Men who have a residence permit abroad can freely cross the Ukrainian border, but not all of them and under certain conditions. Learn more about the rules of entry and exit from Ukraine for citizens permanently residing abroad

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According to the rules for crossing the state border during martial law, men aged 18 to 60 who have a residence permit abroad and are not liable for military service may freely enter and leave Ukraine. However, this is only possible if the border crossing is approved by the State Border Guard Service and the territorial center for recruitment and social support, and if the document has a special stamp.

How it works and what procedure you need to go through to get permission to leave is described further in the article.

Departure of a spouse from Ukraine with a residence permit: what documents are required?

Pursuant to Article 4 of the Law of Ukraine "On the Procedure for Departure from Ukraine and Entry of Citizens of Ukraine", the passport of a man who is a citizen of Ukraine but officially resides abroad on a permanent basis must contain special stamps in order for him to cross the border. Namely:

– An entry of the migration service (stamp) in the passport with the text "Permanent residence in ____" / stamp "Departure for permanent residence" (country name and date) - for persons leaving for the first time.

– An entry of the diplomatic mission of Ukraine (stamp) in the passport "Permanent residence in ____" / "Accepted for consular registration" or a certificate of consular registration, which can be obtained using the means of the departmental information system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - for persons permanently residing abroad.

The presence of a corresponding entry in a passport document indicates that a person permanently resides, works or has contractual obligations outside Ukraine and has formalized his or her stay abroad according to the official procedure, having previously been deregistered at the military registration and enlistment office, and therefore is not a person liable for military service, and therefore can freely leave Ukraine during martial law. If a man has a residence permit abroad, but has not officially formalized his departure from Ukraine and has not been deregistered at the military registration and enlistment office, he cannot cross the border.

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How to prepare documents for departure abroad for permanent residence?

The procedure for processing documents for Ukrainian citizens to travel abroad for permanent residence is described on the official website of the State Migration Service of Ukraine. To obtain a permit, a person must submit an application to the territorial unit of the SMS at the registered place of residence in Ukraine addressed to the head of the territorial body of the SMS together with a package of documents. It should be noted that a citizen of Ukraine must first apply to the relevant registration authority for deregistration of the place of residence, as well as to the military registration and enlistment office for deregistration at the place of residence.

The following documents are to be attached to the application (if the applicant is an adult who represents his/her own interests independently, i.e. does not have a legal representative)

– original and copy of the passport of a citizen of Ukraine;

– original and copy of the foreign passport of the citizen of Ukraine;

– original and copy of the certificate of residence registration (in the form of a booklet - with a stamp of deregistration of the place of residence; in the form of a card - with a certificate of deregistration of the place of residence issued by the registration authority);

– three 3.5 x 4.5 cm photographs;

– receipt of payment of the state fee.

▶ The cost of the service is UAH 195.31.

▶ The application is considered within three months from the date of its submission.

▶ The document is valid for 6 months.

If a decision is made to provide the relevant service to a citizen of Ukraine, the territorial body of the SMS makes a note in the person's passports (passport of a citizen of Ukraine and foreign passport) on the registration of travel abroad for permanent residence, which is sealed. If the person has a passport in the form of a card, the information is entered into a contactless electronic medium.

If the decision is made to refuse to issue documents for traveling abroad for permanent residence, the territorial body of the SMS must inform the applicant in writing of the decision taken, indicating the grounds for refusal and the procedure for appeal, within 5 working days.

It is worth noting that leaving Ukraine for permanent residence in another country is a rather lengthy and complicated procedure that often requires legal support. You can get help with the preparation of the relevant documents on our website. Our lawyers will answer all your questions and help you with the collection and execution of the necessary documents. Follow the link to sign up for a consultation or order full legal support.

We remind you! The rules for crossing the border for men have not changed, but border checkpoints have begun to require additional confirmation from those who have the right to leave. Read what categories of men can freely leave Ukraine and what documents they need to have in our previous article.

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