Passport question for Ukraine

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hello All:

My wife has had her passport for some years and renewed it last year before her interview. She is good for 10 years. We need to get a NEW passport in May for our son who will follow her here this summer. It has been so long since Alla received a NEW passport she does not know how long it will take. We are trying to co-ordinate this somewhat closely for his interview, medical etc.

Does anyone here have any recent experience in how long it takes to get a NEW passport for international travel in Ukraine? Is there any "expedited" service available (above or below board, I do not care) and what is the usual fee for expedited service. Alla seems to remember she waited about two months for her passport some years ago and she was offered expedited service and does not remember how much, she thinks $100 ought to get her what she wants. We would like to receive the passport in under a month if possible. If anyone has some advice, please let us know. Oh, she is from Donetsk, if that matters. We will apply for the passport there.

[sajori 0]

Hmmm

We just had one done back in late August. I don't think we had the option of expediting it. It took about 2 months. There might be some 'under the table' sort of payment you could do. But then again, Donetsk is a huge city, much larger than our oblast center, so you may have more luck! Plus, you might have more options since she's now living in the U.S. (They could try to expedite it for you because of this).

Good luck!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hmmm

We just had one done back in late August. I don't think we had the option of expediting it. It took about 2 months. There might be some 'under the table' sort of payment you could do. But then again, Donetsk is a huge city, much larger than our oblast center, so you may have more luck! Plus, you might have more options since she's now living in the U.S. (They could try to expedite it for you because of this).

Good luck!

Thanks. Alla couldn't remember how long it took to get hers, she was not in a hurry and she thinks it took about a month. We would like to get it in a month or less, we will see. There is usually some under the table options but she didn't try this before. We are trying to get a passport for our older son, get his interview scheduled and get him back here to adjust status all in about 2 months. We have the USCIS office on board here and they will take his AOS directly as they already have our case and get him, minimum, an AP or send the green card to Moscow for him to pick up. Thanks for your help

Gary

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hmmm

We just had one done back in late August. I don't think we had the option of expediting it. It took about 2 months. There might be some 'under the table' sort of payment you could do. But then again, Donetsk is a huge city, much larger than our oblast center, so you may have more luck! Plus, you might have more options since she's now living in the U.S. (They could try to expedite it for you because of this).

Good luck!

By your timeline you should have an interview coming up, what's the latest?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hmmm

We just had one done back in late August. I don't think we had the option of expediting it. It took about 2 months. There might be some 'under the table' sort of payment you could do. But then again, Donetsk is a huge city, much larger than our oblast center, so you may have more luck! Plus, you might have more options since she's now living in the U.S. (They could try to expedite it for you because of this).

Good luck!

We have been checking on this all day ourselves. Here is what we find. Ukraine is in the process of opening new passport centers in all Oblast Centers. The one in Donetsk opened May 19, 2008. Alla renewed hers in February 2008. The standard processing is 2-3 months and cost is 170 UAH. For the additional fee of 170 UAH (340 UAH total) you can get the passport in 30 days IF you have documentation of urgent need. A K-2 visa is NOT an urgent need. For the additional fee of 340 UAH (510 UAH) total you can get the passport in 30 days without an urgent need. Adding 150 UAH more gets it to you in 10 days. Adding 900 UAH gets it to you in 3 days. We are also advised that in order for Sergey to apply for the visa in late April (when he will be in Donetsk) and for Alla to pick it up for him in late May (When we will be there) we should be prepared to pay $60-100 extra to the "proper person". OK, no problem.

So for those of you in Ukraine that need passports...that's the latest scoop. I do not know which Oblasts have these new passport centers yet. Kiev, and Donetsk that I know of.

Oh, and the centers, as before, have limited hours. Donetsk is Tuesday and Thursday from 1pm to 3pm.

[sajori 0]

Well,

Thanks for that information!

Right now the gryvna is weak in Ukraine (so that's good for Americans). My fiance told me right now it's 8 or 10 gryven to one dollar. When I was living there it was 5 gryven to a dollar. It makes it a lot harder on Ukrainians though...

As for our timeline, thanks for asking!

I'm trying to plan out grad school and a job here, so we want to wait a little for the interview. We're going to do it sometime around the end of April. I'll be giving the embassy a call sometime this week. I'll be in Ukraine from 4/17-5/11 (and I'm SO excited)! We (my fiance and I) don't want him too arrive and have us stuck at my parents' house. I feel like that would be a little irresponsible. I know sooner is almost always better but in this case we're being a little more cautious. It's not easy to be young just starting out...

Hope you two are doing well. Good luck with all the passport stuff!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Well,

Thanks for that information!

Right now the gryvna is weak in Ukraine (so that's good for Americans). My fiance told me right now it's 8 or 10 gryven to one dollar. When I was living there it was 5 gryven to a dollar. It makes it a lot harder on Ukrainians though...

As for our timeline, thanks for asking!

I'm trying to plan out grad school and a job here, so we want to wait a little for the interview. We're going to do it sometime around the end of April. I'll be giving the embassy a call sometime this week. I'll be in Ukraine from 4/17-5/11 (and I'm SO excited)! We (my fiance and I) don't want him too arrive and have us stuck at my parents' house. I feel like that would be a little irresponsible. I know sooner is almost always better but in this case we're being a little more cautious. It's not easy to be young just starting out...

Hope you two are doing well. Good luck with all the passport stuff!

Thanks and good luck to you

[Brad and Vika 129]

Gary, will this procedure work for name changes too?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Gary, will this procedure work for name changes too?

Good question Brad. I would presume yes. Alla did not change her name. But since it requires. basically, making a new passport and would see no reason why. Since my last post Alla has had some good contacts on this and they are telling her to allow a little more time than "advertised". That's OK as she will have more than a month to get it done. Here seems to be the problem. These new passport offices (at least the one in Donetsk Oblast) are only open Tuesday and Thursday for 4 hours each day, two in the morning, two in the afternoon. If you are still in line at 4pm..."See ya tomorrow" You know how that goes. The one ugly woman working there comes out in the hallway and barks at you in Russian "DOM MOOEY" (Go HOME!) and starts slamming doors and pushing people out of offices. So I guess she will be up bright and early. Also we have been advised to be prepared to embelish the fees in order to really get the passport when they say, even at the higher fee, oh now that's a shock, eh?

I am also trying to run down some information regarding absent parent letters, expirations dates (if any) for "permanent" letters, etc. and hope to report on that soon!

Say hello to Vika, tell her Alla was up there in Montreal again today stimulating the Canadian economy, I expect to see much improved economical numbers for Canada next month.

[Brad and Vika 129]

Gary, will this procedure work for name changes too?

Good question Brad. I would presume yes. Alla did not change her name. But since it requires. basically, making a new passport and would see no reason why. Since my last post Alla has had some good contacts on this and they are telling her to allow a little more time than "advertised". That's OK as she will have more than a month to get it done. Here seems to be the problem. These new passport offices (at least the one in Donetsk Oblast) are only open Tuesday and Thursday for 4 hours each day, two in the morning, two in the afternoon. If you are still in line at 4pm..."See ya tomorrow" You know how that goes. The one ugly woman working there comes out in the hallway and barks at you in Russian "DOM MOOEY" (Go HOME!) and starts slamming doors and pushing people out of offices. So I guess she will be up bright and early. Also we have been advised to be prepared to embelish the fees in order to really get the passport when they say, even at the higher fee, oh now that's a shock, eh?

I am also trying to run down some information regarding absent parent letters, expirations dates (if any) for "permanent" letters, etc. and hope to report on that soon!

Say hello to Vika, tell her Alla was up there in Montreal again today stimulating the Canadian economy, I expect to see much improved economical numbers for Canada next month.

Vika laughed pretty hard about the Canadian Economic Stilulus Package you are sponsoring. She says she wants to discuss AOS procedures with Alla after the wedding this coming weekend too. She is afraid we will miss some detail, and is now worried about something to do with having fingerprints taken again (biometrics I think maybe). She read a post about some one who has fingers that won't print

Edited March 8, 2009 by Brad and Vika