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Living in Ukraine as a foreigner, is it for you?
There are many reasons why a foreigner might enjoy living in Ukraine.
Perhaps you are part of the “Diaspora” and had grandparents or great-grandparents who emigrated from Ukraine and would like to come back and experience the culture.
Maybe you are tired of living in the West and all the conventions that the West has put on you.
Perhaps you see the Ukraine as being untainted by a lot of the ills the west has experienced over the last 20, 30 or 40 years.
Maybe, you’ve even fallen in love. Whatever the reason, for any big move you’re thinking about doing, you need to find your “why?”
Is Ukraine a good place to live as a foreigner?
Ukraine can be like any place else to live. Good or bad, especially for a foreigner.
In fact, because you’re a foreign the good or bad of living in Ukraine as a foreigner will be a much more heightened experience. It’s all in what you make of it really.
As someone who had lived in Ukraine for over 20 years. My philosophy going into living in Ukraine as a foreigner had always been from the start, to take advantage and make the most out of what being a foreigner living in Ukraine is and could be, and downplay the negatives that living in Ukraine can be.
So in general for me living in Ukraine as a foreigner was for the most part quite positive.
In fact, I noticed that many of the pitfalls in which foreigners fall into while living in Ukraine are easily avoidable.
The best way to avoid the pitfalls of living in Ukraine as a foreigner is to accept Ukraine and Ukrainians for who they are and not apply some kind of false standard that you may have brought with you from back home.
Actually, most foreigners who have a difficult time are constantly trying to compare Ukraine and Ukrainians to their home country and their home country’s standards. That’s a recipe for disaster as a foreigner living in Ukraine.
How to retire in Ukraine as a foreigner?
Depending on your own personal situation as far as retirement is concerned, it is very possible to retire in Ukraine as a foreigner.
Of course, the first thing you would need to do is check the website of the Ukrainian Embassy in your home country to find out some of the basics of immigration and which category of immigration you would qualify under. Here is a link to the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States of America.
Second, you should seek an immigration attorney in Ukraine who can best help you jump through all the hoops of the immigration process and retirement.
As far as receiving your monthly income as a foreigner retiring in Ukraine it’s perfectly possible.
Banking in Ukraine as a foreigner.
Ukraine has and is connected to the world banking system. So you can actually keep your home bank account in your home country, and simply use your ATM or Bank Card to withdraw money as you need it.
You can also use your cards for purchases just as you would in your home country. So you could literally retire in Ukraine and still keep all your financial dealings outside of Ukraine.
Keep in mind, if you want to make any major purchases like an apartment, a house, an apartment or even a Dacha, this will require bigger sums of money, much more than a simple ATM can provide.
Therefore, you would need to either open up a bank account in Ukraine or learn about how to transfer money from abroad for big Ukrainian purchases like an apartment.
As far as opening up a bank account in Ukraine when you retire, you should know that Ukraine does have representative offices of well known international banks.
However, you should also know that those banks are considered Ukrainian banks, even if they have the foreign international bank name on their shingle.
Even foreign banks if they have a license to do business in Ukraine are still considered Ukrainian banks by law and are subject to Ukrainian banking regulations, etc. first and foremost
However, I would personally recommend that if you are going to open up a foreign a bank account in Ukraine, that you do so through a reputable foreign bank subsidiary.
Although these foreign bank subsidiaries are still considered local by the Ukrainian government and the Bank of Ukraine, their standards seem to be quite consistent as their counterparts in their home countries, as well as their levels of service, usually.
Living in Ukraine as an American.
Living in Ukraine as an American can be a culture shock, if you’re not used to life in a former Soviet country.
Although Ukraine released itself from their Soviet shackles back in 1991, many of the customs, ways of doing business and even mentality have remained. Though the country has changed quite a lot in the 20 years that I had lived there, some vestiges of the past remain.
However, don’t think that they are all negative.
In fact, many holdovers from Soviet times are actually quite interesting and provide for a colorful lifestyle.
Things like holidays, where the country closes for four days to have a two day holiday. They do this by combining the holiday with a weekend.
If the holiday(s) fall in the middle of the week, they’ll even declare the previous Saturday, following Saturday or both as official work days.
They do this especially for International Women’s Day which many times is a two-day holiday.
Ukraine also has many ways of doing things that are different than how you would do things in America.
Again, don’t fall into the trap of expectations. Leave your American expectations back in America.
Actually, that blue passport of yours can come in handy in many more places than at the airport or for proof of identification.
For example, I had always told myself that if I didn’t like the way things were done in Ukraine or if I was ever sick and tired of the life in Ukraine living there as an American, I would look at my blue passport and say to myself, “I could always go home.”
I could always leave. I would strongly advise you do the same, when things get tough.
Living in Ukraine as a foreigner, conclusions.
As you can see, living in Ukraine as a foreigner does have its positives and negatives. Similar to living anywhere else when you think about it.
However, I can only relate to my own personal experience of living in Ukraine as a foreigner for over 20 years.
Overall my experience living in Ukraine as a foreigner has been very positive. Living in Ukraine has taught me things as a foreigner, I would never have learned in my own country.
I learned how to converse in a foreign language, read a foreign alphabet, learned how to deal with people on a day-to-day basis with a different mentality. I’ve had my ups and downs.
I’ve been in love, had my heart broken and rebounded once again.
Although I left Ukraine almost 2 years ago, Ukraine will always hold a special place in my heart and I look forward to returning some day soon.