General rules of accreditation of foreign journalists and representatives of foreign mass media in Ukraine

(according to the provisions of the order №150  of 14/09/2005 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine)

1. General provisions

1.1 - 1.2. These rules apply for all foreign journalists and representatives of foreign mass media (hereinafter referred to as journalists) including:

• Journalists of printed and electronic mass media, radio-, televisions-, video-, photo- programs and documentaries;
• Producers and editors;
• Technical staff.

1.3. Accreditation in Ukraine of foreign journalists is provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as the MFA of Ukraine) in accordance with the laws of Ukraine, in particular the Law on Information, on Printed Media (Press) in Ukraine, on Television and Radio, on Information Agencies and according to the procedure provided for by these regulations.

2. Accreditation of foreign journalists in Ukraine

2.1. Foreign journalists shall fulfill their professional duties in Ukraine after the accreditation provided by the Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (hereinafter referred to as the Press Service of the MFA of Ukraine).

2.2. Accreditation can be provided for journalists mentioned under paragraph 1.2. of these rules.

2.3. The journalists can be accredited only from one media.

2.4. The accreditation of the Press Service of the MFA of Ukraine cannot be provided for the representatives of the foreign diplomatic and consular missions, offices of military attaches, trade and economic missions, international organizations that have head-quarters in Ukraine and enjoy diplomatic privileges and immunities in accordance with the statute representatives and embassies, military staff, trade delegations, internationals organizations and representations of State in international organizations, and representative offices of states to international organizations which have their head-quarters in Ukraine and use the diplomatic privileges  and immunities in accordance with the statute documents of these organizations or relevant international treaties, as well as for foreign citizens who work for the mass media of Ukraine.

2.5. Accreditation of foreign journalists is available on the permanent, temporary or special basis.

2.5.1. The permanent accreditation is provided for the period up to 2 years.

2.5.2. The temporary accreditation is provided for the period up to 6 months.

2.5.3. The special accreditation is provided for the duration of coverage by them of special events that are taking place in Ukraine.

3. Requirements for granting a permanent, temporary or special press accreditation in Ukraine

3.1. To obtain a permanent press accreditation the applicant shall provide the following documents:

3.1.1. The official application from the head/director of the mass media for granting of accreditation to the representative of this media indicating full name of the journalist; his/her passport number; citizenship; position in the mass media; purpose and period of stay in Ukraine; priority issues to be covered during the visit; information whether the journalist intends to work only for his mass media or to prepare information for the other media at the same time; the address of the journalist in Ukraine and abroad.

3.1.2. CV of the journalist.

3.1.3. Copies of the relevant passport pages that contain information about the citizenship, passport number, place of issue and the period of validity.

3.1.4. Copy of mass media identity card.

3.1.5. Four photos (3 x 4 cm) for the foreign journalists, 3 - for the citizens of Ukraine.

3.2. The Press Service of the MFA of Ukraine may request further information about professional activity of a journalist applying for accreditation.

3.3. Temporary and special accreditation is provided on the basis of the documents mentioned in paragraphs 3.1.1, 3.1.3 and 3.1.4.

3.4. The documents necessary for the accreditation shall be sent by the governing body of the mass media concerned to the Embassy or Consulate of Ukraine in the country of stay which will forward them to the Press Service of the MFA of Ukraine.

3.5. In case of absence of the diplomatic representation or consular mission of Ukraine the solicited documents shall be sent directly to the Press Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

3.6. The decision on granting permanent accreditation is made by the Press Service of the MFA of Ukraine during 30 working days after the receipt of all relevant documents.

The decision on granting temporary accreditation is made by the Press Service of the MFA of Ukraine during 10 working days after receipt all relevant documents.

The decision on granting special accreditation is made by the Press Service of the MFA of Ukraine during 2 working days after receipt all necessary documents.

3.7. After successful permanent accreditation the journalists receive the accreditation card of the set model at the Press Service of the MFA of Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as accreditation card).

3.8. Upon receipt the accreditation card the journalist shall fill in a special accreditation form.

3.9. After successful temporary accreditation the journalist receives a temporary accreditation card of the relevant standard (hereinafter referred to as temporary accreditation card).

3.10. After successful special accreditation the name of journalist will be included in the list of the journalists accredited to cover the particular event.

3.11. The accreditation card and the temporary accreditation card shall be signed by the director of the Press Service or by the person authorized by him.

3.12. An official stamp of the Press Service shall be put on the accreditation card and the temporary accreditation card.

3.13. In case of loss the accreditation card the Press Service must be immediately informed by the journalist (within 10 working days).

3.13.1. The decision on the issue of a duplicate of the card shall be made by the Press Service within ten days after the receipt the application of loss made by journalists or the head of mass media.

3.14. After the receipt the accreditation card the journalists have to register their passports and the passports of the members of their families.

3.15. In case of change of the information provided during the accreditation procedure the journalist is obligated to inform the Press Service about the changes within 10 days.

4. Expiration of permanent, temporary or special accreditation

4.1. The permanent, temporary or special accreditation expires at the time fixed at the accreditation card.

4.2. After the expiration of the permanent accreditation the journalist is obliged to give back the accreditation card to the Press Service.

4.3. The accreditation may also be terminated on the basis of the official application of the head/director of the mass media the journalist belongs to or in case the journalist breaks the law of Ukraine.

4.4. In case the journalist discontinues his/her work in Ukraine before the end of accreditation period or in case of changing mass media the journalist represents, the director/head of the mass media shall address the Press Service within the 10 working days with a request to terminate the accreditation.

4.5. A request to prolong the accreditation of the journalist shall be sent to the Press Service according to procedure mentioned in paragraphs 3.1.1 – 3.1.5 no later than one month before the date of expiration of the accreditation card.

5. Final provisions

5.1. The Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of Ukraine shall in the framework of its competence assist the accredited journalists in fulfilling their duties in accordance with the laws of Ukraine in force.

5.2. The journalists not accredited in Ukraine according to the established procedure fulfill their activity as employees of foreign juridical persons.