Due to COVID-19 pandemic Ukraine closed its borders temporarily and introduced quarantine on 13 March 2020. There is a specific Governmental Decision to that effect, which you can find by following this link. 

On 12 June 2020 the Government lifted restrictions for foreigners to enter Ukraine.

This article will shed light on the other restrictions a foreigner traveling to Ukraine faces currently.

As the US Embassy in Ukraine informs: “Following several days of record increases in registered COVID-19 cases (80% rise in the past month), the government of Ukraine has extended the adaptive quarantine until July 31. Most regions have re-opened the following services and institutions, subject to certain social distancing requirements: all public transportation, hotels, restaurants and coffee shops, church services, sporting events without spectators, day care centers, swimming pools and sports gyms (except group classes larger than 10 people), inter-regional transportation, including passenger rail travel on Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways), cultural institutions.

Quarantine levels and restrictions vary by region. The Embassy called upon checking with local authorities regarding local quarantine guidelines. Wearing masks in public places, including public transportation, at all times is mandatory”.

Aside from the above, each foreigner traveling to Ukraine will have to comply with a special procedure to enter the country while crossing the border. This procedure was introduced by Governmental Decision no. 480 on 12 June 2020.

Firstly, foreigners coming from all countries to Ukraine, while crossing the border have to have: “[insurance] policy (certificate, voucher) covering potential expenses in connection with COVID-19 treatment, observation”.

Speaking from years of experience, Ukrainan Border Control prefers seeing documents in Ukrainian. Insurance policies in any other language might be difficult to understand for the officials. For this reason we recommend purchasing a local insurance policy to secure immediate and unhindered entry to Ukraine. As far as governmental regulations are concerned, there are no specific requirements, apart from the above, to these insurance policies. The Ukrainian insurance companies currently offer insurance policies with COVID-19 included and frequently the cost for such insurance is triple or quadruple that of a regular policy. If you are unsure if you will be allowed to enter Ukraine with your current insurance, or you want to buy a local policy, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@immigrateua.com or call us at +380931953055 for complimentary advice.

Secondly, Ukrainian Government developed a classification system for countries with significant and insignificant levels of COVID-19. These two types are usually referred to as red level and green level respectively. 
The countries with significant spread of COVID-19 are those with more than 40 cases of active COVID-19 cases per 100 thousand persons. The Ukrainian Ministry of Health monitors this situation continuously and updates the State Border Control each three days. You can find the latest list of counties here.

Citizens of all these “red” counties arriving in Ukraine have to undergo a fourteen-day observation in specially designated places in Ukraine. Alternatively, a foreigner can choose self-isolation at any address in Ukraine with the help of a mobile application ДІЙ ВДОМА (Act at Home). There is a specially dedicated article on our webpage about this mobile application.

Foreigners arriving from the countries with insignificant spread of COVID-19 will be able to freely cross the border facing no additional restrictions. These foreigners will be able to freely travel within Ukraine, taking into account current quarantine conditions for everyone in the country.

There might be certain questions for non-standard situations, for instance:

1. What happens if a foreigner wants to come to  Ukraine from a “red” country for fewer than 14 days? 

Technically speaking, this is not possible, as such a traveler has to be isolated from the public for 14 days. Practically speaking, this foreigner might attempt to leave Ukraine earlier than 14 days. In this case this person will be fined at the border with UAH 17,000 – 34,000 (approximately USD 630-1260). The Border Control does not have the authority to fine such foreigners, for this reason they will have to involve the police. This might cause the traveler  to miss their flight. Please consider arriving at the airport, in this case, well in advance of your departure. 

2. If a foreigner was cured from COVID-19 and has medical documentation to prove that, does it change anything? 

No. Any medical documentation, COVID-19 tests and others do not affect your status while crossing the border as the respective Governmental Regulations do not mention these as exceptions from the general rule.

3. Will I have a temperature screening or COVID-19 test while arriving in Ukraine? 

No. There are no temperature screening or COVID-19 tests available upon arrival to Ukraine. Neither is there an answer to the question of what shall be done if a foreigner’s temperature is too high. The relevant Governmental Regulations do not mention these aspects.

4. If I am a national of a “green” country and need to have a transit through a “red” country before arriving in Ukraine – will I have to be self-isolated upon arrival to Ukraine? 

This situation is not reflected in any regulations, however, the Border Control Official informed that a decision was made not to apply the self-isolation rule to such travelers in case their transit through Ukraine takes no longer than one day (24 hrs). These foreigners will be able to transit through Ukraine with no restrictions. If the transit takes longer than 24 hrs, the decision to self-isolate the traveler or not will be taken on the spot by the Border Control.

5. If I am a national of a “red” country, but have been staying lately in a “green” country and would like to enter Ukraine from that country. Will I be self-isolated? 

If your stay in Ukraine before entering Ukraine was 14 or more days – the rules of a “green” county have to be applied, meaning – no self-isolation required. However, your stay in a “green” country needs to be proved before the Border Control, usually you can refer to your entry and departure stamps in your passport to prove that.

COVID-19 infection changed our world as we knew it. The situation fluctuates daily, the travel plans could not be as certain as before. At Zalizniak and Associates Ukraine Immigration Consulting, we recommend checking the latest regulations and rules not only before booking your tickets, but even on the day of your travel. There have been too many cases of flights canceled at the last minute because of not obvious reasons. If you are unsure about your travel to Ukraine and want to be certain that you will be allowed to enter the country, please feel free to contact us at any time for more information. 

At the present time, the Government is preparing a special website called Visit Ukraine Today, where various public authorities, such as the Ministry of Health, State Border Control, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Service updating on the current situation and rules in place. So far this web resource has not been developed yet. Feel free to contact us at info@immigrateua.com if you have any doubts concerning your scheduled trip to Ukraine. We are always here for you to provide professional legal advice.