Entry to Ukraine in 2022: insurance, entry rules and quarantine

Special rules to visit ukraine for citizens of Ukraine and foreigners during the COVID-19 pandemic were established by the government of Ukraine. Below is the latest information on quarantine, self-isolation, insurance requirements as of February 2022.

Entry of foreigners and stateless persons to Ukraine:

Foreigners and stateless persons to enter Ukraine must have medical insurance that covers, among other things, treatment for COVID-19. You can apply for and pay for your insurance policy online. The insurance company will send the insurance by email.

They must also have one of the documents below:

Documentation of full vaccination against COVID-19 with vaccines approved by the World Health Organization for emergency use. A certificate of receipt of one dose of vaccine is allowed;
COVID-19 certificate that confirms vaccination against COVID-19 with one or more doses of vaccines that are approved by the World Health Organization for emergency use;
negative test result for coronavirus. From the moment of passing the analysis to the moment of crossing the border of Ukraine, no more than 72 hours should pass. PCR test or rapid antigen test is allowed. Not to be confused with an antibody test.
COVID-certificate of recovery. Applies only in cases where Ukraine has concluded an agreement with the country that issued the certificate on the mutual recognition of COVID-certificates - from August 14, 2021.
Children under 12 years of age are exempted from the requirement to present certificates or tests.

Self-isolation for foreigners when entering Ukraine:

From August 5, foreigners who are 18 years of age or older are subject to self-isolation upon entry into Ukraine if they have not passed:

full course of vaccination against coronavirus or
do not have a COVID-19 certificate that confirms vaccination against COVID-19 with one or more doses of vaccines that are approved by the World Health Organization for emergency use.
Such people at the border should install the Vdoma mobile application.

If a foreigner refuses to install the Vdoma app, they will be denied entry to the border and sent back.

All foreigners under the age of 18 and foreigners who have a certificate of recovery from COVID-19 are exempted from self-isolation.

The test before departure to Ukraine does not exempt from self-isolation.

Self-isolation begins 72 hours after arrival in Ukraine and lasts 10 days.

Self-isolation can be ended if a PCR test or a rapid antigen test is already done in Ukraine. They must show a negative result. This confirms that the person is not sick. This rule does not apply if the person arrived from Russia, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mazambika, Malawi.

Transit through the territory of Ukraine

From September 20, 2021, foreigners and stateless persons can travel through the territory of Ukraine to third countries without self-isolation.

The transit time should not exceed 48 hours. At the border, it will be necessary to present a document confirming that the person will leave the territory of Ukraine within 48 hours.

The abolition of self-isolation during transit does not exempt foreigners from having medical insurance, a COVID-certificate or tests, which are specified in the paragraph above Entry of foreigners and stateless persons to Ukraine.

Entry of citizens of Ukraine and foreigners with the right to permanent residence in Ukraine (residence permit):

Citizens of Ukraine and foreigners with the right to permanent residence in Ukraine can enter the country without medical insurance and tests.

However, they must undergo self-isolation, which starts 72 hours after entering Ukraine and lasts 10 days. At the border, it will be necessary to install the Vdoma mobile application.

Self-isolation may not pass:

children under the age of 18;
adults who have completed a full course of vaccination against coronavirus;
citizens of Ukraine who received one dose of the coronavirus vaccine;
citizens of Ukraine who have a certificate of recovery from COVID-19 - the rule is valid from August 21, 2021.
Self-isolation can be terminated ahead of schedule if, upon returning to Ukraine, a PCR test or an express test for the coronavirus antigen is passed. This rule does not apply if the person arrived from Russia, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mazambika, Malawi.

Entry to Ukraine from African countries

Special rules apply for entry to Ukraine from some African countries:

Republic of South Africa (South African Republic),
Bostvana,
Zimbabwe,
Namibia,
Lesotho,
Esvatini,
Mozambique,
Malawi.
Foreigners who have been in these countries for 7 days in the last 14 days cannot enter Ukraine.

Citizens of Ukraine and foreigners with the right to reside in Ukraine upon entry from the above African countries must undergo self-isolation for 14 days without the possibility of terminating it ahead of schedule. The availability of tests and vaccination certificates does not affect this requirement.

If the period of stay in these African countries is 6 days or less, general rules apply.

All the details mentioned above are included in the Decree of the Government of Ukraine No. 1236 of December 9, 2020. It was updated on January 13, 2022

The work of the mobile application "Vdoma"

The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine announced a change from October 21 in the principle of operation of the Vdoma mobile application. Previously, it controlled self-isolation, asked to regularly take photos and transmit GPS coordinates of a person’s location.

Now the application will work only 72 hours after crossing the border. During this time, you need to do a test for coronavirus. If this is not done, then after 72 hours the application will stop working and transmit information to the police that the person did not take the test. The police can check if a person is in a place of self-isolation at any time before the end of the quarantine period.