How to get residency in Ukraine for an IT specialist and which way to choose?

Today Ukraine attracts IT specialists from all over the world with its policy on the development of this sphere and residence permit quotas for this kind of workers.

IT professionals from Europe, America and China turn to us when they either receive a profitable offer from a Ukrainian company or simply plan to live in our country for some time, taking advantage of tax rates for IT activity.

The difficulty often arises from the fact that the IT specialist, taking into account the specifics of his work, can count on both permanent residence permit and residence permit in Ukraine. And you can work in Ukraine in this field in different ways - through official employment in the Ukrainian company, or as a sole proprietor through the contract for the provision of services.

The model that you choose, by the way, will depend on what kind of residence permit you can get - today we will talk about this in more detail, to clarify the issue.

Related article: What are the grounds for obtaining a residence permit in Ukraine?

Temporary residence permit for IT specialist who will work through a service contract in Ukraine

We will firstly consider the procedure and algorithm of actions, which is suitable for those foreign citizens, who are primarily interested in living in Ukraine and the possibility of moving as soon as possible.

For such specialists the most important thing is the speed of obtaining a permit and the simplicity of application forming. At the same time such specialists often work not only with Ukrainian, but also with foreign contractors.

The ideal scheme is to register in Ukraine as a sole proprietor, and pay only 5% tax on their activity. But the registration of the sole proprietor does not give the right to obtain a residence permit - how to deal with this?

We offer the easiest and most reliable option - registration of a company (business) in Ukraine, where a foreigner becomes the director, and on the basis of this draws a residence permit.

Many are frightened by the prospect of having a registered Ukrainian company, but it is absolutely safe. During the registration process, we give clear instructions on how to behave if you plan to leave this company "empty" - that is, if it will not conduct activities. You just need to submit reports and pay minimum tax. But you get a clear basis for a residence permit in Ukraine, which can later be used to extend the permit.

For the safety of our Clients, we offer not only accompaniment of the procedure, but also tax consulting, so that a foreigner knows exactly how to organize the lawful receipt of profit in Ukraine and the payment of taxes from it.

It takes only 15 working days to obtain a temporary residence permit, and an additional week to establish grounds, taking into account the preparation and shipment of documents. The benefits of such a system are the speed of receipt and the ability to work with many counterparties.

Permanent residence permit for IT specialists with a job in Ukraine 

In Ukraine, there are so-called quotas - this means that a certain number of representatives of the IT profession can expect to receive a permanent residence permit each year if they meet the requirements.

But there are two basic conditions to consider:

• you must have time to wait for the permanent residence permit - this type of permit is issued for one year at least;

• you must be officially employed in Ukraine.

This option is not suitable for IT professionals who want to work with a large number of counterparties. But it is perfect if you plan to move to Ukraine for a long time, and you have a Ukrainian employer with whom you are going to work for a long time.

The most intimidating thing here, of course, is the waiting period - more than a year. But then again, you can first get a temporary residence permit based on your work in a Ukrainian company, and apply for a permanent permit while staying in Ukraine and waiting for it, or negotiate with an employer for remote cooperation, coming to Ukraine several times.

If you want to clearly understand which option will work best for you - contact us for professional advice from a migration lawyer.

The cost and all information about obtaining a residence permit for foreigners in Ukraine here.