Ban on women traveling abroad. Who is subject to restrictions
12 February 14:40
At the beginning of 2026, Ukraine has certain restrictions on women traveling abroad, depending on their professional status and involvement in public service or the military. Since the introduction of martial law, travel restrictions apply not only to men but also to certain categories of women, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
In particular, this applies to women who: are serving in the military; hold positions in the civil service; are involved in security and defense tasks.
These restrictions do not mean a complete ban on travel. It is a matter of confirming the legal grounds for travel. This is stated in the Rules for Crossing the State Border of Ukraine.
Paragraph 2.14 of the above-mentioned Rules states that women who are ministers, their deputies, high-ranking civil servants, law enforcement officers, judges, prosecutors, and many other professions are not allowed to leave the country. The ban does not apply to those who work for free on a voluntary basis, as well as female members of local councils, with the exception of those who are local government officials.
Civil servants may only travel abroad on business trips, vacation, for medical treatment, or to attend the funeral of a relative. To do so, they must provide border guards with documents confirming the reason and duration of their trip.
The restrictions also apply to female military personnel. The legal status of female military personnel is regulated by the Law of Ukraine “On Military Duty and Military Service. “ Persons performing military service are subject to general restrictions on travel, similar to those applicable to conscripts.
The legal grounds for departure remain: business trips and vacations. In this case, the main confirmation is official permission from the command, together with duly executed documents.
The border service may verify the information through military registration systems. If the status of a female military servicemember is confirmed, the absence of permits may be grounds for refusal to leave the country.
As for female medical professionals, according to general legislation, they are automatically registered for military service as conscripts. However, women medical professionals are not currently being mobilized, nor are there any restrictions on their departure. Thus, women in the medical profession are free to leave the country, except in situations where they fall under one of the categories specified in the list.
