The issue with providing Ukrainians with foreign passports has lasted almost a year, but the government plans to resolve the matter by 2018. Media reports have leaked that a printing enterprise for manufacturing securities and official forms has acquired additional equipment. The source clarifies that the cost of the purchase was 1.7 million euros.
Getting a foreign passport in Ukraine will become easier
Recall that the introduction of visa-free travel with the European Union and Ukrainians’ trips abroad for work led to a shortage of foreign passports. As demand creates supply, a black market for the production and sale of documents has appeared in Ukraine.
To improve the situation with the timing of passport production and issuance, the government had to reduce the tax for the printing plant from 75% to 40%. In exchange for the benefit, the manufacturer is obliged to finance a project to expand production and purchase equipment for issuing ID-1 format documents with laser and electronic authentication.
It is planned that by mid-2018, residents of Ukraine will have one less problem, as obtaining a foreign passport for travel to Europe is a matter of life for most people who want to support their families and pay for utilities.
