Permit for employing a foreigner (дозвіл на застосування праці)

This page is for Turkish citizens who want to work for an employer in Ukraine and employers who want to employ them. In Ukraine, the employer obtains the permit for employing a foreigner; the employee cannot apply personally. Below you will find the types of permits, documents, 2026 fees, and the deadlines that must be observed to avoid losing the permit. The information is based on the current text of the Employment Law (Закон «Про зайнятість населення», No. 5067-VI) dated September 12, 2025.

• The employer obtains the permit for employing a foreigner. Applications are submitted to the regional units of the State Employment Service (Державна служба зайнятості): provincial employment centers and the city employment centers of Kyiv and Sevastopol.
• A foreigner may work for more than one employer. However, each employer must obtain a separate permit.
• You may work in an additional job (сумісництво) with the same employer without a separate permit. The duration of the additional job must not exceed the duration of your main permit.
• Together with your permitted job, you may temporarily perform the work of an absent employee for a maximum of 60 days per year.
• A foreigner may not work in jobs requiring Ukrainian citizenship or access to state secrets.
• Approval from the Security Service is required for citizens of Russia and Belarus. Turkish citizens are not covered by this requirement.

• Those living in Ukraine with a permanent residence card
• Those who have obtained an immigration permit and refugees
• Those with additional or temporary protection status
• Representatives in Ukraine of foreign sea, river, and air transport companies
• Employees of foreign media accredited in Ukraine
• Professional athletes, artists, and art workers working in their fields
• Search-and-rescue teams arriving for emergency work
• Employees of branches and representative offices in Ukraine of a foreign company
• Religious workers arriving at the invitation of religious organizations
• Those working on registered international technical assistance projects
• Those teaching or conducting scientific work at the invitation of higher education institutions and universities
• Other cases provided for by law or an international agreement
• Even if no permit is required, a separate basis and documents are needed for a temporary residence card (see U2.1).

• Foreign hired employee (іноземний найманий працівник): for the duration of the employment or gig contract, for a maximum of 2 years
• Seconded foreign employee (відряджений іноземний працівник): an employee sent by a foreign employer under a work or service contract with a Ukrainian company. For the duration of the contract, for a maximum of 3 years.
• Intra-corporate transferee (внутрішньокорпоративний цесіонарій): an employee transferred by a foreign company to a company in Ukraine. For the duration of the transfer decision and employment contract, for a maximum of 3 years.
• Student receiving higher education in Ukraine: for a maximum of 1 year during studies. The permit is free of charge. Condition: starting work no later than 30 days before graduation.
• Applicants for asylum and statelessness also have a free permit for a maximum of 1 year.
• The employer may request a period shorter than the statutory maximum.

1. The employer prepares the documents and pays the permit fee. Proof of payment is attached to the application.
2. The employer applies. Methods: in person, by mail with an inventory of contents, through the electronic employer cabinet on the employment center’s website, via ЦНАП, or through the Diia portal (if technically available).
3. Initial review: the employment center checks the documents on the business day following registration of the application. If anything is missing, it suspends the application. The employer completes the deficiencies within 7 business days for a permit application and within 3 business days for an extension or change.
4. Decision: up to 7 business days for a permit and up to 3 business days for an extension or change. The decision is published on the center’s website within 2 business days and notified to the employer electronically.
5. You obtain a D visa. A certified copy of the work permit is required with the visa application (see U1.2).
6. Employment contract: the employer signs a contract with you within 90 calendar days from the permit date. The certified copy of the contract must be submitted to the employment center within 10 days after signing. Otherwise, the permit is revoked.
7. Temporary residence card: after entering Ukraine, you apply for a residence card valid for the duration of the permit (see U2.1).
8. Insurance contribution: the employer pays the single social contribution (ЄСВ) for you. If it is not paid within 2 months after the contract, the permit is revoked.

• An application in the form prescribed by the Cabinet of Ministers. The employer declares that the job does not require Ukrainian citizenship or access to state secrets. The form is signed by the company director or sole proprietor.
• A copy of the foreigner’s passport pages containing personal data and a notarized Ukrainian translation. The copy must be made from the original passport.
• A color photograph measuring 3.5 × 4.5 cm (the size is mandatory)
• A draft employment or gig contract approved by the employer. Every page of the draft must be approved, and it must comply with Ukrainian labor law.
• For a seconded employee: a copy of the foreign trade contract between the Ukrainian and foreign companies and a document showing the employee’s employment relationship with the foreign employer. In this case, a draft employment contract is not required.
• For an intra-corporate transfer: the foreign company’s transfer decision and a copy of the employment contract with the Ukrainian company
• For a student: the university enrollment order, written consent to work and an undertaking to notify if the student is deregistered, and a copy of the temporary residence card
• Proof of payment of the fee
• Documents issued abroad must be apostilled. The translator’s signature must be notarized.
• Officials may not request documents not specified by law.

• The fee is calculated as multiples of the subsistence minimum (прожитковий мінімум) on January 1 of the application year. According to the 2026 fee calculation of the DMS, this amount is 3,328 hryvnias.
• Permit fee:
  • Up to 6 months: 3 multiples, 9,984 hryvnias
  • 6 months–1 year: 5 multiples, 16,640 hryvnias
  • 1–2 years: 8 multiples, 26,624 hryvnias
  • 2–3 years: 10 multiples, 33,280 hryvnias
• The extension fee is one multiple less than the permit fee for the same period: respectively 6,656, 13,312, 23,296, and 29,952 hryvnias.
• Changes to a permit and issuance of a replacement (duplicate) for a lost permit are free of charge.
• If the permit is refused, the fee paid is returned to the employer’s account within 10 business days.
• Those eligible for a free permit: students receiving higher education in Ukraine, applicants for asylum and statelessness, and foreigners who have directly participated in the defense of Ukraine.
• The employer pays the fee. The amount goes to the Unemployment Insurance Fund.

• Extension: the employer applies no later than 20 and no earlier than 50 calendar days before the permit expires. An application outside this period is refused.
• Changes: the employer applies within 30 days in the following cases:
  • the company’s name changes or the company is reorganized
  • the employee receives a new passport or changes their name
  • the employee’s position changes or they move to another position with the same employer
• Employer notification: if the employment or secondment contract ends, the employer must request revocation of the permit.
• Cases in which the employment center revokes the permit:
  • the copy of the contract is not submitted on time
  • there is a return or deportation decision concerning the foreigner
  • the foreigner is employed outside the conditions of the permit or by another employer
  • the foreigner receives a final conviction for a crime
  • the police or Security Service submits a reasoned notification
  • the employer fails to pay the insurance contribution for 2 months
  • the student is deregistered by the university
• If the permit is revoked for certain reasons, the same employer cannot obtain a new permit for the same foreigner for 1 year.

• failure to remedy deficiencies on time or the employer’s explanatory letter being deemed insufficient
• an extension application submitted outside the 20–50-day period
• the employer is not registered in the company register (ЄДР) or has been liquidated
• the permit was revoked for specified reasons within the previous year
• The refusal decision must state the reasons and indicate the appeal procedure. The employer may file an administrative appeal with the State Employment Center or apply to a court.

• Employer employing a foreigner without a permit: a fine of 20 minimum wages per person
• Employer employing a foreigner outside the conditions of the permit or for another employer: 10 minimum wages per person
• A return decision may be issued against a foreigner who violates foreigner legislation (see U2.4).

• State Employment Center (Державний центр зайнятості) — permits and information
  • Call center: 1518 (from within Ukraine)
  • Web: dcz.gov.ua – Permit for employing a foreigner
• Regional employment centers — receive applications
  • Kyiv city: kie.dcz.gov.ua
  • Kyiv region: kir.dcz.gov.ua
  • Odesa: ode.dcz.gov.ua
  • Lviv: lviv.dcz.gov.ua
  • Kharkiv: kha.dcz.gov.ua
  • Dnipro: dnp.dcz.gov.ua
• DMS — temporary residence card (see U2.1); hotline +380 44 363 22 50
• Turkish side: emergency line of the Embassy of Türkiye in Kyiv +380 63 211 47 65, Consular Call Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (24/7) +90 312 292 29 29.

• Starting work before the permit is issued or the contract is signed.
• Working for an employer other than the employer who obtained the permit.
• Leaving the extension application until the last 20 days.
• Signing the contract on terms different from those in the draft submitted with the application. This is grounds for revocation of the permit.
• Failing to submit the copy of the contract to the employment center within 10 days.
• Failing to comply with the 3.5 × 4.5 cm photograph requirement.
• Making the passport copy from another copy rather than from the original.

• Can I apply for the work permit myself? No. The employer obtains the permit.
• My Turkish company is sending me to a project in Ukraine; which permit is required? The “seconded foreign employee” permit. A copy of the contract between the Turkish and Ukrainian companies is required. If the Turkish company has a registered branch in Ukraine, branch employees may work without a permit (see U3.3).
• Is there a minimum salary requirement? The current text of the Employment Law does not contain a minimum salary requirement for the permit. The “10 minimum wages” requirement appearing in an old Q&A in the Diia service guide is not found in the current text of the law. The remuneration must comply with Ukrainian labor law.
• How long does it take to obtain the permit? Up to 7 business days. An extension or change takes up to 3 business days.
• What happens if I change jobs? The new employer must obtain a new permit for you. The former employer must have the permit revoked. The basis for your residence card also changes (see U2.1).
• Can I work while I am a student? Yes. Your employer obtains a free permit. Written consent from the university is required.

• State Employment Center – Permit for employing a foreigner
• Employment Center – Information and technical cards (downloadable PDF archive)
• Diia service guide – Permit issuance, card No. 01170
• Diia service guide – Permit extension, No. 01173
• Diia service guide – Change to a permit, No. 01172
• Diia service guide – Permit revocation, No. 01171
• Diia service guide – Permit duplicate, No. 02490
• Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 68: permit application forms
• Employment Law No. 5067-VI (full text)