F.A.Q. Ukraine country description, Ukrainian embassies consulates worldwide visa information currency exchange ukrainian words and phrases holidays weather UA

About Ukraine (maps,country description, entry reqirements and local registration,ukrainian embassies and consulates, currency exchange, ukrainian words and phrases, holidays, weather, etc.)

COUNTRY DESCRIPTION

- Ukraine is a newly independent nation undergoing profound political and economic change, still in the process of stabilizing its relations with neighboring countries. Tourist facilities are not highly evolved, and many of the goods and services taken for granted in other countries are developing rapidly. Travel within Ukraine is unrestricted but registration of foreigners is obligatory.

LANGUAGE

- Ukrainian became the official language only in 1990, replacing Russian. Most of the population in eastern Ukraine and in Kiev speaks Russian as a first language, while Ukrainian is the first language in western Ukraine. Although those in the political world and the local media use both languages, official documents are now in Ukrainian. The two languages share almost the same Cyrillic alphabet, and if you arrive unfamiliar with either language a phrase book or interpreter is almost essential. Not much English is spoken here.

INTERNATIONAL TIME

- Ukraine has two time zones (two hours after Greenwich Mean Time in 24 oblasts and three in the Republic of Crimea). Daylight savings time is observed from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October when you will need to advance your clocks by one hour.

ENTRY REQIREMENTS AND LOCAL REGISTRATION

- A passport and visa are required. A letter of invitation from a person, company, or organization in Ukraine or a tour company voucher is currently required to obtain a visa. Travelers can obtain short-term visas at any border crossing point or at airports. They should have passport, two passport-size photos and invitation for that. However we do not advise you to rely on this service. It is recommended to get entry visas in advance in Ukrainian consulate if it is possible.

ukrainian consulates

Country	Address	Tel/Fax
Argentina	Calle Lafinur 3057 (1425), Buenos Aires	tel: 802 7316, fax: 802 3864
Austria	Elisabethstrasse 13, 1010 Vienna	tel: (43-222) 586 9717, fax: (43-222) 586 3424
Belarus	17 Kirova vul., Minsk	tel: (172) 27 2861, fax: (172) 27 2357
Belgium	Av. L. Lepoutre, 99-101, 1060 Bruxelles	tel: (02) 344 4020, fax: (02) 344 4466
Bulgaria	53 Simeonovsky Shosse, Ste. 11A, Sofia	tel: 68 6042, fax: 68 3064
Canada	331 Metcalfe st., Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 1S3	tel: (613) 230 2961; 230 2638, fax: (613) 230 2400 http://www.comvel.com/ukraine/
China	100600 Bejing, San Li Tun, Dong 6 Jie N 11	tel: 53 6359, fax: 532 6765
Cuba	5-ta Av. 4405, e/44 y 46, Miramar, Havana	tel: 33 25 86, fax: 33 23 41
Czechia	Vul. Ch. de Gaulle 20, 16000 Prague 6	tel: (42-2) 2422-6157; 2422-5895, fax: (42-2) 3124-1466
Egypt	9. El Sara st. #31-32Do KKi, Cairo	tel: 349 1030
Estonia	EE0106 Tallinn, Endia 8	tel: (0146) 31 15 55, fax: (0146) 31 15 56
Finland	Vahaniityntic, 9C, 00570, Helsinki	tel: (3580) 228 9000, fax: (3580) 228 9001
France	21 Avenue de Saxe, 75007 Paris	tel: (331) 4306.0737; 4306.0411, fax: (331) 4306.0249
Georgia	??, Tbilisi	tel: (832) 98 93 62
Germany	Wald st. 42, 53177 Bonn	tel: (49-228) 31 2139, fax: (49-228) 31 8351
Great Britain	78 Kensington Park Road, London WI1 2PL	tel: (071) 727 6312, fax: (071) 792 1708
Greece	33 Athens st. 15452 P. Psychiko, Athens	tel: (301) 671 8957, fax: (301) 671 6652
Guinea	BP. 1350 Villa No 46, Conakry	tel: (224) 443 794, fax: (224) 443708
Hungary	1125 Budapest, Ut. Nogradi, 8	tel: (361)155 2443; 155 9606, fax: (361) 202 2287
India	176 Jorbagh, New Dehli 110003	tel: (8109711) 461 6017, fax: (8109711) 461 6085
Indonesia	Jl.Simprug Permata I, No.39, Jakarta Selatan, 12 220, Jakarta, Indonesia	tel: (62-21) 726 7575, (62-21) 720 5356, fax: (62-21) 726 6969 E-mail: uaemabs@rad.net.id
Iran	101 Vanak st., Tehran	tel: (9821) 800 8530, fax: (9821) 800 7130
Israel	12 Stricker st., 62006 Tel Aviv	tel: (972-03) 604 0141; 604 0242, fax: (972-03) 604 2512
Italy	50 Via Bastelfidardoro, 00185 Rome	tel: (396) 447 00 172, fax: (396) 447 00 181
Japan	??, Tokyo?	tel: (813) 343 20916; 343 20917; 343 20970
Kazakhstan	52 Lenina pr., Hotel "Kazakhstan", room 611, 612, Alma-Ata	tel: (3274) 61 91034
Latvia	3 Kalpaka bul., Riga LV-1050	??
Lithuania	22 Turnisu 2016, Vilnius	tel: (0122) 77 3626, 76 2859
Moldova	31 August st., room 127, Chisinau	tel: (0422) 23 7919, fax: (0422) 23 7922
Poland	al Szucha 7, 00580 Warsaw	tel: (482) 625 0127, fax: (482) 625 3230
Russia	vul Stanislavskogo 18, 103009, Moscow	tel: (095) 229 1079, fax: (095) 924 8469
Romania	Bucharest, Sector 1, str. Rabat, 1	tel: (401) 3124547, fax: (401) 312 4514
Slovakia	Radvanska, c. 35, Bratislava	tel: (42-7) 33 1672, fax: (42-7) 31 2651
Sweden	5 Markvardsgatan, 11353, Stokholm	tel: (468) 612 7566
Switzerland	5 Feedeggweg, 3005, Bern	tel: (4131 352 2316, fax: (4131) 351 6416
Turkey	9 Cemal Nadir Sok, Canka, 06690 Ankara	tel: (90312) 439 9973, fax: (90312) 440 6815
UAE	AbuDhabi, P.O. Box 45714	tel: (9712) 327585, fax: (9712) 327506
United States of America	Embassy: 3350 M Street, NW, Washington D.C. 20007	tel: (202) 333 0606; 333-7507, fax: (202) 333 0817
	Consulate: 2247 W. Chicago ave., Chicago, IL 60622	tel: (312) 384 6632 fax: (312) 642-4385
	Consulate: 240 East 49 str., New York NY 10017	tel: (212) 371 5690 fax: (212) 371-5547 http://brama.com/ua-consulate/

MONEY

- The new official Ukrainian currency 'Hryvnia' (UAH) was introduced September 2, 1996 replacing the old temporary Ukrainian currency 'Coupon' and became the only legal payment bill within Ukraine after September 15. For the period of its existence it appears to become a stable and convertible currency despite of the certain critics.

CURRENCY EXCHANGE

- You can easily change your dollars or other hard currencies for Hryvnias in major banks and special exchange points. Estimated exchange rate to dollar is 5.0 UHR for 1 USD. (You may also check our Hryvnia Currency Converter here.) Changing U.S. dollars for Ukrainian Hryvnias or another currency is legal only at banks, currency exchange desks at hotels and at licensed exchange booths. There are a lot of such exchange points throughout the city. Beware of changing money on the streets or with private individuals: it's illegal and it can be dangerous. Remember however that old or damaged bills may not be accepted or accepted under the lower rate. The "hard currency" stores only accept Hryvnias but almost all of them have a money exchange booth on the premises.

CREDIT CARDS

- Ukraine is a cash economy. Traveler's checks and credit cards are gaining wider acceptance. Use of credit cards is limited to the better hotels, Western-style restaurants, international airlines and select stores. American Express, MasterCard, and Visa are commonly accepted. A passport or diplomatic card may be required whenever a credit card is used. Customs regulations prohibit sending cash, traveler's checks, personal checks, credit cards or passports through the international mail system to Ukraine. These items are regularly confiscated as contraband by customs authorities.

EXPORT OF VALUABLES OF UKRAINIAN ORIGIN

- To export any antique items and/or works of art the permission of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine must be obtained. In addition to samovars, paintings, and rugs, this restriction applies to collections or separate works of fine, applied, and folk art, archeological and numismatic items, valuable musical instruments, gold, silver, precious stones, hand-woven carpets, manuscripts, books published before 1966, and furniture made before 1945.

BUSINESS HOURS

- An eight-hour day is considered a normal work day, Monday through Friday. A lunch break is taken between the hours of 1:00pm and 2:00pm. Most banks are open without breaks, Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 1:00pm.

FLOORS

- In official buildings the entrance hall is considered the 'ground floor'. The next flight up takes you to the 'first floor'. This floor numbering system is the same as the European system. For the private apartments the first floor is actually the 'first'.

TIPS

- Restaurant bills normally include a 5% service charge, however, you'll often find that a few extra hryvnias (10% suggested) can make your dining experience a lot more pleasurable.

TAILORING AND DRESSMAKING

- Service varies from place to place and it is best to frequent shops or dressmakers recommended by others with similar tastes. Tailoring can be quite expensive, relative to U.S. prices. The choice of fabrics available is limited but improving.

BARBERS AND BEAUTY SHOPS

- Although relatively inexpensive, techniques and methods used by hairdressers differ from those in the West. Some European hair products are available in big stores, and there are several beauty salons opening up in Kiev that offer services using western products.

ELECTRICITY

- 220 volts, 50Hz

is the standard electrical voltage throughout Ukraine. To use electrical appliances you will need a converter as well as an Eastern-European plug adapter.

ALCOHOL

- Throughout Ukraine alcohol is quite inexpensive and easily accessible. Ukraine is a zero tolerance country, so do not drink and drive. The fines are substantial and you are never sure what may happen in such incidences with the militia.

Ukrainian Words And Phrases

Ukrainian Words And Phrases
ENGLISH	TRANSLITERATION
Hello	Pryveet, Veetayuh
Good morning	Dobroho ranky
Good afternoon	Dobry dehn
Good evening	Dobry vehchir
Goodbye	Doh pobachehnyah
Yes, No	Tahk, Nee
Please	Buhd laskah
Thank you	Dyakuyuh
Excuse me	Probachteh
My name is ...	Mehneh zvuht ...
Men's restroom	Choloveechy tualeht
Women's restroom	Zheenochy tualeht
Where, when, who	Deh, koly, khtoh
How much does it cost?	Skeelky tseh Koshtuyeh?

Ukrainian Numericals

Ukrainian Numbers
NUMBER	ENGLISH	TRANSLITERATION	NUMBER	ENGLISH	TRANSLITERATION
1	one	oh-dyn	20	twenty	dvahd-tsyat
2	two	dvah	21	twenty-one	dvahd-tsyat oh-dyn
3	three	try	30	thirty	tryd-tsyat
4	four	cho-ty-ry	40	forty	soh-rohk
5	five	pyaht	50	fifty	pyat-deh-syat
6	six	sheest	60	sixty	sheest-deh-syat
7	seven	seem	70	seventy	seem-deh-syat
8	eight	vee-seem	80	eighty	vee-seem-deh-syat
9	nine	deh-vyat	90	ninety	deh-vya-noh-stoh
10	ten	deh-syat	100	one hundred	stoh
11	eleven	oh-dy-nahd-tsyat	200	two hunred	dwisti
12	twelve	dvah-nahd-tsyat	1,000	one thousand	tyh-syacha
13	thirteen	try-nahd-tsyat	2,000	two thousands	dwi tyh-syachi
14	fourteen	cho-tyr-nahd-tsyat	1,000,000	one million	milyion

Measurement Conversion
WEIGHT	DISTANCE	LIQUID	TEMPERATURE
100 grams = 3.3 ounces 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds 1 ounce = 28.35 grams 1 pound = 0.45 kilograms	1 centimeter = 0.39 inches 1 meter = 39.37 inches 1 inch = ~ 2.5 centimeters 1 kilometer =0 .62 miles 1 mile = 1.61 kilometers 10 kilometers = 6.2 miles	1 liter = 2.11 pints 1 U.S. pint = 0.47 liters 1 U.S. gallon = 3.79 liters GASOLINE 24 mpg = 9.1 liters to 100 Kilometers	o F 212 194 176 158 140 122 104	o C 100 90 80 70 60 50 40	o F 86 68 50 32 14 0 -4	o C 30 20 10 0 -10 -17.8 -20

WOMEN'S SHOES
U.S.	5	6	7	8	9	10
Ukrainian	35	36	37	38	39	40

MEN'S SHOES
U.S.	7	8	9	10	11	12
Ukrainian	39	40	41	42	43	44

WOMEN'S DRESSES AND SUITS
U.S.	8	10	12	14	16
Ukrainian	40	42	44	46	48

MEN'S OVERCOATS AND SUITS
U.S.	36	38	40	42	44
Ukrainian	46	48	50	52	54

Ukrainian Official Holidays for the Year 1999
Holiday	Date
New Year's Day	January 1
Orthodox Christmas	January 7^*
Women's Day	March 8
Orthodox Easter	April 11^*
Labor Day	May 1, 2
Victory Day	May 9
Holy Trinity Day	May 30^*
Constitution Day	June 28
Independence Day	August 24

^{*
Note: varies annually.}

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