Ukraine work permit 2022: legal advice

We were approached by a Client, a foreign entrepreneur who was planning to start a business project in Ukraine. His main activity was related to construction, and in Ukraine his project won a tender for the construction of a promising construction object.

The Client was interested in the possibility of registering a company to operate and implement the project, as well as the issue of workers' relocation to Ukraine. The point is that the project required workers with specific expertise that was easier to bring than to hire in Ukraine - he already had the right foreigner specialists from other countries in mind.

In addition, the Client planned to spend a lot of time in Ukraine to monitor the project, and wanted to know how best to formalize it legally.

Related article: Relocation of IT specialists to Ukraine in 2022

What should an employer consider when hiring foreigners to work in Ukraine?

The entrepreneur's task was to transport a whole group of workers, more than 10 persons at a time. This immediately made us realize that his project required a separate company in Ukraine. Relocating so many employees to a representative office in Ukraine is extremely difficult.

So the first thing we did was to register a company that could become an employer for such employees. The founder was the Client himself. A company was developed for him that met his requirements, including specially developed statutory documents.

After registration, the company could begin hiring employees. In order to move so many employees at the same time, it was only necessary to correctly draw up all the documents, avoiding errors, and submit them in a certain order to the state body. We have more than 15 years of experience in this field, which means that processing any number of employees is not a problem for us.

The employee and the employer are asked for a list of documents when submitting the packet. You can see the list here. The main focus is on the draft employment contract - we always help in drafting it or check the existing draft. All documents issued by foreign authorities must be properly translated and certified.

The procedure for obtaining a permit consists not only of collecting documents and submitting them, but also of the final application to the Employment Center. This should be done after the permit has been issued and the employment contract has been signed - a copy of it must be submitted to the Center no later than 10 days after it has been signed.

Related article: How to transfer a foreign top manager to your company in Ukraine?

Can a work permit help with a residence permit in Ukraine?

A separate important issue for the Client was a guaranteed possibility for him to stay in Ukraine for a long period of time to control the fulfillment of the order for the tender.

We offered him the following option: since he could become a founder in his Ukrainian company, after its creation he could also take a director's position in the company. In this case, given the fact that he is a founder, the minimum wage requirement was removed for the position of director.

Of course, in order to take this position, he also needed a work permit, which, in turn, would give him the opportunity to apply for a temporary residence permit.

The thing is that official employment in Ukraine allows foreigners to apply for a residence permit. It will be temporary (1-3 years) and will always be based on a valid work permit - if such a permit is lost, for example, to resign, then the residence permit will lose its force. But the Client was ok with 9-10 months of free stay in the country to fulfill his goals.

Thus, we provided the following services to the Client:

• Registered a company in Ukraine;

• Provided the services of a nominal director for registration;

• Assisted in obtaining a construction license for the company;

• Carried out registration of more than 15 Work Permits for foreign workers in Ukraine;

• Obtained Work Permit for the Director of the Company;

• Obtained a Work Permit for the director of the company; 

• Arranged a residence permit for our Client.

If you are also thinking about doing business in Ukraine, which involves the employment of foreign workers - contact us. We can issue the number of permits you need in the shortest possible time.

The cost of legal services for a work permit in Ukraine here.