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Sweden & Ukraine

Schengen visa liberalization

If you are a Ukrainian citizen, and a holder of a biometric passport, you can travel to Schengen without a visa since June 11th, 2017. The Embassy of Sweden no longer accepts visa applications from applicants holding Ukrainian biometric passports.

For a full list of countries in the Schengen border-free area please visit the link. Make sure to scroll down to find the headline “Members of the Schengen border-free area”.

Ukrainian citizens can, from June 11th, 2017 be able to travel to any country within the Schengen Area without a Schengen Visa. This is however only possible if you are a holder of a biometric passport.

The visa-free regime grants the possibility to travel for visiting family and friends, business trips, attending cultural events or sports activities, journalistic purposes, short-term education, medical treatments, etc.

The visa-free regime does not give you the right to work in Schengen countries. To be able to work in Schengen - you must apply for a work permit, regardless of the number of days you plan to work.

The visa free-regime does not give you the right to stay in Schengen countries for an undecided period of time. The total amount of days allowed to spend in Schengen is 90 days within a 180-day period.

A good way to keep track of how many days you are able to spend in the Schengen Area is by using the Short-stay Visa calculator.

When you travel visa-free with a biometric passport you may still be asked questions regarding your visit when you cross a national border. You should be prepared to:

  • Confirm the purpose and conditions of your stay, for example by showing an invitation from a private individual, a company or an organization in the country you are visiting. The invitation should state who is inviting whom, what the purpose of the visit is and who is covering the costs during the visit. As a private individual inviting someone, you can use the invitation form here or write your own invitation. If you are travelling as a tourist you can show bookings for accomodation and a travel plan.
  • Demonstrate your intention to leave the Schengen area after your planned visit, for example by showing a return ticket.
  • Prove your (or your sponsor's) financial solvency, both for the time of the intended stay and for the return journey, for example by showing bank or salary statements of you or your sponsor.
  • Provide a medical travel insurance.
  • Have a passport that is valid for at least 3 months after the date you intend to leave the Schengen country you are visiting.
  • Have a passport that was issued in the past 10 years.

Persons that are listed in the Schengen Information System (SIS) will be denied entry. The Swedish Embassy does not have the possibility to provide information on persons listed in the SIS.

For more information about SIS please visit the homepage of the Swedish Police.