Ukraine tightens entry conditions for Russians
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has brought into effect a ruling by the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) from March 1, 2018, which tightens the conditions for Russian citizens to enter Ukraine, as announced on the president’s official website.
The ruling envisages the creation of a mechanism to carry out a preliminary check on the reasons for entering Ukraine. Citizens from the list of migration risk countries, and Russia especially, will have to inform the Ukrainian government of their intention to visit Ukraine ahead of time through electronic channels.
In order to facilitate this, the Cabinet of Ministers must draft and introduce the necessary amendments to the laws on the legal status of foreigners and persons without citizenship, and on border control.
The government has also been instructed to prepare amendments to Ukraine’s Administrative Offenses Code that will increase the severity of the consequences for breaking the rules on employment, acceptance for study, provision of housing, registration of foreigners and persons without citizenship and the drafting of documents for them, as well as violations by foreigners and persons without citizenship of the rules for residing in Ukraine.
According to the NSDC ruling, over the next two months parliament must have prepared and ratified the new procedure for the registration of foreigners and persons without citizenship and their passport documents at Ukraine’s border control points; the procedure for subjects’ information cooperation with the national biometric system for verification and identification of Ukrainian citizens, foreigners and persons without citizenship; the procedure for filling in and using immigration cards, especially concerning the checking of the reasons for entering Ukraine or extending the duration of stay.
Since January 1, 2018, Ukraine has begun to use biometric verification for foreigners at the Ukrainian border. Citizens of 70 countries, including Russia, are obligated to give the fingerprints of all five fingers of their right hand. However, other foreigners can also be required to give fingerprints, according to the results of the risk analysis and assessment.