Visas

Citizens of the EU, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Vatican, Iceland, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Mongolia, the U.S., Canada, Japan and the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) - except Turkmenistan - can enter Ukraine visa-free and stay up to 90 days. Everyone else needs a visa, which must be obtained from a Ukrainian embassy or consulate abroad before travelling. Visas can be processed in as little as one day, with prices varying depending on the type and length of visa requested. Many Ukrainian embassies only handle visa cases on certain days of the week, so call ahead.

Travel to Russia is not so simple. All foreign visitors, with the exception of citizens from selected countries of the CIS, must obtain a visa. Upon arrival, you will need to fill in an immigration card. If you are staying more that 72 hours, you will need to register with the local police (hotels are usually willing to aid in this process). Transit visas are also required. For additional information, call (+380) 44 286 45 04.

Travel to Belarus is also a bit tricky. Citizens of the EU, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Croatia can apply for 30-day single and multiple entry business and private visas without an invitation. The rest of us need an invitation, or we can book through a travel agency authorized to issue state travel vouchers. All visitors are required to purchase national medical insurance, and must register their passports with local police within three days of their arrival (hotels are usually willing to aid in this process). Transit visas are also required. For more information, call (+380) 44 537 52 03.

Moldova greatly relaxed its visa laws in 2007. Citizens of the EU, Norway, Switzerland, Japan, Israel, Canada and the U.S. can enter Moldova visa-free and stay up to 90 days. For all other visitors, visas can be acquired at a Moldavian consulate or at the Chisinau airport by presenting an application form and photos. All visitors planning to stay more than 90 days need an invitation and visa. For more information, call (+380) 44 280 77 21.

Citizens of the EU, Norway, Switzerland, Canada, the U.S., Japan, Australia, Israel and a handful of Latin American countries can enter Romania visa-free and stay up to 90 days. Citizens of countries not on the list can obtain a visa at the Romanian consulate in Kyiv. For more information, call (+380) 44 234 00 40.

Poland, Hungary and Slovakia belong to the European Schengen zone. Citizens of Canada, Mexico, the U.S., Israel, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore may enter without a visa; however, the amount of time you are allowed to stay varies from country to country. All others must apply for a visa at the consulate of destination country. For more information call the following embassies: Polish (+380) 44 284 00 40, Hungarian (+380) 44 238 63 81, Slovakian (+380) 44 234 06 06.

For a complete listing of embassy locations and phone numbers see Foreign Representations. In many cases, the consular section is responsible for issuing visas and is located apart from the embassy - save yourself time and confusion by calling before you go.