Addl. Documents needed for leaving Ukraine

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hello All:

Just an update. Alla and I have not yet had an opportunity to discuss in detail her point of entry experience. There has been so much goin on with our wedding and such, BUT I did want to update you on a few things. Prior to her arrival I had asked all the folks here about addl. documents she needed to leave Ukraine. She had been told by someone that she needed some sort of tax document showing she owed no taxes before she would be allowed to leave. Even though all the good people here told me it was BS, and even the consulate told me (in no uncertain terms) it was BS, Alla would have passed out from fright approaching passport control in Kiev if she hadn't gone to get these documents. So she spent 2 days (and a third goin back to pick up documents) going around in the recent Ukrainian heat wave to collect those documents. For those of you that have spent much time in Ukraine, you know this was 3 days of torture, riding around in hot busses and trolleys and waiting in non-descript lines in un-air conditioned buildings. It also involved giving some "incentive" money to clerks in order to speed along the normal process (three weeks, of course, everything takes three weeks!)

In the end she did not need it! The ONLY documents she needed was her passport with visa. I have recently read some other posts here about the the same topic from Ukraine fiancees. So, for what it is worth...NO OTHER DOCUMENTS are needed! There is just lots of bad information out there. If you have questions, ask here or at the consulate. If someone tells you or your fiancee about these things, especially if they offer to be able to "fix" the problem, do not listen to them. I just sometimes cannot believe the mis-information out there. And of course the fiancee(fiance) in Ukraine does not want to have all their plans spoiled and of course it is so terribly difficult to actually clarify anything with any Ukrainian government agency, often people spend wasted time (and invariably, money) on this non-sense.

There was also a question about whether she would need another letter from the children's father allowing them to leave the country. Her other one, used for the interview, was dated in January and she had been told (by "someone") she would need another dated within 90 days to leave. NO!!! The letter you need for the visa must state he is giving permission to her to leave the country for the USA and live PERMANENTLY! The customs people also know such a letter is required for the visa to be issued and each child has their own visa! No questions were asked about this, but she kept the letter handy just in case. It is TRUE the Ukraine authorities are very strict about mothers/fathers leaving the country with the children and require written permission even for a brief trip out of the country. 2 weeks before Alla came, she took her sons to the beach in Turkey for a few days and needed a letter from her ex-husband for this, but it was for a specific time period and THAT had to be within 90 days. No doubt this is where some confusion comes in. The letter for the K-1 visa MUST state it is permission to reside permanently in the USA. Last I checked, there is no expiration date on "permanent". At any rate, no other letter is needed.

Alla also brought with her two animals, her dog and cat. I want to give everyone an update on that also (for those of you for whom it is a concern).

The USA requirements are minimal. The cat needs only pass a "health check" at the point of entry, basically if a cat looks healthy, it is in. A dog must have a rabies vaccine at least 30 days before entering and not more than one year. That is all. If the dog does not have a rabies vaccine or it is less than 30 days since it got the vaccine, you must fill out a form agreeing to confine the animal in your own home and away from any other animals until it has the vaccine and 30 days have passed. Basically, no big deal. Ukraine requires that all animals leaving the country have a health certificate from a Veterianarian and a rabies vaccine (yes, for the cat also) THEN we found out that after 30 days from the vaccine a blood sample must be taken and sent to a clinic in Kiev who will test for rabies antibodies and verify the animal is protected from rabies. Of course by the time this happens the one year rabies vaccine could be expired!!!!!!! Ukraine does this because it wants animals leaving the country to be accepted anywhere and this, apparently, meets the requirements of any country on earth. I don't know. I doubt these rules apply to the packs of feral dogs roaming the cities at night, what do you think? At any rate, as is the norm, any document can be obtained for a fee (bribe).

Gary

[Ana&D 0]

Gary thanks so much for sharing all of this with us! It will be especially helpful for the ladies traveling to US for the first time considering the amount of misinformation and "nice" onlookers who claim to know everything. I guess it's part of our culture, just as a three week wait that can be bypassed by a bribe

And again, congratulations to both you and Alla on the wedding!!!

[Ban Hammer 13,342]

mbc

[Brad and Vika 129]

Good information Gary, thanks. I understand about Alla's document anxiety. Vika is already carrying on about preparing documents for her inerview, and we haven't had an NOA2 yet. At 100 days+, it looks like we are past due.