UKRAINE: Countries Implore Foreign Citizens in Ukraine to Depart Urgently

February 15, 2022


Over the last several days, more than a dozen countries have strongly urged their citizens residing in Ukraine to depart the country immediately due to the rising political and military tension with Russia. These countries include, but are not limited to, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Israel, Japan, Latvia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Other countries have issued “do not travel” warnings for travel to Ukraine as well.

Alongside these notices for private citizens, many countries also began evacuating non-essential diplomatic staff and their families in recent weeks. Consular services from many countries’ consulates throughout the country and the embassies in Kyiv have been suspended.

If Russia does move forward with military action, departing Ukraine may become extremely difficult or impossible. As such, the international community is urging foreign nationals to depart voluntarily as soon as possible.

Newland Chase Insights

From an immigration perspective, much remains unknown regarding departure and/or future re-entry requirements. Newland Chase continues to monitor the situation very closely and will provide more updates as they are made known; however, the health and safety of all individuals should always be the main priority for multinational countries with employees in Ukraine.

As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Newland Chase dedicated contact or submit an inquiry here should you have any specific questions regarding this announcement.

This immigration update is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal or scenario-specific advice. Furthermore, it is important to note that immigration announcements are subject to sudden and unexpected changes. Readers are encouraged to reach out to Newland Case for any case- or company-specific assessments.