Invitation Letter Preparation in Ukraine.

An invitation letter is a document needed for obtaining the short-term visa in case a foreigner is invited to come to Ukraine by a persons or legal entity being on the territory of Ukraine (hereinafter the “host”). To find out more about the issuance of the short-term visa please read the Rules for Issuing Visas for Entrance into Ukraine and Transit through Its Territory.

The invitation letter is prepared upon request of the host and below we will find out how to do this. Those who speak Ukrainian or Russian can just read the Rules of Preparation and Issuance of Invitation Letters to Foreigners and Stateless Persons for Obtaining the Visa for Entrance into Ukraine. Others may find useful to read this article further.

The first step in the process should be a submission of an application by the host to a territorial bodies (administration or chief administration of the migration service in the Autonomic Republic of Crimea, oblasts, Kiev and Sevastopol) or subdivisions of the State Migration Service (administrations, departments (sectors) of the migration service in districts, city districts, oblast or the Autonomic Republic of Crimea capitals) by his place of residence.

The application should be filled out with hand-printed or printed characters, in the Ukrainian language, without abbreviations, acronyms and corrections. The other documents should be submitted with the application are:

·         the passport (returned after being provided);

·         the permanent residence certificate (for hosts who are foreigners or stateless persons and permanently reside in Ukraine) (returned after being provided);

·         documents certifying the host studies, undergoes a training, works, etc. in Ukraine (for host who are foreigners or stateless persons and permanently reside in Ukraine);

·         a bank receipt certifying the payment of the state duty (as of now this is UAH 51);

·         a bank receipt certifying the payment of the fee for consideration of the application (as of now this is UAH 56.52);

·         a copy of the invitee’s passport or another identification document containing identification data. The copy should be translated into Ukrainian and duly certified.

The applications of foreigners or stateless persons temporarily residing in Ukraine should be approved by the management of schools, companies, etc. at which the hosts study, work, etc.

The package of documents is considered for up to 20 days however this term may be shortened to 10 working days for a payment of the double state duty. In case of successful consideration of the documents the invitation letter is granted and handed over to the host against his signature. Its validity term is 6 months.

In case of rejection of the application the host is notified by mail about the reasons of denial the invitation letter. Grounds for a refusal in granting the invitation letter are set forth by the Law of Ukraine On the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Persons. After a rejection of the application it can be resubmitted in 6 months unless the reasons for the rejection do not exist anymore.

The host is responsible for financial provision of the invitee while he is in Ukraine as well as for the invitee’s departure from Ukraine.