Ukraine
Important COVID-19 Travel
Under current UK COVID-19 restrictions, you must stay at home. You must not travel, including abroad, unless you have a legally permitted reason to do so. It is illegal to travel abroad for holidays and other leisure purposes.
Check the rules that apply to you in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
If you intend to travel to the UK from abroad, including UK nationals returning home, you must provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test result taken up to 3 days before departure. If you do not comply (and you do not have a valid exemption) your airline or carrier may refuse you boarding and/or you may be fined on arrival.
Before you return to the UK you must provide your journey and contact details. You must self-isolate when you enter the UK from any foreign country except Ireland, unless you have a valid exemption.
When you enter England from abroad (except Ireland), you must follow the new requirements for quarantining and taking additional COVID-19 tests. For those travelling from a country on the banned travel list you will be required to quarantine in a hotel. Different rules apply for arrivals into England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
If you are legally permitted to travel abroad, check our advice on your country of destination. Some other countries have closed borders, and may further restrict movement or bring in new rules including testing requirements with little warning.
Entry requirements
The information on this page covers the most common types of travel and reflects the UK government’s understanding of the rules currently in place. Unless otherwise stated, this information is for travellers using a full ‘British Citizen’ passport.
The authorities in the country or territory you’re travelling to are responsible for setting and enforcing the rules for entry. If you’re unclear about any aspect of the entry requirements, or you need further reassurance, you’ll need to contact the embassy, high commission or consulate of the country or territory you’re travelling to.
You should also consider checking with your transport provider or travel company to make sure your passport and other travel documents meet their requirements.
Restrictions in response to coronavirus
Entry and borders
Upon arrival, all foreign nationals will be required to provide proof of health insurance that covers COVID-19 observation and treatment for the duration of their stay. Insurance must be purchased from a company registered in Ukraine or a foreign company that has a representative office or an insurance partner in Ukraine. Whether you have to self-isolate on arrival depends on whether your journey involved travel from or through “red” or “green” zone countries. The UK is currently in the ‘Red Zone’. (See quarantine requirements)
The final decision on a person’s eligibility to enter Ukraine rests with the Ukrainian State Border Service. The entry requirement policies of foreign governments are imposed and enforced at their discretion.
Transiting Ukraine
Foreign nationals transiting Ukraine are required to provide proof of health insurance that covers COVID-19 observation and treatment for the duration of their stay. Insurance must be purchased from a company registered in Ukraine or a foreign company that has a representative office or an insurance partner in Ukraine.
Quarantine requirements
Travellers arriving from countries in what the Ukrainian authorities call the “green zone”, are not required to undergo self-isolation or observation on arrival.
Travellers arriving from countries in what the Ukrainian authorities call the “red zone”, which currently includes the UK, are required to undergo 14 days’ self-isolation proven by the “Dii Vdoma” tracking app, or quarantine in a government-approved facility for 14 days upon arrival.
Mandatory self-isolation or quarantine is not necessary if a traveller undergoes a PCR test and receives a negative result no more than 48 hours in advance of his/her arrival in Ukraine, or once in Ukraine. Further information about taking the tests in Ukraine and terminating self-isolation in case of a negative result can be found via the ‘more detailed’ link of the ‘for citizens of “red zone” countries’ box on the Ukrainian authorities’ Visit Ukraine webpage. This includes details of categories of travellers from “red zone” countries who are exempt from self-isolation, including: children under 12; students at Ukrainian universities; diplomats and their families; drivers of freight vehicles and coaches, as well as air, sea, and train crews; and others.
Citizens of “red” countries who can prove that they have spent the last 14 days in “green” countries are treated as arriving from the “green zone”, and will not be required to isolate. Individuals whose travel originated in a “green” country but who have visited a “red” country prior to arriving to Ukraine (for example, those travelling by car transiting “red” countries) may be required to self-isolate or quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Mandatory self-isolation or quarantine is no longer necessary if a traveller undergoes a PCR test and receives a negative result no more than 48 hours in advance of his/her arrival in Ukraine, or once in Ukraine.
Check the list of red and green zone countries by clicking the “more detailed” links in the “for citizens of green/red zones” information boxes. The red and green zone lists are updated frequently and can change quickly in response to the epidemic – you should check the lists regularly.
Self-isolation on entry to Ukraine can be completed at your chosen address using the “Dii Vdoma” mobile app. You need to have a Ukrainian mobile phone number with the SIM card activated before you arrive in the country, though the SIM does not need to be in your phone on arrival. When using the app, you must respond promptly to notifications sent to your mobile (in Ukrainian).
More information about the app is available on the Cabinet of Ministers website or the Visit Ukraine webpage. Make sure that you understand the regular reporting requirements before taking up this option. People who do not register with the Dii Vdoma app, or who do not abide by its terms, are required to complete quarantine at a government-approved observation centre.
Travellers arriving in Ukraine or crossing the administrative points from non-government-controlled parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and Crimea will be subject to health monitoring on arrival. You should comply with any additional screening measures put in place by the authorities.
Further information about visiting Ukraine during the quarantine period can be found at the Ukrainian authorities’ Visit Ukraine webpage.
Regular entry requirements
Visas
British Citizen passport holders can enter Ukraine without a visa for visits of up to 90 days within a 180-day period. Ukraine has confirmed that this policy will continue to apply to British citizens until 30 January 2022.
Although there are no penalties for British citizens overstaying under the visa-free regime during quarantine (providing they leave within 30 days of quarantine ending), anyone who has overstayed will not be able to return to Ukraine for 90 days after leaving the country.
If you’re planning to stay in Ukraine for longer than 90 days in a 180 day period, you need to get a visa. For more advice on entry requirements contact the Ukrainian Embassy in London or Consulate General in Edinburgh.
You don’t need to complete an immigration card. Immigration officials may require you to scan your fingerprints as part of biometric data collection at border crossing points. For more details, visit the website of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
Proof of financial means
You may be asked to provide evidence that you have sufficient funds to support you during your stay. The Ukrainian authorities accept the following as a proof of sufficient funds: cash, bank cards along with bank statements, accommodation bookings, tourist vouchers, a letter from the person or company you’re visiting stating that they will cover your expenses, a return ticket or onward travel ticket. You can find more information on the websites of the Ukrainian Embassy in the UK and State Border Service of Ukraine.
Passport validity
If you’re travelling without a visa, your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay. No additional period of validity beyond this is required.
If you’re applying for a visa, your passport may need to have an additional period of validity. Check with the Ukrainian Embassy in London for further details.
Borders
It’s illegal under Ukrainian law to enter internationally recognised Ukrainian territory through a border point that isn’t currently controlled by the Ukrainian authorities. If you do so, you risk arrest or a fine, and you may be subject to a travel ban.
International border crossings that aren’t currently under the control of the Ukrainian authorities include all land border crossings into Donetsk oblast, many of the land border crossings into Luhansk oblast, all air and sea ports in Crimea and the Kerch Bridge road and rail crossing into Crimea.
If you intend to visit any of the areas not controlled by the Ukrainian authorities, you should apply to the State Migration Service of Ukraine for a special entry permit. Information on border crossing procedure, entry/exit regulations and checkpoints are provided at the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine website.
UK Emergency Travel Documents
UK Emergency Travel Documents are accepted for entry, airside transit and exit from Ukraine.
Customs regulations
You can find general information about importing and exporting items on the website of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine (in Ukrainian).
There are strict customs regulations governing the export from Ukraine of antiques and items of historical interest. If in doubt seek prior permission from the customs authorities: telephone: (+38 044) 454 16 13, e-mail: idd@sfs.gov.ua
Bringing your car to Ukraine
For information about driving rules in Ukraine, see Road travel
Non-residents are allowed to bring a vehicle for personal use into Ukraine for up to one year. There’s no need to complete a customs declaration form. The vehicle can only be used in Ukraine by the person that brought it into the country. The vehicle can’t be used for commercial purposes, dismantled, sold or rented to other people. If you want to do any of these things, you’ll need register the vehicle in Ukraine and pay the appropriate customs tax.
You must take the vehicle out of Ukraine within the required timeframe, or place it into the customs regime of the State.
If your vehicle breaks down and can’t be fixed, you should inform the Customs Service and provide them with evidence that it can’t be repaired. You may then dispose of the vehicle through the official channels of the Customs Service.
If you bring a private vehicle in Ukraine with the intention of transiting the country, you may be asked to complete a customs declaration form and pay a deposit.
You can find more information on bringing your car to Ukraine on the State Fiscal Service’s website (in Ukrainian).