Will you be allowed to enter Ukraine with an expired passport: explanation of the State Border Guard Service
20 December 15:17
In general, no citizen of Ukraine can be restricted from entering the country. However, in reality, a person with an expired passport can get “stuck” at the border.
Andriy Demchenko, a spokesman for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS), told RBC-Ukraine in an interview, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Why you can get “stuck” at the border with an expired passport
The SBGS representative said that in general, “no citizen of Ukraine can be restricted from entering the country.”
At the same time, if a person returns home with an expired passport, an important point must be taken into account – the position of the neighboring country.
“If the passport document is overdue, the person will not be able to cross the neighboring country either,” explained Demchenko.
That is, from the neighboring side (for example, Poland or Romania), “there may be a refusal to cross the border.”
“If a citizen of Ukraine is heading towards our country and during control procedures on the other side, the controlling authorities find an expired passport, it is a refusal to cross the border,” said the SBGS spokesman.
In the future, according to him, a person will have to:
- “either renew the passport;
- or apply to the diplomatic missions of Ukraine to obtain a return permit.
What to do to avoid problems when leaving the country
Demchenko advised citizens who plan to travel outside Ukraine to prepare and check all their documents.
“Make sure that someone doesn’t mix up their passport. And make sure that the passport itself is not expired,” he explained.
In addition, if the children are not traveling with their parents, “you need to prepare the necessary documents in advance.”
“Because during the war, only dad and mom can travel abroad with children without the consent of one of the parents. Other relatives must travel with the appropriate documents,” the SBGS representative reminded.
For example, if a child is being taken by his or her own aunt, he or she must have
- either notarized consents from both parents (for the child’s departure);
- or a written consent certified by the guardianship and custody authorities from one of the parents.
“And, of course, we need to keep in mind the peculiarities of each section of the border, especially when passenger traffic is high. Then some points may be more congested,” added Demchenko.
According to him, the only main life hack for people is to “take an interest in the state of congestion at checkpoints both for leaving Ukraine and the congestion at checkpoints of neighboring countries where you are going (but with the direction of movement towards our country).”
“I would also add that people often arrive at the border when their passports have already expired. In this case, the citizen will not be allowed through,” the SBGS spokesman summarized.
As a reminder, the official introduction of the biometric entry and exit registration system (EES) to the EU and Schengen countries started on October 12, 2025.
However, not all checkpoints have implemented it at the same time, as there is a total of six months to do so.
