing. Whereas previously Ukrainian citizens might not have needed a European travel document to enter the Schengen Area (a common border across most of Europe), Ukrainian visitors soon will.
By the end of 2022, all Ukrainian citizens will have to apply for and register online before departing in order to be sure of getting in. The new system is called the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) and you can find more information about it here.
The good news is that you only have to apply for an ETIAS once. When your ETIAS is approved, it will give you Freedom of Movement across the Schengen Area, can be used for Multiple Entries in a 90-day period, and will be valid for 3 years from the date of issue!