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What to do if you’ve overstayed in Ukraine

what to do if you have overstayed in UkraineOn visiting Ukraine, whether for business, private meeting, studying or pleasure, it is very important to know the permitted period of stay. Generally, the quantity of allowed days in the country will be stated on your visa (if you will need a visa), otherwise it is 90 days within a 180-day period – the so-called 90/180 rule) from the date of arrival. However, what you overstay your visit?

A fine

A foreigner who overstays visit commits an administrative offense under Ukrainian law! He/she can be issued a warning of the violation or can be fined in the amount ranging from 1700 UAH to 5200 UAH by officials of the State Migration Service. The fine must be paid within 15 days from the date of issue otherwise the amount of the fine will be doubled.
Such a decision may be appealed, however an appeal must be submitted to the authorities which first imposed the fine within 10 days of issue. If the appeal is rejected, the expat must pay the fine within 15 days upon the date of receiving the rejection. The fine can be paid via any bank unless such a fine was imposed by officials of the State Border Service of Ukraine, in which case the fine can be paid on site.

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Entry Ban

In certain cases, a foreigner may be banned from entering Ukraine. Authorities can ban the foreigner from entering the country if, during his/her stay in Ukraine, such an individual did not comply with the decision of the authorities on the imposed penalties and/or did not pay the fine. The statutory ban period is three years. The ban can be appealed to the regional department of the State Border Service of Ukraine or to a relevant court. Once the fine has been paid, the ban will typically be cancelled. Unfortunately, in the recent time more foreigners were trapped in such unpleasant situations without well-founded reasons as their intentions of staying in Ukraine were clear and they were not looking like illegal immigrants. In that case the chances to appeal the entry ban will be more high.

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What to do?

If you know that you have exceeded the permitted stay in Ukraine, the pragmatic solution would be to go to the office of the State Migration Service according to your place of residence, report your overstay, receive a copy of the decision on imposition of administrative penalty, and pay the fine (if imposed) within the required period. Such actions will facilitate the process of passing border control and ensure no additional fines from the State Border Service. It is also advisable to contract a lawyer who will be able to act on your behalf before the authorities should you happen to experience any issues.

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