| What it is | An invitation letter (лист-запрошення) is a document from a Ukrainian entity — employer, university, business partner, or individual — confirming they are inviting a named foreign national to Ukraine for a specific stated purpose and period. |
|---|---|
| Who issues it | The inviting Ukrainian entity: a registered company (providing their EDRPOU code), a Ukrainian university (providing official letterhead), or an individual Ukrainian citizen (providing their passport number). Government bodies do not issue standard invitation letters — the invitation comes from the private inviting party. |
| Required for | C-type visa applications (short-stay: tourist, visitor, business meetings). May also be required for B-type transit visas in some circumstances. |
| Required for Type D employment visa? | No. A valid work permit from DSZ entirely replaces any invitation letter for a D-visa employment application. Any agent charging for an invitation letter as part of a work visa process is either uninformed or deliberately exploiting the applicant. |
| Guarantees visa approval? | No. An invitation letter is a supporting document. The Ukrainian Embassy retains full discretion to grant or refuse the visa regardless of what the invitation letter says. |
| Can be issued remotely? | Yes. A Ukrainian company or individual can write and send an invitation letter to a Bangladeshi applicant — it does not require DMSU registration or a government stamp for C-visa purposes. |
Two Types of Invitation Letters
Bangladeshi applicants encounter two structurally different types of invitation documents in the Ukrainian immigration context, and confusing them causes problems:
Type 1: Employer invitation letter (for C-visa business purposes)
A standard corporate letter on company letterhead, signed by the director or HR manager, inviting a named individual for business meetings, interviews, or professional visits. This is used for a C-type business visa — not for employment. It does not authorise work. It simply explains why you are visiting Ukraine for a short stay. Its legal weight at the embassy is modest — it supports the application but does not determine the outcome.
Type 2: DMSU-issued invitation (for private individual visits)
When a Ukrainian citizen or permanent resident wishes to invite a foreign national for a private visit, they can apply to the local DMSU office for a formal invitation document. This carries DMSU's registration number and official stamp. It is used for family visits, personal invitations, and private tourism stays — not for employment purposes. If you see an agent selling a "DMSU invitation letter" for a work visa, this is a misuse of the document type and will not achieve what the agent claims.
What a Genuine Corporate Invitation Letter Contains
A genuine invitation letter from a Ukrainian employer or business partner will contain all of the following — verify each element before accepting it as authentic:
- Full legal company name exactly as registered in the Ukrainian EDRPOU registry — not a trade name or informal alias.
- 8-digit EDRPOU code — the unique company registration number used in all Ukrainian government filings.
- Registered legal address of the company as shown in the EDRPOU registry.
- Applicant's full name exactly as it appears in their Bangladeshi passport.
- Applicant's passport number and nationality stated explicitly.
- Stated purpose of visit — must match the visa type being applied for (e.g., "business negotiations" for a C-business visa).
- Proposed dates of visit and intended duration.
- Accommodation address during the visit in Ukraine.
- Name, position, and handwritten signature of the authorised company representative.
- Company official round seal (печатка) — required for formal Ukrainian corporate documents.
A letter that lacks the EDRPOU code, has no seal, or cannot be cross-checked at data.gov.ua is not a reliable document and should not be paid for before verification.
Red Flags: How Fake Invitation Letters Are Sold in Dhaka
Bangladeshi applicants often misunderstand that an invitation letter equals visa entitlement. Dhaka-based agents exploit this misunderstanding to sell fabricated letters for BDT 30,000–100,000 or more, claiming the letter "guarantees" Ukraine entry. When the visa is refused — because the Ukrainian Embassy can see the company does not exist in the state register — the applicant loses both money and receives a refusal stamp that damages future visa applications to Ukraine and other countries.
Ghost companies used in these schemes share identifiable characteristics:
- Registered within the past 30–60 days — created specifically to generate invitation letters for agents.
- Listed at non-operational addresses: vacant lots, private residential addresses, coworking spaces that deny company knowledge, or addresses of other unrelated businesses.
- No web presence: no company website, no LinkedIn, no industry registry listing, no Google Maps result for the stated address.
- EDRPOU number that returns no result at data.gov.ua, or returns a company with a completely different name.
- Company listed as "in liquidation" or "registration suspended" in the state register.
- The letter has no round seal — a significant omission for a formal Ukrainian corporate document.
- The letter's stated purpose (e.g., "employment") does not match the visa type it is supposedly supporting.
How to Verify an Invitation Letter Before Paying
Before accepting any invitation letter as genuine — and certainly before paying for it — run these verification steps in sequence:
- Check the EDRPOU at data.gov.ua: Search by the company name or 8-digit EDRPOU code at data.gov.ua (public Ukrainian state register portal). If the company does not appear, has a different name, or shows as liquidated or suspended — the letter is fraudulent. This check takes 2 minutes and is free.
- Check the registration date: A company registered within the past 60–90 days specifically to issue invitation letters is a structural red flag. Genuine employers have operational history spanning months or years.
- Verify the address independently: Search the company's registered address on Google Maps. Does a real, operational business exist there? Ghost company addresses frequently resolve to empty lots, private residences, or businesses that have never heard of the company.
- Request a video call with the signatory: Ask to speak by video with the director or HR manager who signed the letter. Legitimate Ukrainian companies can arrange a 5-minute verification call within a day. Scam operations cannot produce a real person in a real Ukrainian office.
- Search for the company online: Does the company have a working website, active LinkedIn page, industry registry listing, or trade directory entry? Most Ukrainian SMEs with real operations have some web presence built over time.
What a Real Employment Process Looks Like — No Invitation Letter Required
For a Type D employment visa, the document the Ukrainian Embassy in Dhaka actually requires is the work permit number from DSZ — not an invitation letter. The correct document sequence for employment-based immigration is:
Employer applies to DSZ for work permit
Your Ukrainian employer submits a work permit application to the State Employment Service. This takes 30 working days. You are not involved — it is the employer's application.
The permit is issued in your name and your employer's name.
Employer sends work permit copy and employment contract
The employer provides a certified copy of the issued work permit and a signed employment contract. These — not an invitation letter — are your foundation documents for the visa application.
Without an actual work permit number, no legitimate D-visa application proceeds.
You apply for Type D visa at Ukrainian Embassy in Dhaka
Submit the work permit copy, employment contract, passport, photos, and application form at the Ukrainian Embassy in Dhaka. No invitation letter is in this package.
Processing: 10–21 working days.
At no stage is an invitation letter required or relevant for employment-based immigration to Ukraine. If an agent tells you that you need to purchase an invitation letter for a work visa application, that agent is either misinformed or operating fraudulently. Either way, do not proceed with that agent.
If you have already received an invitation letter and paid for it, verify the company at data.gov.ua immediately — before spending any further money on BMET clearance, medical tests, or flight tickets. A fraudulent invitation letter will produce a refused visa and a lost non-refundable embassy fee. The earlier you identify the fraud, the more money you can protect.