The New Rules For Foreigners Entering Ukraine During The Pandemic

July 1, 2020
As Ukraine’s adaptive quarantine continues to relax, restrictions on non-resident foreigners entering the country have been lifted as well. Here are some updates for foreign citizens looking to travel to Ukraine during the pandemic.
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Ukraine has reopened for international visitors, and foreign citizens can now enter Ukraine both through on-land checkpoints and at airports. As of today, all checkpoints with the EU and Moldova are open. Here you can check on the current open over-land border crossings into Ukraine.

As of 15 June, Ukraine has resumed international flights and switched to a country-based approach to self-isolation for foreigners. This means that a mandatory 14-day quarantine will apply depending on where the person is coming from abroad. If he/ she arrives from a "red zone" country where the number of COVID-19 cases exceeds 40 per 100 thousand population, self-isolation or observation is mandatory after crossing the border. If the country of residency falls in the "green zone" (less than 40 cases per 100 thousand population), self-isolation is not required.

For these purposes, a visitor's country of residency will be considered rather than their country of travel origin or citizenship. For this reason, citizens of "red zone" countries can avoid self-isolation if they have documents confirming their stay in a "green zone" country for the last 14 days, as long as it is their country of departure, too. 

Another means of avoiding the  confinement period is a negative result from a PCR test for coronavirus. This test must be performed after crossing the border into Ukraine. To do this, Ukrainian International Airlines have set up a coronavirus test laboratory in the Boryspil Airport, primarily for UIA crews, but also for departing and arriving passengers if they need a relevant certificate for their country of arrival.

In other cases, foreign citizens must undergo a two-weeks quarantine either in a hotel, or in an apartment. Residents of "red zone" countries and those tested negative for coronavirus have to download the Diy Vdoma a smartphone application and follow the instructions for online supervision. A person is allowed to go out to buy groceries or medical treatment no further than two km away from their place of confinement. Time outside is limited to two hours per day. 

Regardless of test results, all foreign citizens travelling to Ukraine are required to have  COVID-19 health insurance. 

In case you develop symptoms of COVID-19:

  1. call your insurance company 

  2. if you are suspected of having COVID-19, you will be sent to one of the designated infectious diseases hospitals according to the place of your temporary residence. 

  3. do not go to the hospital by yourself, patients who experience symptoms compatible with coronavirus disease have to be taken there by a medical emergency team.  

  4. emergency medical assistance is covered by the State of Ukraine.

  5. when tested for the coronavirus, you must stay in hospital or in isolation and under observation. 

  6. if the patient is tested positive, he/she will receive medical care based on the contract on granting medical assistance and should stay in hospital or in self-isolation until full recovery and inform the health institution about his or her health on a regular basis.

More information can be found on the official website for COVID-19 in Ukraine, or on the MFA website.

Hotline on COVID-19- 08005055840.

IRYNA MATVIYISHYN
Analyst and journalist at UkraineWorld and Internews Ukraine