by Mabk

(Winston Salem N.C. )
I have question related to Kyiv. While a K-1 is being processed, mine and Natalya’s plan is to go live in Israel. It’s open and friendly. A visa is not required for either of us, and we can even work. However, after 90 days I have to leave.

Lots of details but I’ll get right to it. Good ticket for me going into Israel gives me a layover in Kyiv? I’m thinking if I don’t leave the airport I don’t need a Visa just to lay over in Kyiv, and thought you may know? One-ways
are dirt cheap. Poland is my under 200.00 bucks and no visa needed life saver.
90 days in Israel, go out few days, and one-way back to Israel from Poland. I can knock seeing Auschwitz off my bucket list!

So, for a lay over only, and remaining in airport is Kyiv safe to land, and fly again with no Visa? If you do not know, do you know where I’d check? I’ve Googled everything on planet earth; Nothing decisive yet.

Thanks so very much, Mabk B.

Tom’s Answer:

Ukraine is U.S.-friendly. You can enter with only a U.S. passport (no visa required) and stay for 90 days. So you don’t even need to stay in the airport.

But there is one thing you should carefully investigate about your plan. Many countries allow U.S. citizens to visit for up to 90 days without a visa, but many of them also add the criteria “within any 180 day period”. So you can stay “90 days within any 180 period”, meaning that if you stay 90 days, you need to be gone 90 days before you can legally return.

That rule exists in Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, etc.

So for THOSE countries, you couldn’t just leave for a few days and come right back.

I couldn’t find that rule for Israel. At Wikipedia: Visa requirements for United States citizens it just says “90 Days”. But I would verify that there isn’t any fine print that further qualifies this.