How to arrange a residence permit for the whole family in Ukraine?

Starting a business in Ukraine or getting a job here, you do not want to leave your family in another country for a long time. In such a situation you should apply to the procedure of family immigration to Ukraine.

Today we will talk about our experience in arranging the temporary residence permit for the whole family in Ukraine and will talk about possible problems in this process.

Related article: Permanent or temporary residence permit

If a temporary residence permit is obtained for a couple foreigner-Ukrainian 

If you have such a situation, you will be able to make out through the so-called family reunion with Ukrainian citizens.

We had such a case in practice, when we received a residence permit for a citizen of Egypt, for 1 year, who had a Ukrainian wife. The client often came to Ukraine and it was inconvenient for him to get a visa every time.

We offered the Client to issue a residence permit, which can be extended further. Such document allows unlimited entry and exit to the country. Moreover, after 2 years of marriage with a citizen of Ukraine, it is possible to obtain a residence permit for 10 years, which will not only simplify the crossing of the border, but also give the opportunity to work in Ukraine.

The main conditions for successfully obtaining a residence permit in this case are the following:

• the fact of entering into the marriage and being married. Confirmation will be a Ukrainian marriage certificate (if the marriage was concluded in Ukraine) or foreign marriage certificate, marriage contract or other document, that confirms the fact of marriage.

Since official documents are required to prove the fact of marriage, such forms of relationship between the couple as religious marriage (except in countries where religious marriage is recognized) or "civil marriage" are not suitable for obtaining a residence permit.

• document certification and translation. Documents issued abroad must be properly authenticated. For a number of most countries, such certification takes the form of an apostille. Some countries require a complex legalization procedure, and some countries do not require certification at all. It is important to remember that after the document is validated, it will need to be additionally translated into Ukrainian and notarized by the translation itself;
• obtainment of visa and the border crossing after marriage. For applicants from most countries, after the marriage procedure and before applying for a residence permit, it is necessary to obtain a special migration visa type D. For states that are not obliged to receive such a visa, you will need to just cross the border (even if the marriage is concluded in Ukraine and the foreigner is already here, you still need to leave and come again).;
• Ukrainian registration. When a residence permit is obtained, the foreigner will have to go through the registration procedure at the place of residence. Such a place may be a spouse's home or a rented home, the owner of which is not against the registration procedure and wishes to participate in it.

Related article: Temporary residence for a child in Ukraine

If a temporary residence permit is obtained for a couple foreigner-foreigner

This scheme is applicable if one of the foreigners is legally in Ukraine. In such a case, it is also considered a procedure for family reunification. This category is less common than the previous one because it requires both foreigners to be treated as such, which significantly narrows down the grounds.

Here again, the key fact is that the marriage is officially concluded. Let's look at how it’s like in practice with the example of our two Clients.

Residence permit for a married couple from Turkey.

First of all it was necessary to get a residence permit for a man who came to Ukraine to do business. During the multi-step procedure, which provided for the registration of the company and obtaining a work permit, the husband received a residence permit for 3 years.

Then we were engaged in legalization of stay of the spouse in Ukraine. We had 3 options:

• similar to her husband, through a separate company and a work permit;
• by giving up her husband's share of the company and hiring her to work in it;
• by way of family reunion. 

Since the business was at the start-up stage, which means that Client wanted to reduce costs as much as possible. But they would have to pay his wife's salary (so, accordingly, taxes) in either of the first two cases - so we refused them.

We were left with option number 3. The procedure is similar to the one described in the previous section, except for one additional document, namely, the financial obligation of the husband (as a host) regarding his wife's stay in Ukraine. Also, in contrast to reuniting with a citizen or citizen of Ukraine, this permit does not give the right to obtain a permanent residence permit or citizenship in the future. It is issued for a year with the right of renewal.

Related article: How is the invitation for a foreigner to Ukraine issued?

Getting a residence permit for a student from Britain.

Another case was the situation of a student from the UK, who came to Ukraine to study and received a residence permit as a student. He brought his wife with him, whom we got a view of the reunion. In the absence of business in Ukraine, it was the best and easiest option. In addition, both husband and wife were bi-patriots, which allowed us to choose the most preferential treatment in obtaining a residence permit.

If you want to move to Ukraine with your family, please contact us. We will help you with all procedural points of the question.