guide to ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors

Guide to Ukraine

helpful information for foreign visitors

www.softheme.com

Table of Contents

General information Time zone Public holidays Political system Banking system Education in Ukraine IT outsourcing Visas and customs

www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors

General information Arriving in Kiev Top hotels Public transport Restaurants Sightseeing Mailing and calling Car rental Foreign embassies

Ukraine: Kiev, the capital:

Ukraine: General information


Second-largest country in Europe after Russia Population: 45.7 million (2009 est.) Workforce: 23 million (2009 est.) Situated in the heart of Europe:

strategic position between Europe and Asia on the intersection of major transport and trade routes

Ukraine: Time zone


Ukrainian time zone is GMT +2 hours Time difference between Ukraine and other countries has become a significant

advantage for IT outsourcing Ukrainian time zone also provides effective use of proximity to Western

European countries: air flights to major European capitals take from 1 to 4 hours

Location Flag Time difference Travel time, hrs

Amsterdam -1 2

Berlin -1 1.5

London -2 2

New York -7 17

Sydney +7 25

Tokyo +6 21

Table 1.1: Time difference between Ukraine and other locations

Ukraine: Public holidays


January 1 – New Year’s DayJanuary 7 – Orthodox Christmas DayMarch 8 – International Women’s DayApril 4 – Orthodox EasterMay 1-2 – International LaborMay 9 – Victory DayMay 23 – Orthodox PentecostJune 28 – Constitution DayAugust 24 – Ukrainian Independence Day

Calendar 2010: Public Holidays in Ukraine

* In red – public holidays and the days off transferred to Mondays or Tuesdays.

Ukraine’s public holidays in 2010:

Ukraine: Political system


The powers of the government of Ukraine are specified by the Constitution of Ukraine and are divided into three branches:

1. The legislative – the Verkhovna Rada (Supreme Council of Ukraine): consists of 450 peoples’ deputies who are elected for a term of 4 years

the majority of seats in Verkhovna Rada are held by:

2. The executive – the Cabinet of Ministers: responsible to the President of Ukraine

3. The judicial – the Supreme Court of Ukraine

Party of Regions Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verkhovna_Rada

http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control/en

http://www.president.gov.ua/en/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_Ukraine

Ukraine: Banking system


The Ukrainian banking system is a two-tier structure consisting of the:

1. National Bank of Ukraine

2. Commercial banks of various types and forms of ownership, including: the state-owned Export-Import Bank specialized commercial Savings Bank

As of January 1, 1998, the banking system of Ukraine has transferred to the international accounting and statistics standards

The official currency of Ukraine is Hryvnia

Foreign currency Amount in UAH1 USD 7.93

1 GBP 12.03

Table 2.1: Popular currency exchange rates (as of April 6, 2010)

http://www.bank.gov.ua/Engl/default.htm

http://www.eximb.com/eng/

http://www.oschadnybank.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_hryvnia

Ukraine: Education


Ranked 32nd in Education on the 2009 Legatum Prosperity Index of 104 countries About 70% of adult population have secondary or higher education Nearly 60% of Ukrainian universities have graduates with majors in physics,

mathematics and programming

City Population (mil) Universities

Kiev 2.8National Technical University of UkraineNational University Kiev-Mohyla AcademyNational Taras Shevchenko University of Kiev

Kharkov 1.7Kharkov State UniversityState Polytechnic UniversityState Technical University of Radio ElectronicsState Transport Technical University

Dnepropetrovsk 1.2 Dnepropetrovsk State UniversityState Technical University of Railway Transport

Donetsk 1.1 Donetsk National UniversityState Technical University

Odessa 1.1 Mechnikov State UniversityState Polytechnic University

Lvov 0.9 State Polytechnic UniversityState Ivan Franko University

Table 3.1: Sources of IT Employees in Ukraine

http://www.prosperity.com/

Ukraine: IT outsourcing


Ukraine has become an attractive outsourcing destination for many companies around the world, due to :

growing pool of qualified human resources

European mentality competitive outsourcing rates

Outsourcing accounts for more than 70% of software development work in UA Steady growth of IT outsourcing market in the past 5 years Ranked 4th after Russia with almost 40% growth and over $3.4 billion in volume

in 2007 The highest IT industry growth rate among CEE countries in 2007

Ukraine: Visas and customs


The citizens of the following countries can enter Ukraine visa-free and stay up to 90 days: the countries of EU, Andorra, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Mongolia,

Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, the USA, Vatican, and the countries of the CIS

What you can import free of customs duties and taxes:

1 liter of hard alcohol

2 liters of wine

200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco

food products valued no more

than €50

goods valued less than €200

Kiev: General information


Kiev (also spelled «Kyiv») is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine located on the Dnieper River

Population: 2.8 million (2009 est.) Ethnic composition of inhabitants:

Ukrainians (70%) Russians (20%) others (10%) Kiev-Pechersk Lavra

Kiev is an important industrial, scientific, educational and cultural centre of Eastern Europe

Has an extensive infrastructure and highly developed system of public transport, including the Kiev Metro (subway)

Kiev: Arriving in Kiev


Kiev offers four main ways of arrival:

1. By plane – arrival to Boryspil State International Airport

located 34km east of Kiev taxi to the city center: 30-45

minute ride costing about 150-200 UAH (20-25 USD)

2. By train – arrival to the Kiev Central Railway Station

located on the edge of the city center

taxi to the city center: 5-10 minute ride costing about 50 UAH (6-7 USD)

Kiev: Arriving in Kiev


3. By bus – arrival to the Kiev Central Bus Station

taxi to the city center: 10-15 minute ride costing around 50 UAH (6-7 USD)

4. By car

foreign cars are allowed to stay on Ukrainian territory for no more than 2 months

automobile insurance is obligatory in Ukraine

it is advised to purchase green car insurance valid for Ukraine in your home country

Kiev: Top hotels


On arriving to Kiev you will need a place to stay. Check some of Kiev’s best hotels:

Service level: 5*Price (single/day): €278-325Phone: (+30 44) 537 4501E-mail: [email protected] URL: www.premier-palace.com

2. Radisson SASService level: 4*Price (single/day): €360Phone: (+30 44) 492 2200E-mail: [email protected]

URL: www.kiev.radissonsas.com

1. Premier Palace

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.premier-palace.com/


http://www.kiev.radissonsas.com/

Kiev: Top hotels


Service level: 4*Price (single/day): €214-263Phone: (+30 44) 581 2828E-mail: [email protected] URL: www.rivierahotel.com.ua

4. Khreschatyk HotelService level: 3*Price (single/day): €76-80Phone: (+30 44) 229 7193E-mail: [email protected] URL: www.khreschatik.kiev.ua

3. Riviera Hotel


http://www.rivierahotel.com.ua/


http://www.khreschatik.kiev.ua/

Kiev: Public transport


Kiev offers a variety of public transportation means to get you around the city:

1. Metro (subway)

most popular transport in Kiev (timeliness, speed and convenience)

cost of one trip is 1.70 UAH

2. Trolleybuses, trams and buses

not very fast and reliable due to traffic jams

cost per one trip is 1.50 UAH

Kiev: Public transport


Kiev offers a variety of public transportation means to get you around the city:

3. Marshrutkas

the most popular surface means of transport (speed and frequency)

cost per one trip ranges from 2 to 3 UAH

2. Funicular

functions since 1905 offers a spectacular panorama

of the Dnieper River cost of one trip is 1.50 UAH

Kiev: Restaurants


Restaurants in Kiev offer cuisines nearly from all corners of the world: Japanese sushi Italian pizza Mexican Chili Diablo Caucasian shashliks

Rewarding waiters in Kiev’s restaurants is up to you, yet, most visitors leave around 10% of their bill as tips

Some restaurants include a service charge of 5-10%, so reading bills or asking a waiter will be helpful

German schnitzels Russian pelmeni Ukrainian varenyky and more…

Most of Kiev’s eating places will offer prices lower than in other European cities

Kiev: Sightseeing


Kiev belongs to one of the most spectacular sightseeing places in Europe

gold-domed churches and cathedrals magnificent sanctuaries ancient caves museums and historical monuments

Kiev has the highest number of square kilometers occupied by park zones in Europe

Don't forget to take some unique souvenirs back home – the city’s famous Andriivskyi Uzviz offers a wide selection of beautiful reminders of Kiev

Take your time to see Kiev’s famous:

Kiev: Mailing and calling


Mail and phone services in Ukraine are lower in cost than those in Europe

located in the very city center all types of mail – letters, packages, faxes,

telegrams rich selection of postcards and stationary 24-hour Internet café

Mobile phones

Post and Internet – Kiev Central Post Office

most popular means of phone connection in Ukraine (cheapness and reliability) main mobile service operators in Ukraine (country-wide presence, roaming service):

Beeline

life:)

MTS

KyivStar

Kiev: Car rental


According to Ukrainian law, to drive a car foreign drivers should have:

International Driving License in addition to the license from the home country

medical certificate confirming ability to drive a car

Kiev offers a wide selection of car rental agencies. Some of them:

Europcar Hertz SIXT

Car rentals usually request the renter to have driving license and passport valid in Ukraine

www.europcar.ua www.hertz.ua www.sixt.ua

http://www.europcar.ua/

http://www.hertz.ua/

http://www.sixt.ua/

Kiev: Foreign embassies


More than 60 states have their embassies in Ukraine

The below table shows the selected embassies of foreign countries in Ukraine and their contact information in Kiev:

Flag Country Address Phone

Australia 18/137 Kominterna St. +30 44 235 7586

Canada 31 Yaroslaviv Val St. +30 44 590 3100

Denmark 56 Khmelnytskogo St., 4 floor +30 44 200 1260

Germany 25 Khmelnytskogo St. +30 44 247 6800

Japan 4 Muzeinyi Lane +30 44 490 5500

The Netherlands 7 Kontraktova St. +30 44 490 8200

United Kingdom 9 Desiatynna St. +30 44 490 3660

USA 10 Yuria Kotsyubynskogo St. +30 44 490 4000

Table 4.1: Foreign Embassies in Kiev

Thank you!

2010 | Softheme Team | Kyiv, Ukraine | Software Outsourcing Solutions

www.softheme.com » Outsourcing to Softheme™

Questions? → [email protected]

For more information about Ukraine, visit www.software-outsourcing-ukraine.com

http://www.software-outsourcing-ukraine.com/