How can a foreigner come to Ukraine to help?
Thousands of foreigners come to Ukraine every month to support Ukrainians and make their own contribution to helping the country. Find out more about how you can do it in the most useful and safe way
Despite the fact that the war in Ukraine has been going on for two years, foreigners continue to visit the country. According to official information provided by the State Border Guard Service at the request of Visit Ukraine, more than 2.4 million foreign citizens entered Ukraine in 2023. Among them are not only tourists and officials, but also a large number of volunteers and simply caring people who come to support Ukrainians and make a personal contribution to helping Ukraine.
How to come to Ukraine to help and what you need to do is described below.
How to support Ukraine?
It is possible to come to Ukraine as a volunteer, but you need to find a suitable organization and join it to receive an invitation letter. After arriving in Ukraine, a foreigner will need to apply for a residence permit to legalize their stay in the country.
At the same time, this method is not suitable for everyone, in particular because of the length of this process. After all, finding an organization, obtaining the relevant documents, and generally spending time in Ukraine will force you to leave your own life for a rather long time. However, there is another way to come for a short time and bring maximum benefit as a volunteer - donation tours to Ukraine.
The Donation Tour is a unique project that Visit Ukraine and its partners launched in September 2023. As part of such a tour, a foreigner can choose the direction to which he or she wants to volunteer and the amount of the charitable contribution.
The assistance, at the tourist's choice, can be directed to the military, Ukrainians affected by the war, children or animals. In addition, you can choose a specific type of support, such as food, hygiene products, medicines, home heating systems, or building materials to rebuild destroyed homes, etc.
As part of the donation tour, the tourist will personally come and deliver the aid to the relevant institution or organization, and will be able to communicate with Ukrainians in the de-occupied territories of Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, where the tour will take place.
The Donation Tour is not just a humanitarian mission, it is a way to support Ukraine, the Ukrainian economy and Ukrainians, as well as a way to remind the world about the events in the country.
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Is it safe to travel to Ukraine?
We offer tours only to safe areas, and we involve experienced guides who know how to act in a critical situation. However, in order for the trip to be as comfortable and safe as possible, the tourist must consciously approach the planning of the trip. The main safety measures that a tourist should take include:
1. Compliance with the curfew
2. Responding to an air raid alert (for this purpose, we recommend installing the Air Alert application on your smartphone from the App Store or Google Play, and immediately after the threat is announced, go to the nearest shelter)
3. Obtaining an insurance policy covering military risks
How to enter Ukraine during the war: rules and convenient routes
Ukraine's borders are open to foreigners, but you can only get to Ukraine by land, as the sky remains closed to civilian aircraft. To get to Ukraine as quickly and conveniently as possible, we recommend flying to one of the nearest airports and then continuing your trip by land.
To cross the border, a foreigner must have:
– A passport (citizens of Turkey and Georgia can enter with an ID card);
– Visa (if the country of residence does not have a visa-free regime);
– Confirmation of the purpose of the trip (travel voucher, etc.);
– Proof of sufficient funds for the entire period of stay in Ukraine;
– Insurance policy (insurance must be issued by a Ukrainian insurance company, as any foreign insurance while the country is under martial law automatically terminates after crossing the border; you can obtain such insurance on our website).
We thank you for your active and conscious position and are ready to provide a comprehensive and individual approach to organizing a safe and comfortable trip to Ukraine. To book a Donation Tour to Ukraine, please follow the link. For more information on booking, organization, security measures and other issues, please contact the Visit Ukraine hotline.
Read more about the experience of tourists during donation tours to Ukraine here.
We remind you! As military tourism is gaining popularity around the world, some may confuse the concepts of war tours and unique donation tours to Ukraine from Visit Ukraine. Read what is the fundamental difference between these two concepts and why donation tours have a much deeper meaning and benefit in our previous article.
Want to know more? Read the latest news and useful materials about Ukraine and the world in the News section.
We recommend purchasing it for a safe and comfortable trip to Ukraine:
Visit Ukraine Insurance – safe travel in Ukraine (insurance covering military risks);
Visit Ukraine Legal advice – comprehensive legal support on entry to Ukraine;
Visit Ukraine Tickets – bus and train tickets to/from Ukraine;
Visit Ukraine Tours – the largest online database of tours to Ukraine for every taste;
Visit Ukraine Hotels – hotels for a comfortable stay in Ukraine;
Visit Ukraine Merch – patriotic clothing and accessories with worldwide delivery.
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The simultaneous stay of visitors in the hotel lobby not more than one person per 10 square meters of serviceable area is allowed.
Persons can visit hotels and stay there (outside hotel room) only if they wear respirator or face mask (including homemade mask), so that the nose and mouth are covered.
Hotel guests are obliged to keep the 1.5 meters distance.
Online check-in making in advance is recommended to avoid queues at check-in to hotel.
Meals in hotels are provided through meals delivery service to rooms upon prior order or at hotel restaurants situated inside or in open areas, provided the distance of at least 1.5 meters between seats at adjacent tables.
Not more than 4 clients are allowed to stay at the table (excluding children under 14 years old). Unless these tables are separated by a special partition;
Self-serve is not allowed.