Ukraine is more "visitor-friendly," says new consul general in Washington (08/19/01)

Ukraine is more "visitor-friendly," says new consul general in Washington

by Yaro Bihun
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

WASHINGTON - Ukraine has become more "visitor-friendly" as of July 1, when its government did away with a number of annoying visa requirements and other irritants for those wishing to travel to Ukraine.

Americans, and citizens of a number of other countries, no longer need to present an invitation to get a visa, to provide a detailed itinerary of their trip, to fight off attempts to sell them medical insurance at the airport, and to register with the local police when traveling from place to place within Ukraine. And to ease things even more, visa application forms now do not have to be requested by mail or in person; they can now be downloaded by computer from the Ukrainian Embassy's website.

Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, Ukraine's new consul general in Washington, characterized these changes as "very important and fundamental," eliminating, as they do, vestiges of Soviet-era travel restrictions.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry had urged changes for some time, he said, but other agencies, those primarily concerned with security, were more hesitant. President Leonid Kuchma resolved the issue when he signed the decree that instituted these travel reforms as of July 1.

"If you are traveling legally, common sense dictates that once you receive an entry visa, no more should be demanded of you than to adhere to its lawful requirements," Mr. Nalyvaichenko said in an interview. All passport and visa control is now done at the entry and exit points, be it the border or international airport. No further registrations are required over the duration of the visa, he said.

The requirement that visitors register with the local police at the so-called "OVIR" office within three days of arrival in a different Ukrainian city or town was the single most unpopular aspect of the Ukrainian travel experience, the consul general admitted.

Second on the list of major complaints by foreign visitors was being pressured to obtain medical insurance at entry points, he added. "It simply makes no sense to have representatives of one insurance company present at a border entry point forcing its services on travelers." This irritant, too, has been removed by the president's decree. Now Ukrainian embassies and consulates issuing visas advise travelers to inform their own medical insurance companies that they will be traveling to Ukraine.

As for invitation letters, they are no longer required for citizens of the United States, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Slovakia, Turkey and countries of the European Union, he said.

Mr. Nalyvaichenko estimated that the consular section of the Ukrainian Embassy processes between 700 and 800 tourist, personal and business visa applications a week during the summer season and 400 to 500 per week during the rest of the year. In addition, the New York and Chicago consulates each process about 500 visas per week at this time of the year.

Unlike the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington is not known for refusing applications for visas. "So far this year, we have not had any refusals," Mr. Nalyvaichenko said. The Embassy denies visas only for criminal activity, he explained.

Refusals, however, are prevalent with applicants from countries such as Afghanistan and Iran, which are known sources of illegal immigrants who transit throughUkraine on the way to Europe. But in European countries and in the United States, Mr. Nalyvaichenko said, "we see no need to create unnecessary obstacles or to concentrate our resources on the issuance of visas; we have our hands full with other work, first of all, in assisting Ukrainian citizens here."

He stressed that the consular section's primary focus has been and remains on assisting the estimated 18,000 citizens of Ukraine now in the United States. "These are individuals, married couples, children, who are here legally, working or studying, and we must respond to their needs - when they lose their passports, when a child is born, or when they get in trouble."

Asked about one famous case of a Ukrainian in trouble here, that of former Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko, who has been under arrest in California for more than two years for money laundering and other charges, Mr. Nalyvaichenko said that Mr. Lazarenko has not requested consular assistance. "But, as a Ukrainian citizen," he added, "he has every right to do so."

While Mr. Nalyvaichenko could not say how many Ukrainians are in the United States illegally, he presumed that they number "in the thousands." He noted that during the last five-month reporting period some 60 illegals were deported back to Ukraine from the United States.

Ukrainians, like illegal immigrants from other countries, come to the United States in search of work and a better life. "As I see it," Mr. Nalyvaichenko said, "the only way to decrease illegal immigration is by turning it into a legal and civilized process."

As for the problem of trafficking women from Ukraine, he said that this problem has not yet broached America's shores, as it has parts of Europe and the Middle East.

Currently there are three Ukrainian consulates working in the United States - in Washington, New York and Chicago - and, according to Mr. Nalyvaichenko, they have been able to handle the visa and other consular workload. He added, however, that the addition of a fourth consulate, on the West Coast, would be helpful.

The consular section in Washington has a staff of seven - three diplomats and four assistants. It would be nice to have a larger staff, the consul general said, but in the meantime, they ease the workload by improving the efficiency of the process, such as posting visa application forms on the website, which cuts down on the time and effort required for responding to mailed requests for forms.

The latest information about the services the consular section provides and visa requirements are contained in the Embassy's website (www.ukremb.com). The consular section in Washington can also be reached by phone at (202) 333-7507. Ukrainian citizens should ask for extension 113, which will connect them directly to a consular officer.

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