We have Ukrainian visas. Oh yeah!!
Amand
After a bit of nerves in sending my passport off to Canberra and basically just hoping, I got an email out of the blue on Tuesday saying my visa was ready and I should arrange a courier to go and pick it up. So I did, and about 36 hours later it was at my house.
I’m super impressed by the helpfulness shown by the Ukrainian embassy (I thought they were rubbish but it turns out it was me and I had the wrong email address!), and Pack and Send made it very easy to get things picked up from an overseas location.
Then on Thursday Steve hit up Frankfurt again and picked up his passport with visa. So it really feels like the route is locked in now. We’ve all got Russian visas to get but we’re also all using agents to help us so there should be no problems. So around the Black Sea we go 
Don’t waste a day!
Steve
Do I need a visa for Ukraine? Google: yes, as a New Zealand passport holder I need a visa. How do I get a visa for Ukraine when I’m living in Germany? Google: a little more complicated to work out from the Ukraine government’s website (http://mfa.gov.ua/en), but essentially I realised that I had to visit a Ukraine consulate in either Frankfurt or Munich, twice. No problemo – as it was a good excuse to get a few more hundred kilometres under my belt!
After completing the online visa application and setting an appointment at the Frankfurt consulate I started compiling the necessary documents for a Short Term visa (type C – 30 days). This included:
- handing over my passport
- printing out the online visa application (I didn’t realise I had to do this, so the nice lady printed it out for me)
- 1 mug shot
- copy of my health insurance
- proof of being able to support myself financially while in the country (US$750/15 days)
- documents confirming purpose is tourism (Amand made some hotel bookings and I wrote up a brief itinerary)
- have US$65 to pay the consular fee
Now, this last point turned into an unexpected road block, as I did what I thought it said and brought US$65 in cash. I proceed to hand over my passport, documents and the cash, and the lady says, “sorry, we only accept bank card transactions”. Bugger! I don’t have a German bank card. Now what?! I look around and ask for help from a Ukrainian-German customer I’d been chatting with while waiting for my appointment if they’d be happy to pay for me using their card in exchange for the cash. Fortunately she says yes, so I can proceed with getting a visa, phew!!
All is good and a second meeting is set up for two weeks later for me to collect my passport, hopefully with the visa stamped in it!
Two weeks later I return, and – тут – I receive my passport with a lovely Ukraine visa stuck inside. Yay, mission accomplished! Next step, Russian visa!
If any other budding travellers have any questions for us about how to get a Ukraine visa please reach out by email or on our Facebook page – happy to help!
Cheers! Steve