Most Ukrainian citizens planning to move to another country face bureaucratic difficulties. Learn more about how to facilitate your dream move and adaptation abroad, as well as the benefits of a personal lawyer

Currently, many Ukrainians live abroad or are planning to move. In order to legally stay, work, study, and do business in other countries of the world, it is necessary to have appropriate permits.

There are many ways to legalize: some live on the basis of a visa-free visa, some apply for temporary protection or obtain a permanent residence permit. Each of the options has its advantages and disadvantages. We tried to find out what bureaucratic difficulties Ukrainians abroad face and how they can be solved.

Residence on the basis of visa-free

Ukrainians can visit 78 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, North and South America without a visa - these are the countries of the Schengen zone, Georgia, Turkey, China, the UAE, the Caribbean states, etc. Also, Ukrainians can apply for a visa directly at the border in 50 countries.

This method of moving is quite simple - to travel, it is enough to have a biometric international passport, medical insurance and usually confirmation of financial security, availability of housing and a return ticket.

However, the period of stay is limited, on average 30-90 days. On the basis of a visa-free visa, it is not possible to work or receive social assistance, and children also do not have the right to study. A foreigner can receive medical care free of charge if he has an insurance policy.

Therefore, this method is best suited for Ukrainians who are planning a tourist trip or a short-term stay and can provide for themselves.

Temporary protection

In connection with the state of war in Ukraine, most countries of the world have introduced the procedure of granting temporary protection status to Ukrainian refugees. On the basis of this permit, Ukrainians have the right to live, work, receive social, medical and financial assistance, free housing, children have the right to attend kindergarten or school, etc. The list of social assistance varies depending on the country of residence, but living on the basis of temporary protection, unfortunately, also has its own difficulties:

- the majority of Ukrainians who have found refuge in EU countries are prohibited from traveling within Europe or must have good reasons to leave;

- quite often problems may arise for those who plan to temporarily return to Ukraine.

For example, Poland issues a PESEL document to Ukrainians who have applied for protection, which is an analogue of the Ukrainian identification number. However, the Polish state does not provide any certificates to confirm the status. And the status itself does not meet the requirements that the EU states have agreed to provide to Ukrainians. Therefore, from the point of view of any other EU state, except Poland, all Ukrainians are "just tourists" and violators of EU law, because they have long exceeded the period of stay of 90 days.

Similar difficulties may also arise for refugees who have found refuge in the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, etc.

Ukrainians who temporarily returned to Ukraine may face problems at the border upon re-entry, for example, Hungarian border guards may not recognize the certificate of temporary protection that was issued in Germany, and the visa-free period of 90 days has already expired.

Therefore, we advise you to familiarize yourself with all the rules in detail before leaving the country that granted you asylum and to be ready to cross the border, prepare to answer the questions of the border guards, because the final decision on whether you will be able to enter the EU again is made by them. Only lawyers know all the intricacies of passing migration control, so consulting an experienced lawyer will help you not lose temporary protection and avoid problems at the border.

Permanent or temporary residence permit

Ukrainians also have the right to issue a permit for temporary or permanent residence abroad. However, in most countries of the world, it is necessary to have good reasons for obtaining it. For example, in Turkey, depending on the purpose of the trip, a certain type of visa is issued: work visa, business visa, tourist visa, guest visa, repatriation visa, student visa, etc. On the basis of a national visa, a foreigner receives the right to temporarily reside in the country. Before submitting the documents, we advise you to evaluate your chances of obtaining a visa and choose the type of visa that corresponds to the planned activity.

Issuing a permanent residence also has a number of difficulties, for example in Poland it can be obtained only after 5-6 years of legal residence in the country. The list of documents may be different depending on the voivodeship.

Also, in most countries, in order to obtain a permanent residence, a foreigner must be employed, have a language certificate, rent or own housing.

In Turkey, it is quite common to obtain a permanent residence when purchasing real estate, however, when choosing this method of immigration, it is necessary to clearly fulfill the conditions for purchasing real estate and correctly choose the region for residence, because from July 1, 2022, in 1169 districts of Turkey, it is not possible to obtain a residence permit for housing. These territories are included in the list of "closed" and densely populated by foreigners, whose number is 20% or more of the total number of residents.

Also, the procedure for issuing a permanent residence has a number of bureaucratic complications, both in the country of future residence and in Ukraine: obtaining a certificate from the fiscal authorities about the absence of debts, agreeing the documentation with the migration service, obtaining an official permit for permanent residence abroad, deregistering with the registration authorities of Ukraine, hand over the passport of Ukraine to the migration service or get another passport with a note about residence in another country instead.

No matter what method of moving abroad you choose for yourself, the consultation of an experienced lawyer will help you solve all bureaucratic complications. The lawyer will quickly and reliably resolve any issue and will be in constant contact with you.

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