The border is reopened for artists and media: what are the rules for leaving
6 March 2025 08:49
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has adopted a resolution “On Amendments to the Rules for Crossing the State Border by Citizens of Ukraine”, which creates legal grounds for temporary departure from Ukraine of men of military age who are engaged in professional activities in the field of culture, cinematography, strategic communications, media and information. This is reported by the Government portal, "Komersant Ukrainian" informs.
The resolution defines
– categories of specialists,
– the procedure for obtaining a letter of support,
– the list of documents,
– terms of stay abroad,
– restrictions on cooperation with persons who are representatives of the aggressor state.
An expanded list of authorities authorized to check documents submitted by institutions has also been introduced.
What are the mandatory conditions for travel?
The document defines clear requirements for meeting the criteria for obtaining a letter of assistance from the Ministry of Culture.
For legal entities, a prerequisite is the status of a critical enterprise for the functioning of the economy and ensuring the livelihood of the population during a special period.
For individuals, it is mandatory to register as an individual entrepreneur and carry out specialized activities for the last three years.
The maximum period of stay of artists and media professionals abroad is no more than 60 calendar days from the date of crossing the state border. The period of continuous stay abroad may be extended to 30 calendar days upon receipt of a separate letter of approval.
It is reported that the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers will come into force on the day of its official publication.
As a reminder, the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications suspended the issuance of letters of support for the travel of conscripts and media representatives abroad on March 3.
Why was this decision made?
As explained by the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications, due to gaps in national legislation, there have been numerous cases where persons who received permission from the State Border Guard Service to temporarily travel abroad on the basis of a letter of assistance from the Ministry did not return to Ukraine within the established time frame.
The Ministry reported that in order to achieve legal certainty in this matter, the Ministry initiated changes at the end of 2022 that would minimize the use of cultural diplomacy for illegal travel abroad during martial law. However, this issue remained unresolved.
How many requests were processed and how many non-returns were recorded
Between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024, the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine received 4,047 requests for letters of assistance in crossing the border. The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine received 2744 letters regarding the facilitation of border crossing. These data are contained in the response of the Ministry of Culture to a request from Interfax-Ukraine.
According to the State Border Guard Service’s data for 2024, 579 figures did not return for a letter of assistance from the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine.
