What Is a Ukrainian Work Permit?

Work Permit Categories

Art. 42-1 of Law No. 5067-VI lists the categories of foreigners for whom a permit is issued. Bangladeshi nationals most commonly fall into one of three:

Hired foreign worker (іноземний найманий працівник):

The standard category for most Bangladeshi workers — construction workers, manufacturing employees, IT professionals, engineers. The permit runs for the term of the employment contract, up to 2 years (Art. 42-3).

Seconded foreign worker (відряджений іноземний працівник):

A worker sent to Ukraine by a foreign employer under a contract between the foreign and Ukrainian companies. The permit runs for the term of that contract, up to 3 years.

Intra-corporate transferee (внутрішньокорпоративний цесіонарій):

A worker transferred to Ukraine by a decision of a foreign company, with an employment contract signed with the Ukrainian company. The permit runs for the term of the transfer and contract, up to 3 years.

Decision Deadlines

The regional employment centre decides on a new permit within up to 7 working days of registering the employer's application (Art. 42-6). If documents are missing or defective, review is suspended and the employer has 7 working days to correct them (Art. 42-8). Refusal is possible only on the grounds listed in Art. 42-9, and the decision must state them. The law sets no labour-market test and no vacancy-publication period.

Employer Rights and Responsibilities

The employer who holds the work permit takes on specific legal obligations toward DSZ and the worker:

• Must apply to DSZ to revoke the permit when the employment contract ends (Art. 42-10).
• Must keep the employment on the terms of the permit. A new job title or a transfer to another position with the same employer is handled by a free amendment to the permit, filed within 30 days (Art. 42-5).
• Must renew the work permit before expiry if the employment continues — the extension application is filed no later than 20 and no earlier than 50 calendar days before the current permit expires (Art. 42-6).
• Is responsible for the accuracy of all information in the work permit application. False information (inflated salary, incorrect role description) exposes the employer to criminal liability.

Worker Rights: An Important Protective Point

A critical and often misunderstood aspect of Ukraine's work permit system: if the employer violates the permit terms, the worker's immigration status is not automatically terminated. This differs from kafala-style systems where employer cancellation of sponsorship immediately collapses the worker's legal status.

Under the Labour Code of Ukraine (Кодекс законів про працю), foreign workers have the same rights as Ukrainian workers including:

• Right to receive wages on the contracted schedule. If the employer fails to pay, the worker can complain to the State Labour Service (Держпраці), the labour inspection body; work permits themselves are issued by the State Employment Service (DSZ).
• Right to terminate the employment contract if the employer materially breaches its terms — unsafe conditions, non-payment, harassment — without this automatically triggering deportation.
• Right to seek new employment and have a new work permit applied for by a new employer. The worker's TRP does not immediately lapse if employment ends — there is a grace period during which a new arrangement can be pursued through a licensed immigration attorney.
• Protection from forced labour, confiscation of travel documents, and accommodation coercion — violations that are criminal offences under Ukrainian law.

In practice, exercising these rights requires Ukrainian language ability or access to a Bangladeshi community member who can assist, and ideally a relationship with an immigration attorney. But the legal framework provides meaningful protection that should not be dismissed as theoretical.

How to Verify a Work Permit Is Genuine

A genuine Ukrainian work permit is a paper A5 security form with the worker's photo, a two-letter series and six-digit number, and the employer's name and EDRPOU code (Cabinet Resolution No. 68 of 24.01.2023). The employment centre publishes its decisions on its website (Law No. 5067-VI, Art. 42-7, part 3), and the permit can be confirmed with the centre directly:

• Contact the DSZ regional office corresponding to the employer's registered address with the permit number and employer EDRPOU code.
• Request confirmation that the permit is active and matches the stated worker and employer.
• If a trusted representative in Ukraine (attorney, community contact) can visit the DSZ office in person, the permit can be verified face-to-face in minutes.

Forged work permits circulating among Bangladeshi applicants share identifiable indicators:

• Document exists only as a low-quality scan or photo — the employer receives the paper permit and can send a certified copy.
• Permit number returns no result in DSZ records, or belongs to a different worker or employer.
• Employer's EDRPOU is inactive, recently registered (within 60 days), or corresponds to a different company name than stated on the permit.
• Agent refuses to provide the permit number before full payment is collected.
• The stated salary on the permit is implausibly high for the sector — a tactic designed to impress rather than reflect reality.
• The permit is dated before the employer could have filed the application, or the issuing employment centre cannot confirm it.