Since my trip to Ukraine is approaching in one month’s time, I decided to apply for the Ukraine visa today. For Singapore passport holders, we can apply for the E-visa or we can also get it on arrival at one of the three airports – Kyiv Boryspil Airport, Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany) and Odessa International Airport. For those arriving by land border, it is advisable to get your e-visa or to apply for the tourist visa at the embassy.

Embassy of Ukraine in Singapore

Address: Consular Section, Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Singapore 50 Raffles Place, # 16-05, Singapore Land Tower, Singapore, 048623.

Tel: 6535 6550

Email: ukrconsul.sg@gmail.com

The embassy is open from Mondays to Fridays, and closed on all Ukrainian and Singapore public holidays. The cost of a tourist visa applied at the embassy is S$95 and takes 10 working days to process. For expedited processing time (1-5 working days), the visa fee is doubled to S$170.

Since 04 April 2018 foreigners-holders of passports of 44 specified countries* may apply for Ukraine’s electronic visa (e-Visa). Actually, there is not much difference in the cost of the visa applied online because it cost US$65 which works out to be about S$90.

*Australia, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Barbados, Bahrain, Bolivia, Bhutan, Vanuatu, Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, Grenada, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mauritius, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Oman, Palau, Peru, El Salvador, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Singapore, Suriname, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Fiji, Jamaica

E-Visas are issued by the MFA of Ukraine as single entry tourist or business visa valid for up to 30 days.

How to apply for Ukraine tourist visa?

Step 1. Register at the MFA web-platform http://evisa.mfa.gov.ua
Step 2. Fill in application form online
Step 3. Upload copies of necessary documents:
– photo
– passport
– health insurance policy (30,000 euro coverage)
– proof of sufficient funds
– document confirming the purpose of the visit (invitation letter from an entity/company/organisation registered in Ukraine, hotel/accommodation booking(s), programme of stay, information on the tour(s) and the tour(s’) timeframes, tourist agency details, transfer details, sightseeing information etc.)
Step 4. Pay the fee (65 USD) by MasterCard/Visa card.

All e-Visa applications are processed within 9 business days, e-Visa or visa refusal letter is sent to the applicant’s email address.

I would suggest applying for your visa online as it saves you the hassle of going down to the embassy to submit all your documents, which is only allowed during the short window from 09:00am to 11:30am. Applying for the e-visa allows you to submit all the documents in the comfort of your home. If you are not done with certain proof of documents, you can always save the draft application and come back later to review it.

As for the visa on arrival at the 3 airports, I would not count on it because the queues may be long if there are many people on the flight without a valid visa. Sometimes the custom officials are also known to turn away people, especially Indian nationals based on what I had read on TripAdvisor reviews.

Et viola! Here is the outcome of my visa application. Make sure you scan all the documents properly and take a good passport photo according to the guidelines as shown on the website, otherwise your application would be rejected. For the proof of funds, you can either take a copy of your credit card or to show the bank account fund with your name and the total balance, without the need to show the transaction history.

I got my Ukraine e-visa 2 days later! I’m so excited to visit Ukraine now. Take note that there was no email notification, I logged into the account to check on the process and found out that the visa was ready. I just needed to print out a copy of the e-visa and submit to the immigration officials when I arrive at the border control in Ukraine.

In summary, go to http://evisa.mfa.gov.ua for the visa application. Upload all relevant documents as required. Before submitting the payment, double check on the documents again by clicking on the ‘view’ button. Pay the consular fee of US$65 by credit card and wait for the outcome! The e-visa is valid for one month starting from the date that I had put in my application.