As of September 28, foreigners can visit Ukraine, as long as they comply with new rules established by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 888, dated September 28, 2020. The legal provision that temporarily prohibited entry of foreigners into Ukraine, a preventive measure to fight the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, expired on September 28, 2020.
Brief background
On August 27, 2020, Ukraine temporarily imposed restrictions on foreigners hoping to visit Ukraine. To enter Ukrainian territory, foreigners needed to have a work permit or a temporary or permanent residence permit. Due to a spike in COVID-19 infections, restrictions were imposed for the period of 1 month until September 28, 2020.
New rules for foreigners
According to the above mentioned Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, these are the new rules applying to foreigners who want to visit Ukraine:
o The foreigner shall have medical insurance from a Ukrainian insurer or foreign insurance company that has a representative office in Ukraine or contractual relations with an insurance company partner in Ukraine (for assistance) and covers the costs of COVID-19 treatment and observation. Such insurance must be valid for the whole period of the foreigner’s stay in Ukraine. If the foreigner has a permanent residence permit in Ukraine, he/she is not required to have such insurance.
o A foreigner who crosses the border into Ukraine from a state or is a citizen of a state with widespread COVID-19 is subject to a 14-day mandatory self-isolation using the “Act at Home” app. Please note that to use the “Act at Home” app, the foreigner must have a Ukrainian telephone number (+380) only. This rule shall not apply to citizens of a state with widespread COVID-19 who has spent the past 14 days outside of any such state. The list of states with widespread COVID-19 is manually updated by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine every 7 days and can be found on its official website.
o The foreigner can terminate the mandatory self-isolation measure if he/she, upon arrival to Ukraine, is tested for SARS-Cov-2 using a nasal and throat swab and receives a negative PCR result.
o The foreigner is not subject to self-isolation if he/she presents a negative PCR result of a nasal and throat swab for SARS-Cov-2 at the border crossing point, which is not older than 48 hours (from the time of taking the swab to arriving at the entry point).
Quarantine restrictions in Ukraine
Ukraine still has an intensive growth of COVID-19 morbidity rates. Therefore, as of August 22, 2020, the government introduced a new quarantine approach. According to this approach, the country is divided into zones reflecting the intensity of spread of COVID-19 in each region:
- Green zone (where COVID-19 morbidity rates are rather low)
- Yellow zone (where COVID-19 morbidity rates are on the controlled level)
- Orange zone (where COVID-19 morbidity rates remain high)Red zone (where COVID-19 morbidity rates are at a critical level)
- Red zone (where COVID-19 morbidity rates are at a critical level)
Each zone has a different level of quarantine restrictions imposed by local authorities, reflecting what are thought to be adequate measures required to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Please note that the following quarantine restrictions are currently applied in Kyiv (in the Yellow Zone as of September 28, 2020):
- masks or respirators must be worn in public buildings and transport;
- cinemas and theaters shall operate at no more than 50 percent capacity;
- the number of passengers permitted on public transport vehicles is limited to the number of seats;
- visitors are banned from social protection institutions housing elderly people (except for emergency services);
- residents are banned from being out on the streets without identity documents;
- workers are banned from accommodation establishments (hostels, tourist centers), except for hotels;
- a ban on entertainment venue (karaoke bars, discos, nightclubs etc);
- restaurants have to be closed from 24:00 and till 7:00;
- gyms and fitness centers are closed, except for establishments that can operate with no more than 1 person per 10 square meters.
ContactUkraine team wishes you and your beloved ones strong health and patience at this difficult time.
Should you have any further questions or require assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.