How to get the residence permit: various ways to settle in Ukraine

This type of permit can be obtained based on one of numerous grounds that the law of Ukraine provides, for example marriage with a Ukrainian citizen, volunteering, official employment, studying, etc.

But today we want to talk about few ways to stay in Ukraine that You might consider interesting:

• through establishing the company;

• through the investment into Ukrainian economy;

• through the employment to the foreign company representative office in Ukraine or the non-governmental organization.

In this publication we will go through all the grounds mentioned in this list and talk about each and one obtainment process.

Related article: Lawyer answers common questions about residence permit in Ukraine

Establishing the company in Ukraine

The procedure of getting a temporary residence permit for a foreigner through establishment of the company requires completion of several stages. This is a great option if You want to get Your permit rather quickly and have the opportunity to start Your own business in Ukraine.

The whole procedure requires knowledge of the local law and practical experience in the field of the registration process. We can finish the whole procedure within the shortest possible time with zero required efforts from You.

You will be able to obtain residence permit within 1-2 months.

Related article: Which positions can a foreign citizen be assigned to in Ukraine without obligatory work permit?

Based on investment 

Basically, You can get a permanent residence permit in Ukraine through the investment into economy of Ukraine in foreign convertible currency for the sum of not less than one hundred thousand US dollars. As a result of such investment, the foreigner can obtain a permit for immigration to Ukraine.

When we talk about the investment, it can be performed in the form of registering a new enterprise or paying the share in the authorized capital of an existing enterprise. There are other ways to invest into the economy of Ukraine, but this option is one of the most popular and easy to perform. 

Moreover, if You establish your own company in Ukraine and make investment to it, it can give You the opportunity to use it later for your personal business.

In case the investment is made only for getting a permanent residence permit, then after getting it, You may spend funds for your own needs and on behalf of the enterprise, like buying the apartment, other property etc.

Before submitting documents for the residency permit in this case, you should get permit for immigration.

This procedure can take a long time as it consists of numerous stages, demands various applications and certificates/documents.

For example, just the consideration of application for the immigration process takes about 6-12 months. The arrangements can take a long time too, especially if You are trying to do them by yourself.

Thus, the investment into the economy of Ukraine can be a great and quite possible way to get a residence permit, but You must consider that the process requires considerable time (from 6 months to one year) and money (from 100 thousand US dollars).

Related article: Employment permit for foreigners in Ukraine: common issues and our practical experience

Employment to the representative office or non-governmental organization

Unlike residence permit which is given based on employment permit for the period of up to three years, a residence permit for foreigners and persons without citizenship who arrived in Ukraine for work at representation offices of foreign companies is given for one year only.

In general terms, the procedure and conditions of getting a residence permit for foreigners who arrived in Ukraine for work at representation offices of foreign companies, non-governmental organizations or at the branches of foreign banks differ by reasons for getting it and by package of documents applied to the local authorities of the State Migration Service (compared with the most common reason – employment at a Ukrainian enterprise).

The difficulty here is that You have to obtain the service card to be eligible for residence however there is a limit on how many a rep.office can get. Also Ukrainian office has to petition for you to get both visa D and residence permit which is not always possible.  

Frankly speaking, from all the options mentioned above, the LLC establishment is the fastest and easiest to achieve. But You can choose the way that will cater to Your needs the most. Either way, we are ready to help You.