Ukraine has issued new guidance intended to make it easier for foreign nationals and stateless people serving under contract to obtain temporary residence permits, with military units taking on more of the administrative work involved in preparing applications, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence.
The guidance sets out how commanders and designated officers should manage the process, from checking how long an individual is legally entitled to remain in Ukraine to preparing documents, arranging appointments with the State Migration Service and collecting completed permits. The intention is to reduce the amount of time foreign service members spend away from duty dealing with paperwork themselves.
Deputy Defence Minister Liubov Halan said: “The guidelines draw on the best practices of units that have already set up the processing of temporary residence permits this way. The unit organises the preparation of the documents and the appointment, while the service member provides the documents that only they hold and goes through the necessary procedures in person. This cuts the administrative burden on the individual and the time they have to be taken away from duty.”
Under the process, a designated officer within each unit will maintain a list of foreign service members, check when contracts were signed and whether the individual already holds documentation confirming lawful residence, then identify which cases need to be handled first. The unit prepares the documents it can issue itself, checks the wider application package with the migration authorities and arranges the in-person appointment. Service members need attend only where their presence is required, including for photographs, biometric data and signatures.
The guidance also covers cases where normal travel is difficult. If a service member is in hospital and cannot attend a State Migration Service office, the unit can arrange for a mobile team to visit. Where combat tasks or the security situation prevent travel, the designated officer can apply for an extension to the individual’s lawful stay and arrange submission once movement can be undertaken safely.
The rules implement Law No. 4730-IX, which came into force on 10 May 2026 and requires foreign nationals and stateless persons serving under contract in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, National Guard or State Special Transport Service to obtain a temporary residence permit. The permit is valid for the duration of the service contract and, in most cases, for a further six months after it ends.
Those who signed contracts before 10 May 2026 and do not yet have a permit or other document confirming lawful residence must apply by 10 November 2026. Until then, their military registration document or service ID is sufficient to confirm lawful stay. For those who joined on or after 10 May, the filing deadline depends on when they entered Ukraine and how long they are otherwise entitled to remain in the country.
The State Migration Service is expected to issue a permit within 15 working days after accepting the documents, with the completed document collected in person by the service member. The new guidance follows earlier Ukrainian measures intended to standardise support for foreign volunteers serving in the country’s defence forces.
