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Risk dossier · Overstay · Pakistan → Ukraine
Overstay in Ukraine: the fine, the ban risk and what to do now
When your stay legally ends on each document, what an overstay costs, and how a residence card filed late turns into a removal case.
Direct answer
An overstay in Ukraine begins the day after your visa or residence card stops covering your stay. It is an administrative offence: a fine of 100 to 200 tax-free minimum incomes for up to 30 days over, 200 to 300 beyond that (Code of Administrative Offences, Art. 203). The migration service can also order forced return, which may carry a 3-year entry ban (Law No. 3773-VI, Art. 26).
- 01Type D visa90 days of stay to start the residence card
- 02File in timeAt least 15 working days before the stay ends
- 03Card runs outExchange by the end date (para. 19)
- 04Day after expiryOverstay: fine under CAO Art. 203
- 05Forced returnUp to a 3-year ban; court expulsion 5 years
When your lawful stay in Ukraine ends
| Document | Your stay ends | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Type D visa | A multiple-entry visa for 90 days, the window to apply for the residence card; file at least 15 working days before the stay ends. | Resolution No. 118, para. 4; Resolution No. 322, para. 17 |
| Other visa | The last day of the visa’s validity. | Ombudsman of Ukraine |
| Temporary residence card | The end date on the card; the exchange application goes in by that date, and inside the last 15 working days only at a DMSU territorial office. | Resolution No. 322, para. 19 |
| The ground is gone | When the job, study or other ground for your stay ends, the migration service or SBU can shorten your stay. | Law No. 3773-VI, Art. 24 |
Two roads into an overstay: a residence card filed too late, and a visit visa that someone promised to “convert” after arrival. The second is impossible by law: changing a visit visa to a work visa inside Ukraine. The full card procedure and its terms are in the residence permit guide.
What an overstay costs
| Fine | 100 to 200 tax-free minimum incomes for an overstay of up to 30 days; 200 to 300 for a longer one or for living on expired or invalid documents; 300 to 400 for a repeat within a year (CAO Art. 203, parts 1–3). |
|---|---|
| Found at the checkpoint as you leave | No court expulsion claim is filed when the grounds are found at exit (Law No. 3773-VI, Art. 30, part 1); the Art. 203 fine still applies. |
| Forced return | An order to leave within up to 30 days; the visa is cancelled and a 3-year ban may be added (Art. 26). |
| Court expulsion | If you do not leave on time: removal under escort, a 5-year ban and the removal costs charged to you (Arts. 30, 32). |
| Your next application | Unpaid fines from the earlier stay are a ground to refuse entry later (Art. 13, part 1). |
How removal works from there: deportation from Ukraine and how long an entry ban to Ukraine lasts.
Already past your date?
- Work out the exact dates: the visa or card end date, your entries and exits. The State Migration Service’s online stay calculator counts the 180-day window back from the date of a check.
- Stop any work you are doing without a valid permit: it is a breach of its own, and the employer is fined 20 minimum wages per worker (Law No. 5067-VI, Art. 53). See working in Ukraine without a permit.
- Talk to a lawyer before you visit an office or a checkpoint. The outcome depends on how long, on which document and why; the lawyer tells you whether a filing is still possible or how to leave with the smallest record.
- Pay any fine and keep the receipt. An unpaid fine follows you to your next application.
Overstay questions
What is the fine for overstaying in Ukraine?
Overstaying is an offence under Art. 203 of the Code of Administrative Offences: a fine of 100 to 200 tax-free minimum incomes for up to 30 days over, 200 to 300 for a longer overstay or for living on expired documents, and 300 to 400 for a repeat within a year.
Will I get an entry ban for overstaying in Ukraine?
It can happen. The migration service may order forced return, and that decision may carry a 3-year ban (Law No. 3773-VI, Art. 26). If you do not leave by the date in the decision, a court can order expulsion with a 5-year ban (Art. 30).
I have already overstayed in Ukraine. What should I do?
Speak to a lawyer before you travel or visit any office: the answer depends on how long, on what document and why. When the overstay is found at a checkpoint as you leave, no court expulsion claim is filed (Law No. 3773-VI, Art. 30, part 1); the fine under CAO Art. 203 still applies. Whether a forced return decision follows is up to the authorities.
How is my permitted stay in Ukraine calculated?
On a visa you may stay until its last day. Visa-free travellers count 90 days in any 180, and the migration service counts the 180 days back from the date of the check; its website has an online stay calculator. On a residence card, the card’s end date is what counts.
Can I extend my stay or switch my visa inside Ukraine?
A visit visa cannot be turned into work status from inside the country: the residence card needs a Type D visa issued abroad. A residence card is exchanged before it ends, at the latest on its last day; with fewer than 15 working days left, only at a DMSU territorial office (Resolution No. 322, para. 19).
Visa khatam ho gaya Ukraine mein — ab kya karun?
Overstay par Art. 203 ke tehat jurmana hai: 30 din tak 100–200 tax-free minimum incomes, us se zyada 200–300; forced return ke saath 3 saal ka ban bhi lag sakta hai. Border par nikalte waqt pakra jaye to court expulsion ka case nahi banta, jurmana phir bhi lagta hai. Kisi daftar ya border jaane se pehle lawyer se baat karein: 60 minute consultation $249.
Read next
Official sources
Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offences, Art. 203
zakon.rada.gov.ua
.gov.ua
Law No. 3773-VI on the legal status of foreigners, Arts. 13, 24, 26, 30, 32
zakon.rada.gov.ua
.gov.ua
Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 322 · residence cards, para. 17
zakon.rada.gov.ua
.gov.ua
State Migration Service — responsibility for violating the term of stay
dmsu.gov.ua
.gov.ua
Ombudsman of Ukraine — what a foreigner should do when the term of stay has ended (11.07.2022)
ombudsman.gov.ua
.gov.ua
State Migration Service — duration of stay calculator
dmsu.gov.ua
.gov.ua
Before your date, or right after it
Let a Ukrainian lawyer check your dates.
60-minute consultation, $249: where you stand, what can still be filed, and how to keep the record clean for the next visa. Still planning your route? The $99 eligibility assessment arrives in writing within 3 working days.
Last reviewed: 1 November 2026. Code of Administrative Offences Art. 203 in the wording of Law No. 3196-IX and Law No. 3773-VI, checked on 1 November 2026. This page explains the law; decisions in your case rest with the State Migration Service and the courts.