Ukraine had been granted a visa-free regime with the European Union at midnight on June 11, 2017. Since that date about 3 million of Ukrainian citizens have been able to enjoy this privilege.
2 years of ‘visa-free’ travel to Europe
11 June 2019 became a turning point that facilitated frequent travel of Ukrainians to Europe and boosted a number of significant changes, primarily in the field of transport services.
As a result of historical Strasbourg agreement of 17 May 2017, all Ukrainian citizens with biometric passports received the right to travel visa free to the countries of the Schengen zone, effective from 11 June of the same year.
The visa-free access did not include Ireland and the United Kingdom. Consequently, Ukrainians are still required to obtain visas, if they want to travel to these two countries. Great Britain since then has voted to exit the EU (Brexit).
Thus, Ukrainian citizens are able to visit without a visa 31 European countries (including Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, The Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland).
Over 3 million of Ukrainians travelled to Europe visa-free in 2 years
Nevertheless, except for biometric passports, some countries request Ukrainians to provide additional documentation such as a proof of hotel accommodation and financial means. Sometimes a proof of travel purpose is also required.
Within the last two years since the effective date of Strasbourg agreement, Ukrainian citizens made 42.6 million trips to the European countries, and about 3 million of citizens used the visa-free option.
As reported by the civic organization Europe without Barriers, in 2018 Ukrainians got 57,593 denials of entry at the EU borders. It is 55% higher as compared to 2017 data (37,114).
However, in 2017 there were 5.5 months when the visa waiver program weren’t available, so it is only for half a year that the refusals in visa-free entry were received. From this point of view, there is a drop in the number of refusals in 2018, if we realize that in 2017 the program was only operating for half a year. In addition, during the same period there were tens of thousands of refusals in Schengen visa, which means the aspiring applicant were turned down on point of application for the visa, rather than at the border.
Demand for biometric passports
By the beginning of the visa waiver program, most Ukrainians were aware of the fact that without biometric passports they will not be able to enjoy visa-free travelling.
Thus, since June 2017 and nearly the whole 2018 there was a huge demand for long-desired biometric passports.
In 2018 the buying fever at the country was at its highest and amounted to 5.5 million of new passports compared to three million for 2017.
In 2018, there was a great demand for biometric passports.
What kind of transport do Ukrainians take to travel to Europe?
Ukraine is in Europe geographically, so it is possible to travel by car, bus, or train, as well as fly or take a ferry.
Planes
It was not until 2018 that the Ukrainian market saw the arrival of foreign low-cost airlines. In the first months of 2017 many people in Ukraine and abroad didn’t even believe the country will get the visa-waiver program.
In 2018 and 2019 the largest European budget airlines such as RyanAir and WizzAir entered the Ukrainian market.
As a result, 20 Euro plane tickets become a tangible reality. No one in Ukraine could think of such a low price a couple of years ago.
The large number of cheap foreign airlines that started to operate flights to Ukraine has triggered a surplus situation where the supply greatly outpaced the current demand.
In order to fix the excess supply, airlines had to drop their prices, and this explains where 500 hryvnia (USD 19) tickets came from.
Trains
The introduction of visa-free regime prompted the development of new rail way routes between Ukraine and the European Union.
The boost had started with the launch of trains from Lviv and Kyiv to Przemysl (Poland).
‘The Train of 4 Capitals’ along the route Kiev – Minsk – Vilnius – Riga (from Ukraine to Baltic countries through Belarus) was introduced in September 2018.
Finally, a new train between Mukachevo (Ukraine) and the Kosice (Slovakia) was introduced from 9 June 2019. The average price of tickets on this train is only 7.5 Euros.
Can you take a ride on a train to another country for under $10 at your home? Probably, not. In Ukraine, you can jump on a train and jump off in another country for the money you’d pay for a bus ride from on area in your city to another (and it may only take you a few miles, for a ride from one end of the city to another it could cost 2-3 times more).
In connection with the introduction of a visa-free regime, new railway routes were built. Pictured: An old Ukrainian railway known as “The Tunnel of Love“.
Buses
According to the data provided by the Europe without Barriers organization, the previously popular trips by care from Ukraine to Europe are gradually giving way to the use of public transport.
These days Ukrainian citizens start giving priority to buses as comfortable means of travelling to the European Union.
There is every indication that European low-cost bus companies will soon follow the example of budget airlines and break into the Ukrainian market, which has already started with the most popular European operator partnering with a Ukrainian bus company to operate buses within their network.
So, as you can see, Ukraine is quickly getting strong links with the European Union, which is certainly something that will ease its inclusion as a member of the EU. There is an official agreement for Ukraine to become a member of the European Union by 2025-2017.
Is it good or bad for dating Ukrainian girls? One thing for sure, you probably can have lots more dating options now as compared to the time when the women of Ukraine can simply move to Paris or Barcelona on their own.
Read also:
- Most popular bus route from Ukraine abroad
- How much does it cost to get a passport in Ukraine?
- Couchsurfing: How Ukrainian women travel the world for free — and you can do it, too!
- Ukraine: ID-cards instead of passports
Interesting and relevant article, thank you. I think visa free travel in Europe also helps remove the (wrong) idea that Ukrainian ladies want a western man only for travel. It is also true that Low cost airlines are expanding in Ukraine. Last week Ryanair opened a new route from Krakow – Odessa.
I think that it is wonderful, that people from Ukraine can travel to the rest of Europe much more easily!
One aspect of the opening of Europe for Ukrainians is the fact, that without workers form Ukraine a lot of the vegetables and fruit in western Europe would not get harvested! These Ukrainian workers get work visas fairly easily!
I expect, that visa requirements will soon be eased for people from Belarus as well. The political climate between Belarus and the EU has been slowly improving during the past few years.