UA-Residency is a private law practice, not a government body, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Government of Ukraine. Work permits are issued by the State Employment Service, visas by Ukrainian consulates and residence permits by the State Migration Service. We represent you before them; we do not issue anything and cannot guarantee an outcome. See our Terms and Conditions.
2-year residence permit in Ukraine through employment, the D-04 route
You incorporate a Ukrainian company, the company employs you as its director under a normal employment contract, and that employment carries a 2-year work permit and a 2-year temporary residence permit. It is the longest permit we can obtain in one step, and it leaves you with a working business in Ukraine. Our fee is $2,400.
REQUEST A CONSULTATIONPrice
Our fee, the whole route
$2,400
Company incorporation, work permit, invitation, insurance, residence permit and address registration. Payable in stages as the work progresses.
Paid by you to the consulate
$65
The consular fee for the D-04 visa: USD 65 at the base rate set by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, higher for some nationalities on the reciprocity principle. Paid at the consulate directly. It does not pass through us.
Travel, accommodation and your living costs before the residence permit is issued are yours. So is the salary the company must pay you, which is set by law and explained below. The binding figure for our fee, and the payment schedule, are the ones in your written engagement agreement.
What the $2,400 covers
One package: our attorney fee plus every payment we make on your behalf along the way.
- Drafting the power of attorney, and translating and notarising it and your passport in Ukraine
- Obtaining your Ukrainian tax number
- Incorporating your Ukrainian company, including the registered address and a temporary resident director
- The employment contract and the application for your 2-year work permit, and a notarised copy of the permit
- The business invitation letter for your visa application, and express shipping of the originals to you
- Preparing your D-04 visa file for the consulate
- Medical insurance for the period of the permit
- Translation of your passport with proof of border crossing
- The temporary residence permit application and your address registration in Ukraine
Official charges we pay on your behalf, inside the $2,400: the state charge for the work permit, notary fees, translation fees and the state charges on the residence permit application.
The state charge for the work permit is set as a multiple of the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons and depends on the term applied for. For a permit of one to two years it is 8 subsistence minima, which is UAH 26,624 in 2026. It is not our income, and you may deal with the authorities yourself and pay only these official charges.
The cost most websites do not mention
Ukrainian law sets a floor on what a company must pay a foreign employee before a work permit will be issued. For an ordinary hired employee, which is what the director is on this route, that floor is ten minimum wages. In 2026 the minimum wage is UAH 8,647 a month, so the salary written into your employment contract must be at least UAH 86,470 a month, gross.
| Item | Rate | On a minimum-compliant salary, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary floor | 10 minimum wages | UAH 86,470 per month |
| Personal income tax, withheld | 18 per cent | UAH 15,565 |
| Military levy, withheld | 5 per cent | UAH 4,324 |
| Unified social contribution, paid on top by the company | 22 per cent | UAH 19,023 |
| Net to you / total cost to the company | UAH 66,581 net, about UAH 105,493 total per month |
This money is not lost. It is your own salary, paid by your own company, and the tax on it is what buys the permit its legal footing. But it has to be real, it has to be declared monthly, and the company needs the cash flow to pay it from month one. If that does not suit you, say so at the consultation and we will point you at a cheaper route rather than sell you this one.
The military levy stood at 1.5 per cent until 1 December 2024 and returns to that rate from 1 January of the year following the end of martial law. The minimum wage is reset each January, and the salary floor moves with it.
How it works, step by step
- You send a passport scan. We send back a power of attorney drafted for your matter.
- You notarise the power of attorney where you live and have it apostilled, then send us a scan immediately and the original by courier.
- We build the company. Translation and notarisation in Ukraine, your Ukrainian tax number, incorporation of the LLC, registered address, temporary resident director. Roughly two to three weeks.
- We obtain the work permit. The employment contract is prepared at the statutory salary level and filed. The State Employment Service decides within seven working days of a complete application. We then prepare the notarised copy and the business invitation and ship the originals to you.
- You apply for the D-04 visa at the Ukrainian embassy or consulate in your country, using the file we prepared. Allow around ten working days, longer at busy posts. You pay the consular fee there.
- You arrive, and we finish it. Medical insurance, translation of your passport with the border crossing stamp, the temporary residence permit application and your address registration. You spend one working day in Kyiv on this.
Two to four months end to end is realistic. The two stages you control are how fast the apostilled power of attorney reaches us and how quickly your consulate works.
Is this the right route for you?
It is the most expensive of our residence routes and it is not always the right one. Read this before you commit.
| This route, $2,400 | 1-year permit, $700 | |
|---|---|---|
| Permit length | 2 years | 1 year, renewable |
| Visa needed first | Yes, D-04 at a consulate | No, if you may enter Ukraine visa-free |
| You end up with | A Ukrainian company you own, a work permit and the right to work | A residence permit only |
| Ongoing cost | Salary at the statutory floor, payroll taxes, accounting from $250 a month and a $150 legal retainer | None beyond renewal |
| Time | 2 to 4 months | Around 15 working days in Ukraine |
Choose this route if you want to trade in Ukraine, employ people, invoice clients or hold assets through a company, and want the residence permit to follow from real economic activity. Choose the 1-year route if what you actually want is to live here legally, cheaply and quickly. We will tell you which one fits when you describe your situation, including when the answer is the cheaper one.
The legal basis
- Work permit term. Law of Ukraine “On Employment of the Population”, article 42-3: for foreign hired employees the permit is issued for the term of the employment contract, but not more than two years. Longer terms, up to three years, exist only for seconded workers and intra-corporate transferees, which is not this route.
- Salary floor. Article 42-1, part 3 of the same Law: at least ten minimum wages for hired employees generally, and five for employees of public associations, charitable organisations and the educational institutions the law names. Part 4 exempts certain special categories from the floor entirely.
- Decision deadline. Seven working days from a complete application, three working days for an extension.
- State charge. Set in subsistence minima for able-bodied persons by permit term: 3 for up to six months, 5 for six months to one year, 8 for one to two years, 10 for two to three years. The subsistence minimum is UAH 3,328 from 1 January 2026 under the State Budget Law for 2026.
- D-04 visa. Issued by Ukrainian consulates under the Rules for issuing visas for entry into Ukraine, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. The consular officer decides, not us.
- Temporary residence permit. Issued by the State Migration Service of Ukraine for the term of the work permit.
Rates and thresholds are indexed to the minimum wage and the subsistence minimum, both reset each January. We confirm the figures that apply on the day we file.
Questions we are asked
Do I need to keep the company afterwards?
Yes. The residence permit rests on the work permit, and the work permit rests on your employment by the company. If the company is dissolved or you cease to be employed by it, the basis for the permit falls away. A dormant company still files reports and still pays payroll, so budget for accounting from the first month.
What does it cost to run after the permit is issued?
Your own salary at the statutory floor plus its payroll taxes, accounting from $250 per month with a $150 per month legal retainer, and the registered address after the first three months. The company numbers are set out on our company registration page.
Can my spouse and children come with me?
Family members can generally obtain residence permits on the basis of family reunification with you once your own permit is issued. It is a separate application with its own documents and fees, and we quote it separately once we know who is coming.
Does this lead to permanent residence or citizenship?
Not automatically, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. Time on a temporary residence permit counts towards the residence requirement for naturalisation, but naturalisation is a separate process. Permanent residence has its own routes, including immigration on the strength of your degree and the investment route.
What if my visa is refused?
The consular fee is not refunded by the consulate. Our engagement agreement sets out which part of our fee is refundable at which stage, and you will have that in writing before you pay anything. We do not guarantee visa outcomes, because no one lawfully can.
Do I have to live in Ukraine on this permit?
The permit gives you the right to live here, and the residence card lets you enter and leave without a visa for as long as it is valid. Long absences can raise questions on renewal, and they matter for tax residency, which is a separate question we are happy to go through with you.
Tell us what you want to do in Ukraine and we will tell you the cheapest lawful way to do it
CONTACT UA-RESIDENCYUA-Residency is the practice of Taras Guk, a licensed Ukrainian attorney in Kyiv. Work permits are issued by the State Employment Service, visas by Ukrainian consulates and residence permits by the State Migration Service of Ukraine. We prepare, file and represent; we do not decide, and we cannot guarantee any outcome. You may apply to these authorities yourself and pay only the official charges. Prices on this page are indicative and the binding figure for your matter is the one we confirm in writing.
