Residence Permits in Ukraine for Israelis: Entry, Temporary and Permanent Residence through Work, Marriage, Investment and Ukrainian Origin

Israeli families come to Ukraine for various reasons: a Ukrainian spouse, a business or real estate project, family roots, or work at an international organisation. In every case the first question is a legal one: on what basis are you allowed to live there for more than three months. This guide explains the routes, who can use each of them, and what martial law changes in them.

1Does an Israeli need a visa to enter Ukraine?

Under the agreement between Israel and Ukraine, citizens of both countries may stay in each other's territory for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, without a visa. Such a stay is intended for a visit, business meetings or signing a transaction, not for living there. Anyone planning to stay more than 90 days needs a temporary residence permit.

In 2024, after Israel applied the online pre-flight authorisation requirement (ETA-IL) to Ukrainian citizens, the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel announced that Ukraine would introduce a similar requirement for Israeli citizens. We found no official source confirming whether and how this requirement was implemented. So before travelling, check with the Ukrainian consulate what the current entry conditions are for Israeli passport holders.

2What is the difference between a temporary and a permanent residence permit?

Ukraine has two separate documents. A temporary residence permit (posvidka na tymchasove prozhyvannia) is granted for a limited period, on the basis of a specific purpose such as work or marriage, and expires when the purpose ends. A permanent residence permit (posvidka na postiine prozhyvannia) is granted only after obtaining an immigration permit (dozvil na immihratsiiu) under the Law on Immigration, No. 2491-III of 2001. The holder of a permanent permit generally enjoys rights and duties similar to those of a citizen, except the right to vote, certain public offices and the like.

3Which routes are open to an Israeli who wants to live in Ukraine?

Article 4 of the Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Persons (No. 3773-VI) lists a closed set of grounds for a temporary permit. Anything not on it is not a ground, even if it sounds reasonable. The table summarises the routes relevant to Israelis:

4Does remote work, a pension or buying an apartment give a right to live in Ukraine?

No. The closed list in Article 4 has no ground for a remote worker of a foreign employer, no route for people with passive income or for retirees, and no status in exchange for buying real estate. This is a material difference compared with countries such as Portugal, Greece or Cyprus. Owning an apartment in Ukraine can serve as a residential address, but not as a ground for a permit. See also Does buying property abroad give residency or citizenship.

An Israeli who wants to settle in Ukraine without a local employer and without a Ukrainian spouse usually turns to the investment route: setting up a Ukrainian company and investing at least 100,000 euros in it. On setting up the company itself, see Company formation in Ukraine for Israelis.

5How does the 100,000 euro investment route work?

A founder, partner or controlling owner (UBO) of a Ukrainian company whose investment in the company's capital is at least 100,000 euros is entitled to a temporary residence permit for two years. The application is accompanied by the company's constitutional documents, an extract from the companies register, proof of the investment and a written undertaking to notify the authorities if the applicant ceases to be a shareholder. The investment should pass through a Ukrainian bank and be documented, because the same documentation will be used when you want to repatriate the money. The central bank's restrictions on transfers abroad during martial law are explained in the guide to corporate tax and dividends.

6How do you get a residence permit on the basis of marriage to a Ukrainian citizen?

After the marriage is registered, the foreign spouse is entitled to a temporary permit for one year, which is replaced every year as long as the marriage subsists. Both spouses file the application together, with the marriage certificate, the Ukrainian spouse's Ukrainian passport and tax number, proof of their residential address and a joint declaration of living together. A marriage conducted in Israel needs an apostille and a certified translation into Ukrainian. After more than two years of marriage you can apply for an immigration permit outside the quota, and from there a permanent permit.

7What if I have roots in Ukraine?

Many Israelis were born in Soviet Ukraine, or their parents and grandparents were born there. The law has two routes for this group. The first is an immigration permit outside the quota for those entitled to Ukrainian citizenship by territorial origin, and for those recognised as a “foreign Ukrainian” (zakordonnyi ukrainets), together with their spouse and children. The second is acquiring citizenship by territorial origin (Article 8 of the Law on Citizenship), which according to a 2026 professional interpretation exempts from the five-year residence requirement where a parent, grandparent or sibling was born in the territory of Ukraine before 1991. The exams are required in this route too, and renunciation of foreign citizenship is examined under the rules set out below. Proof of origin relies on old birth certificates from the registers of Soviet Ukraine, which are not always easy to obtain. It is worth starting to locate the documents in the archives before planning a timetable.

8How do you get a permanent residence permit?

The first step is an immigration permit. Some grounds are subject to an annual quota set by the Cabinet of Ministers, and some are outside the quota.

• Outside the quota: the spouse of a Ukrainian citizen after more than two years of marriage, children and parents of citizens, guardians, those entitled to citizenship by territorial origin, “foreign Ukrainians” and their family members, those whose immigration serves the national interest, and those who have lived in Ukraine continuously for five years on a temporary permit (except students and certain groups).
• Within the quota: scientists and people of culture, highly skilled professionals needed by the economy, investors of at least 100,000 dollars, siblings, grandparents and grandchildren of citizens, former Ukrainian citizens, and family members of immigrants.

The State Migration Service examines an application filed in Ukraine within up to six months, and an application filed abroad within up to one year. After receiving the immigration permit you have one year to apply for a permanent residence permit, otherwise the permit lapses.

9Which documents do you prepare in Israel?

Every application for a temporary permit is accompanied by a passport with a certified Ukrainian translation of the data pages, a health insurance policy valid for the entire term of the permit, proof of payment of the fees, and documents according to the ground. Israel and Ukraine are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an Israeli document (a marriage certificate, a birth certificate, a board resolution) receives an apostille in Israel and is translated into Ukrainian in a certified translation.

10What are the stages of obtaining a temporary residence permit?

1. Choosing the ground: check against Article 4 of the law which ground fits, and what documents it requires.
2. Entry visa: most routes require a type D long-stay visa from a Ukrainian consulate, granted on the basis of the purpose document (a work permit, an invitation from an educational institution, a marriage certificate). Check in advance whether it is also required for an Israeli passport holder on the route you have chosen.
3. Preparing the documents in Israel: apostille, certified translation into Ukrainian and health insurance.
4. Ukrainian tax number (RNOKPP): required for almost every action, from a bank account to a lease.
5. Filing: at a unit of the State Migration Service, at an administrative services centre (TsNAP) or at a “Dokument” service centre. You can file through an attorney-in-fact.
6. Receiving the permit: within 15 working days of filing complete documents.
7. Address registration: within 30 days of receiving the permit, register your place of residence with the local authority or at the service centre.
8. Renewal: file a replacement application before expiry, as long as the ground still exists.

11What about my spouse and children?

Article 4 includes a ground of family reunification with someone holding a residence permit under most of the other grounds. The spouse and minor children of an employee, investor or volunteer can receive their own temporary permit, subject to proving the family relationship and sometimes also the financial means of the person hosting them. Their permit depends on the permit of the main holder, so if the investor's permit lapses, the derived permits are also at risk.

12What does martial law change?

Martial law was declared on 24 February 2022 and has been extended periodically since. At the end of October 2026 the Verkhovna Rada approved a further 90-day extension from 31 October, so it is in force until 29 January 2027. Some implications for foreigners:

• Expired permits: under Government Resolution 1202 of 2022, a foreigner whose residence permit expired after 24 February 2022 and who did not file a replacement application in time may stay and enter on the basis of the permit until one month after martial law ends, and the replacement is filed within 30 days of its end. The relief does not apply to Russian citizens.
• Dual nationals: anyone who is also a Ukrainian citizen is considered in Ukraine to be a Ukrainian citizen only. Men aged 18 to 60 may be subject to restrictions on leaving the country during martial law.
• Registration and banking: some actions in the registers and at banks are subject to emergency rules, as explained in the guide to buying an apartment in Ukraine.

13After how many years can you get Ukrainian citizenship?

The basic condition for naturalisation is five years of continuous residence in Ukraine from the date of receiving the immigration permit. In addition, a lawful source of income is required, a Ukrainian language exam at B1 level and a test on the Constitution and history of Ukraine, which became mandatory by legislation from 2024. A test you have failed can be retaken, but not before four months.

Law 4502-IX on multiple citizenship, which entered into force on 16 January 2026, allows citizens of countries on a list set by the government to naturalise without renouncing their citizenship. As of 2026 there are five countries on the list: the USA, Canada, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. Israel is not on the list, so an Israeli who naturalises is as a rule required to undertake to renounce Israeli citizenship, unless an exception in the law applies. This is a weighty decision that should be considered carefully in advance.

14And what about tax?

A residence permit and tax residency are two separate things. You can hold a Ukrainian permit and remain an Israeli tax resident, and vice versa. When you become a tax resident in Ukraine, and how the tax treaty with Israel decides in the year of the move, is explained in the guide Tax residency in Ukraine for Israelis.

More on relocating to Ukraine: Tax residency in Ukraine · Ending Israeli tax residency · Moving abroad with an Israeli company or business · The legal checklist for families

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