A decision banning entry into Ukraine can be challenged. The chances are better if you act quickly and first obtain a copy of the decision itself: it states which authority banned entry and on what grounds.
Who makes the decision
The State Migration Service, the Security Service of Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service or the National Police (Article 13 of the Law of Ukraine "On the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Persons"). Other bodies may initiate a ban, but the decision is taken by one of these four.
How to challenge it
- Get the documents. A copy of the decision and the materials it was based on — through a lawyer's request to the authority that issued it.
- Assess the grounds. Decisions are often formal: an overstay, an unpaid fine or an error in the data. Such circumstances can be refuted with documents.
- Go to court. The decision is appealed in an administrative court. Deadlines are limited, so do not delay.
What not to do
Do not try to enter with a new passport or under a different surname, and do not cross the border outside checkpoints. Deliberately ignoring an entry ban is an administrative offence (Article 203-1 of the Code of Administrative Offences): a fine and a new ban added to the previous one (up to 10 years). Forged documents lead to criminal liability.
Law text: Law of Ukraine "On the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Persons".