No Visa needed to travel to Ukraine

[Corey-Mariya 14]

Hello Everyone

Everytime I traveled to Russia I had to go through the visa process and pay money to the russian government for a my tourist visas and my homestay visa which the police department also had to send me a letter. How is it that the Ukranian governmet does not require a visa to visit?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hello Everyone

Everytime I traveled to Russia I had to go through the visa process and pay money to the russian government for a my tourist visas and my homestay visa which the police department also had to send me a letter. How is it that the Ukranian governmet does not require a visa to visit?

such things are the province of the government and Ukraine IS an independent country now. Before 2005 (during part of which time I lived in Ukraine) you DID need a visa. George bush and Condi Rice were very supportive of the (then) opposition party of the government (anti-Russian) and supported them in the Orange Revolution. When Yushenkop survived the poison and got elected in the second attemp at election in Janaury 2005, he opened up relations with the west and the USA, dropped the need for visitor visas and courted becoming a NATO member and placing medium range missiles in Ukraine in exchange for lots of cold hard cash to stabilize what had been hyper inflation just a few years earlier. The US also opened a consulate in Kiev, prior to that K-1s from Ukraine had to go to Poland for their interviews.

This won us no welcoming points with the Russians and they still require tourist visas for Americans. It also is the root source of all these "gas wars" between Ukraine and Russia which is nothing more than loose ends from before the Orange Revolution.

I expect a new government to get elected in Kiev next month and who knows what will happen then, though I doubt they will bring back visas or close the consulate, I fully expect the new governemnt to become warmer to Russia and colder to the USA.

[payxibka 10,045]

Hello Everyone

Everytime I traveled to Russia I had to go through the visa process and pay money to the russian government for a my tourist visas and my homestay visa which the police department also had to send me a letter. How is it that the Ukranian governmet does not require a visa to visit?

Independent & autonomous nations establish there own rules....

[1HappyGuy 45]

In addition to the better relations that Ukraine has with the USA, in 2004 Ukraine won the Eurovision song contest with their representative, Ruslana. In an effort to court Europeans, Ukraine relaxed the restrictions to enter the country. I was lucky enough to attend the event in Kyiv in 2005. This year Russia hosted the Eurovision song contest when their singer won last year. However, Russia did not go the extra mile to open their borders to Europeans and still required visas.

You do realize that the former republics of the Soviet Union are now separate countries, right?

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Best bet for Ukraine is to become a member of NATO and the EU. After 2017 the Kremlin's lease for the naval base in the Crim expires. I only wish Belarus leaned west also...thus freeing itself of all Russian influence from Tsar Putin's Kremlin.

[sanuginz 0]

My next trip I'm going to Odessa by train or car. I'm pretty sure all I'll need is a dual entry visa and nothing for Ukraine save a few blank passport pages for stamps at border crossings.

Politically Ukrainians can decide what's best for Ukrainians without foreign meddling.

Edited December 29, 2009 by sanuginz

[mox 298]

Don't ask questions, just be happy you don't have to go through the normal BS of getting a Visa.