Ukraine to change entry rules for foreigners before Rosh Hashanah: how to get into the country

Ukraine is planning to change the procedure for the entry of foreign citizens – in particular, citizens of some countries will be required to notify in advance of their intention to cross the border. The plan is to tighten control shortly before the Jewish New Year when many pilgrims from other countries are expected to arrive in Uman.

According to the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), this issue was raised at an interagency meeting on August 13. The meeting discussed the implementation of previous decisions to strengthen control over the entry and exit of foreigners and stateless persons from Ukraine, as well as their compliance with the rules of stay in the country.

It was proposed to strengthen border and migration control for the duration of martial law. To this end, the NSDC proposes to compile a list of countries that have a visa-free regime with Ukraine and whose citizens will be required to submit an electronic notification of their intention to enter Ukraine following the established procedure.

"The participants of the meeting noted that the issue of the need to adapt Ukrainian legislation to EU legislation by developing and submitting to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine a draft law on the introduction of a system of electronic notification of intention to enter Ukraine for citizens of countries enjoying the right to enter the territory of our state without a visa is becoming increasingly important," the National Security Council explained. Ukraine may also create a mechanism to ban entry for foreigners whose stay in the country is undesirable for reasons of national security.

Electronic entry permit or e-visa

Ukraine has a visa-free regime with 148 countries – their citizens do not need to obtain a visa before visiting Ukraine. These countries include the EU, Japan, Kuwait, the United States, Uruguay, Israel, and others. Citizens of visa-free countries have the right to stay in Ukraine for up to 90 days within 180 days.

Citizens of other 53 countries and stateless persons can obtain an e-Visa by remotely submitting the necessary documents on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. To do so, they need to fill out a questionnaire, upload a photo and scanned copies of documents (passport, invitation, etc.), and pay a consular fee.

They will receive a ready-made e-visa by e-mail in PDF format. It must be printed and presented to Ukrainian border guards along with their passport. This visa is designed for single or double entry into the territory of Ukraine for a period of up to 30 days.

Israel'sattention

Some Israeli media drew attention to the fact that this issue was raised 1.5 months before Rosh Hashanah. This is a major Jewish holiday that is celebrated for two days and marks the beginning of the New Year according to the Jewish calendar.

On these days, representatives of one of the streams of Judaism, the Bratslav Hasidim, make a pilgrimage to Uman in the Cherkasy region. The founder of the movement, Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, is buried in this city. Neither the COVID-19 pandemic nor a full-scale war kept them from doing so:

• In 2020, 2.5 thousand pilgrims came to Uman;
• in 2021 – 30 thousand;
• in 2022 – 23 thousand;
• in 2023 – more than 35 thousand.

This year, Rosh Hashanah falls on October 2-4. According to Israeli Ambassador Michael Brodsky, this year almost twice as many pilgrims are expected in Uman as last year.

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