Am I guaranteed a Ukrainian visa if I buy a property?

We are often asked whether or not buying a property in Ukraine entitles one to a visa or a residency permit in Ukraine. There is no particularly straightforward answer to this although in this article we will try and provide some further information about visa requirements in Ukraine.

If you are from the following list of countries and intend on staying in Ukraine for less than 90 days within a 180 day period, then you will not need a visa:

Poland

Hungary

Romania

Mongolia

Switzerland

Japan

United States

United Kingdom

EU countries

If you are a resident from outside these countries then you will need to apply for a visa. There are in fact four types of visa available in Ukraine; transit, tourist, business and private.

It's likely you will apply for a tourist visa (Visa C) to Ukraine then there will be some documents that you will need to submit to your nearest Ukrainian Embassy in order to apply for a visa:

- Invitation/visa support letter from a tourist company or hotel*

- Passport (must be valid for 6 months after your date of arrival in Ukraine)

- Minimum 1 passport photo (please check with your Ukrainian Embassy to see how many photos they need)

- Completed visa application form

- Payment of visa application fee

You may also be asked for copies of your travel insurance and/or flight tickets but these are not always asked for.

*Please note that Uaproperty.com is only able to offer visa support letters to existing clients or clients that have already paid a deposit towards a property.

Always check with your nearest Ukrainian Embassy for detailed instructions on their tourist visa application process to ensure that your Ukrainian visa application is not rejected.

If you purchase a house or apartment in Ukraine and intend to stay in the country on a more permanent basis then you may wish to obtain either a long term visa for Ukraine or permanent residency.

In this instance the application process will require more documents and some clients opt to use the services of a specialised immigration lawyer for Ukraine who can prepare their application on their behalf.

Reasons for wanting a long term Visa D for Ukraine could include marriage to a Ukrainian citizen, studying in Ukraine, work placement (or invitation from a Ukrainian company, bank or Ukrainian institution) or if the applicant meets refugee status.

In official documents and guidelines for Ukrainian visa application there is no specific reference that owning a property in Ukraine would guarantee citizenship and one should assume that there is no guarantee.

However, ownership of a house does indicate a confirmed interest and investment in the country, as well as guarantee of a place to live. From our experience with assisting clients obtain a visa in Ukraine, this does certainly add weight to any application.

If you are purchasing a property in Ukraine for the sole purpose of getting a visa then we would strongly advise against this until you have done your full research. Ukrainian embassy websites provide a wealth of information as to what criteria you need to meet in order to be considered. So do check these before making any property purchases in Ukraine.

We are not able to provide recommendations for immigration lawyers.