A Ukraine work-permit case from Pakistan runs in five stages: employer check, Pakistani documents, the work permit, the D-04 visa and the residence card. Ukrainian law fixes two deadlines: up to 7 working days for the permit and up to 10 for the visa, or 30 with checks. The rest depends on Pakistani offices, the employer and VFS appointments.
An offer from a Ukrainian employer starts a chain of decisions made by different offices in two countries. This page walks through that chain the way we organise a case: who acts at each stage, which deadline the law sets, and what sets the pace. It is a reconstruction of a typical case, written from Law of Ukraine No. 5067-VI “On Employment of the Population”, Cabinet of Ministers Resolutions No. 118 and No. 322, and the fees in force on 30 October 2026. We publish client details only with written consent, so it names no one.
- 01Employer checkRegister, signatory, contract terms
- 02Your documentsPassport, translation; HEC, MoFA, police certificate if asked
- 03Work permitEmployer files · decision ≤7 working days
- 04D-04 visaVFS · USD 404 · ≤10 working days (≤30 with checks)
- 05Entry and residenceCard within 15 working days of acceptance
The case, stage by stage
Stage 1. Checking the employer and the offer
- Who acts
- You and your lawyer
- Deadline in law
- No statutory deadline
- What sets the pace
- How fast the employer answers
Before any document is apostilled, the employer is found by its 8-digit EDRPOU code in the Unified State Register: active status, registered address, and the director who may sign. The draft contract is read for the position, the salary (at least the 2026 minimum wage, UAH 8,647 a month) and who pays which fee. A wrong signatory or a salary below the minimum is cheaper to fix now than after filing.
Stage 2. Preparing documents in Pakistan
- Who acts
- You, HEC, MoFA, the district police
- Deadline in law
- Set by each Pakistani office
- What sets the pace
- Each Pakistani office’s own queue
For the permit itself the employer needs copies of your passport pages with a certified Ukrainian translation and a colour photo (Law No. 5067-VI, Art. 42-2). The embassy may ask for more for the visa, including a police certificate (Resolution No. 118, para. 10). Degrees go through HEC attestation (PKR 3,000 per document), then the MoFA apostille (PKR 3,000), and only then the translation. Starting these in parallel saves the most time.
Stage 3. The employer files for the work permit
- Who acts
- The Ukrainian employer
- Deadline in law
- Decision within up to 7 working days (Art. 42-6)
- What sets the pace
- Complete file on the first attempt
The employer files five documents with the regional employment centre: the application, your passport copies with translation, the photo, the certified draft contract and proof of the fee, which the employer pays (Arts. 42-2, 42-4). The decision is published on the State Employment Service website within 2 working days (Art. 42-7). The centre can refuse only on the grounds in Art. 42-9, so a clean file decides this stage.
Stage 4. The D-04 visa through VFS
- Who acts
- You, VFS Global, the Embassy of Ukraine
- Deadline in law
- Decision within up to 10 working days, up to 30 with additional checks (Res. 118, para. 19)
- What sets the pace
- VFS appointment dates
The employer sends a certified copy of the permit for the visa (Resolution No. 118, para. 8). You apply at a VFS centre in Islamabad, Karachi or Lahore and pay USD 404 for the D-04 under the embassy tariff for Pakistani citizens, plus the VFS charge in rupees. If your category needs BE&OE protector clearance, it is filed alongside; for direct employment it can be done online since January 2024.
Stage 5. Entry and the residence card
- Who acts
- You and the State Migration Service
- Deadline in law
- Card within 15 working days of acceptance (Res. 322)
- What sets the pace
- Filing early enough
After entry on the D-04 you file the temporary residence permit no later than 15 working days before your permitted stay ends. The card runs with the work permit: when the contract ends, the employer asks for the permit to be revoked (Art. 42-10) and the work-based card goes with it.
The order of the Pakistani documents is explained in apostille before translation and police certificate and HEC attestation. The service that runs this whole chain with the employer is our Ukraine work permit service.
Where cases lose time
- The employer is checked after the documents are apostilled, and a problem with the company sends you back to the start.
- The contract names a different position or salary from the permit application, and the permit has to be amended (Art. 42-5).
- HEC attestation and the police certificate are started one after the other instead of on the same day.
- The translation is made before the apostille, so the apostille page is left untranslated.
- The VFS appointment is booked only after the permit arrives.
What the law fixes and what it leaves open
| Work permit decision | Up to 7 working days after a complete application (Art. 42-6) |
|---|---|
| Decision published | State Employment Service website, within 2 working days (Art. 42-7) |
| Permit term | Up to 2 years for hired employees (Art. 42-3) |
| D-04 visa decision | Up to 10 working days, up to 30 with additional checks (Res. 118, para. 19) |
| D-04 consular fee | USD 404, plus the VFS charge in rupees |
| Residence card | Within 15 working days of acceptance (Res. 322) |
| Pakistani documents | No common deadline: HEC, MoFA and the district police each set their own |
For the full table of processing times by step, see Ukraine processing times. An offer that promises a visa in days, or a permit before the employer has filed, does not match these rules; our page on fake job offers lists the signs.
Questions about the work-permit timeline
How long does a Ukraine work permit take for a Pakistani?
Why does the whole case take weeks if the permit takes 7 working days?
Can anyone speed up the work permit or the visa?
Who pays for the Ukrainian work permit?
Is this a real client case?
What can I do while the employer files the permit?
Read next
- Job offer from Ukraine: what happens before the visaThe four documents and where your file stands
- How to read a Ukrainian work permitSeven details to check on the decision
- Ukraine work permit guideThe employer’s five documents in detail
- BE&OE protector clearance for UkraineWhen a Pakistani worker needs it
Sources
Find out where your case stands and what comes next.
Eligibility assessment, $99: the routes that fit your case in order, an indicative timeline and your first action. Have an offer already? Employer verification, $199, with a written GO / CAUTION / STOP report.
Last reviewed: 30 October 2026. General information, not legal advice for your case. Permit, visa and residence decisions rest solely with the Ukrainian authorities.