How to apply for a Schengen visa from Ukraine

Ukrainian visa holders who wish to visit popular European destinations such as France, Germany, and Italy may be surprised by the fact that they have to obtain a visa in order to travel to the Schengen area—a bloc of counties that incudes France, Italy, and Germany. Today’s blog will therefore consider the Schengen visa requirements for Ukraine residents. Learn about all of the Schengen visa requirements for Ukraine residents in 2023, including all of the ins and outs of applying for a short-stay Schengen visa in Ukraine, including the Schengen visa fees for Ukraine residents, and a step-by-step guide on how to apply for a Schengen visa from Ukraine.

Applying for a short-stay Schengen visa in Ukraine

• 1. Decide when to apply
  • The Schengen visa application process begins with an assessment of your application timeline. As a Ukrainian resident, you should be aware that the majority of Schengen visa applications are processed within 15 days of submission. Therefore, you should attempt to apply for your Schengen visa from the Ukraine before you leave for your trip, at minimum, two weeks before. 
• 2. Select your Schengen visa “type”
  • When you apply for your Ukraine Schengen, you will have to select your Schengen visa “type.” The type of Schengen visa that you apply for is determined by the reason you are traveling to the Schengen area. For example, if you are traveling from Ukraine to the Schengen area for the purpose of conducting business in the area, then you should apply for a Business Schengen visa. 
  • There are numerous Schengen visa types in addition to the Schengen Business visa, including the Medical Schengen visa, the Schengen Tourist visa, and the Schengen Student visa. 
  • For a complete list of Schengen visa types, please see this list here.
• 3. Select your “entry type”
  • Another aspect of the Schengen visa application process involves selecting your Schengen visa “entry type.” The entry type that you receive will determine the number of times you are able to enter the Schengen area (if you are able to enter at all). 
  • Schengen visa entry types are available in single, double, and multiple entry categories. When you apply for your Schengen visa, you will need to select the specific entry category that best applies to you. 
  • For example, if you do not intend to travel back and forth between Ukraine and the Schengen area (i.e. if you have a specific reason for being in the Schengen area and do not intend to return to the zone once you exit it, then you should apply for a single entry Schengen visa. As a single-entry Schengen visa holder, you are allowed just one entry into the Schengen area; after you leave the area, you will not be allowed to return to the zone, even in the event that you still have time remaining in your visa. 
  • In contrast, if you are lucky enough to be rewarded with a double entry Schengen visa, you will have two opportunities to enter the Schengen area. What this means is that, if you receive a double entry Schengen visa, you will have the right to enter, exit, and re-enter the Schengen area. A double entry Schengen is thus a good idea for Schengen applicants who anticipate the need to return to the Schengen area at least one time during their 90-day visa validity period. 
  • The Schengen visa entry category is the multiple entry Schengen visa, which does not limit candidates on the number of entries they have to the Schengen area. 
  • If you have a multiple entry Schengen visa, you are entitled to enter and exit the Schengen zone as many times as you want during your visa validity period. 
• 4. Select your primary Schengen destination
  • You will ultimately apply for your Schengen visa through the Schengen country which represents your primary destination in the zone. Your primary destination in the zone is the country that you intend to spend the most time in while on your trip. For applicants who are only visiting one country, the identification of the primary Schengen country is easily identifiable as the only country they are visiting. However, if you are planning on traveling to multiple countries in the zone, you will need to select your primary destination in the zone from among them. 
  • An example: if you plan on visiting France and Italy, and you are spending 20 days in France 15 days in Italy, then your primary destination is clearly France. However, if you are spending the same number of days in both countries, you will then determine your primary destination based on the country which you entered first. 
  • For example, as a continuation of the above example; if you flew directly from Ukraine to France, then you would apply for a French Schengen visa (even if you spent an equal number of days in Italy as well as France). In this example, because France is your first destination in the Schengen area, France would represent your primary destination in the zone. 
• 5. Decide where to apply in Ukraine
  • Ukrainian applicants for Schengen visas should apply through the embassy, consulate, or visa application center of the Schengen country they intend to visit. The majority of these application points will be located in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. 
  • How to apply for a Ukraine Schengen therefore depends on your primary destination in the Schengen area. For example, if you are applying for a Schengen visa to the Netherlands, you would apply for a Dutch Schengen visa via the Dutch embassy/consulate or application center in Kiev. 
• 6. Select your required documents
  • Schengen visa applicants are required to submit the below forms as part of their Schengen visa requirements for Ukraine residents in 2023. Applicants are therefore required to submit the following forms:
    • Country passport.
    • Passport photos (at least two).
    • Schengen visa application form.
    • Proof of Schengen visa fee.
    • Proof of accommodation (proof of having retained a place to stay in the zone). 
    • Proof of having obtained Schengen visa travel insurance (in anticipation of the event in which you have some sort of health emergency in the zone which requires hospitalization there). 
    • Proof of return (evidence that you will ultimately leave the zone—before your visa expires. 
  • Please note that Schengen visa applicants must also submit documents relating to the specific “type” of Schengen visa that they are applying for; i.e. those which are dependent on the specific type of visa they are applying for. For example, if they are applying for a “Visiting Family and Friends visa,“ they will almost certainly have to submit a letter from the person they are visiting, inviting them to visit them in the Schengen area. 
• 7. Submit your Schengen visa application form
  • Your universal Schengen visa application form is available here. However, if you are attempting to apply for a Schengen visa for residents of Ukraine through a country which offers its own country-specific Schengen visa portal, then you should apply through that. For example, applicants for the French Schengen visa should access this link in order to apply (as opposed to the generic visa link).
  • Please note that even if you apply through one of the above country-specific links (such as France) you will still likely have to print out a copy of your application (which you should also sign), which you should submit alongside the rest of your Schengen visa documents. 
• 8. Schedule your Schengen visa appointment
  • Schengen visa applicants to France and other countries with electronic visa portals will likely be able to schedule Schengen visa appointments online (i.e. at some point during their online application process).
  • If you do not apply online through a country-specific automatic system, you will still need to attend a Schengen visa appointment, which you will almost certainly have to schedule in advance. 
• 9. Show up to your Schengen visa appointment
  • An applicant’s Schengen visa appointment is where he or she will fulfill the requirements that they were unable to fulfill online. Typically, the fulfillment of these obligations includes the submission of one’s fingerprints and photos, the payment of one’s visa fees, the attendance of a visa interview, and the ultimate submission of the complete Schengen visa application. 
  • Schengen visa fees for Ukraine residents are typically 80 Eur for the majority of applicants. If you think you may be exempt from the complete fees (either because you are a student, a diplomat, or because you fall into some other exemption category, click here to see what you should pay).
  • Biometric information submission (i.e. the collection of a Schengen visa hopeful’s photos and fingerprints) is required for all applicants—unless they have previously submitted their biometrics on a previous Schengen visa application within the past 5 years. 
  • Finally, the majority of applicants (especially those who have never previously applied for a Schengen visa) will have to sit for a visa interview. This requirement does not typically take longer than 15 minutes to fulfill and is inclusive of basic questions about the applicant and his or her trip. 
• 10. Await your decision
  • In the event that you are rejected for a Schengen visa for residents of Ukraine, you can click here to appeal the decision.