Support for family members of British nationals in Ukraine, and Ukrainian nationals in Ukraine and the UK
Temporary visa concessions have been introduced for family members of British nationals who usually live in Ukraine.
See the latest foreign travel advice for Ukraine.
If you’re planning to travel to the UK, you’ll need to make sure you comply with all COVID-19 travel restrictions. Please check the travel advice issued by your carrier and check what you need to do before entering the UK.
Advice for British nationals in Ukraine
There’s separate advice for British nationals in Ukraine. Check the latest Ukraine foreign travel advice.
Non-British family members of British nationals in Ukraine
Family migration visas
You can apply for a family migration visa for free if you’re the family member of a British national who usually lives in Ukraine. Your British national family member must be one of the following:
- a spouse or civil partner
- an unmarried partner (you must have been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years)
- your parent if you are under the age of 18
- your child under the age of 18
- an adult relative you provide care for who lives with you due to a medical condition
You should contact UKVI before you make an application.
Telephone: +44 300 3032785 – select option 1 (0300 3032785 if you’re in the UK – select option 1)
Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm
Saturday to Sunday, 9am to 5:30pm
This is a free phone number, but network charges may still apply.
You’ll need to provide information about yourself and your family members, as well as contact details. UKVI will then confirm whether you’re eligible for a family migration visa and share details of the gratis (free) application process.
If you are not eligible for a family migration visa, you will be advised to consider applying for a different visa.
Visa application centres
The UK Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Kyiv is now closed and all UK visa services in Kyiv are suspended.
Dependents of British nationals who need a UK visa can apply through the new, temporary location in the Lemberg Business Centre in the city of Lviv. Alternatively, you can apply through a VAC in a nearby country. VACs are currently operating in:
- Poland
- Romania
- Hungary
- Moldova
All other visa applicants will be required to apply through a VAC in one of these nearby countries.
After you apply
You’ll need to attend an appointment at a visa application centre (VAC) to provide your biometric information (fingerprints).
Eligible customers can access (walk-in) appointments in Lviv or can apply outside Ukraine.
You can upload supporting documents for your application online before attending your VAC appointment or you can have your documents uploaded at your appointment. There is a fee for uploading your documents at the VAC.
If you did not keep your passport when you submitted your visa application, you will be contacted by the VAC to discuss how and when your passport will be returned to you. In the meantime, your passport will remain in a secure location in the VAC.
How long it takes
UKVI aim to process family migration visa applications, or contact you about your application, within 24 hours from when you have submitted your biometrics (fingerprints) at the VAC. The visa will then be dispatched and the VAC will contact you to return your passport for the visa to be affixed.
Other visas
Ukrainian nationals in Ukraine (who aren’t immediate family members of British nationals normally living in Ukraine, or where the British national is living in the UK), are currently unable to make visa applications to visit, work, study or join family in the UK.
If you need assistance, contact UKVI:
Telephone: + 44 300 3032785 – select option 3 (0300 3032785 if you're in the UK – select option 3)
Monday to Friday 24 Hours
This is a free phone number, but network charges may still apply.
If you need to travel to the UK urgently
If you need to travel the UK urgently for compassionate reasons you should apply for a visa in the usual way and include clear compelling or compassionate reasons for your visit in your application. You should also tell staff at the VAC about these reasons during your appointment.
Ukrainians in the UK
If you’re in the UK on an existing visa you should continue to meet the conditions of that visa.
Any changes to visa conditions for Ukrainian nationals already in the UK will be added to this page. Check back for updates.
If you need assistance, contact UKVI:
Telephone: 0300 3032785 – select option 2
Monday to Thursday (excluding bank holidays), 9am to 4:45pm
Friday (excluding bank holidays), 9am to 4:30pm
This is a free phone number, but network charges may still apply.
Passports
Her Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO) is prioritising passport applications for British nationals in Ukraine.
We are proactively contacting people to get more information where needed so cases can be prioritised.
As of 24 February, HMPO are unable to accept passport applications from Ukraine.
Last updated 24 February 2022 + show all updates
-
Guidance updated to reflect the closure of the VAC and suspension of UK visa services in Kyiv.
-
First published.