Either you come to Ukraine on business or vacation, this presentation will be equally helpful. It contains such information about Ukraine and its capital, Kiev, as political and banking systems, education, holidays, IT outsourcing, visas, foreign embassies, public transport, places where to stay and to eat, sightseeing, and other useful information.
Text of Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors
Guide to Ukraine
helpful information for foreign visitors
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Table of Contents
Ukraine:
Kiev, the capital:
General information
Arriving in Kiev
Top hotels
Public transport
Restaurants
Sightseeing
Mailing and calling
Car rental
Foreign embassies
General information
Time zone
Public holidays
Political system
Banking system
Education in Ukraine
IT outsourcing
Visas and customs
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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
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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
Table 1.1: Time difference between Ukraine and other
locations
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Ukraine: Public holidays
Calendar 2010: Public Holidays in Ukraine
Ukraines public holidays in 2010:
January 1 New Years Day
January 7 Orthodox Christmas Day
March 8 International Womens Day
April 4 Orthodox Easter
May 1-2 International Labor
May 9 Victory Day
May 23 Orthodox Pentecost
June 28 Constitution Day
August 24 Ukrainian Independence Day
* In red public holidays and the days off transferred to Mondays or
Tuesdays.
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Ukraine: Political system
The powers of the government of Ukraine are specified by the
Constitution of Ukraine and are divided into three branches:
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:
The executive the Cabinet of Ministers:
responsible to the President of Ukraine
The judicial the Supreme Court of Ukraine
and
Party of Regions
Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc
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Ukraine: Banking system
TheUkrainian banking system is a two-tier structure consisting
of the:
National Bank of Ukraine
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
Table 2.1: Popular currency exchange rates (as of April 6,
2010)
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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
Table 3.1: Sources of IT Employees in Ukraine
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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
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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:
goods valued less than 200
200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco
1 liter of hard alcohol
food products valued no more than 50
2 liters of wine
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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)
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Kiev: Arriving in Kiev
Kiev offers four main ways of arrival:
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)
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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
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Kiev: Top hotels
On arriving to Kiev you will need a place to stay. Check some
of Kievs best hotels:
1. Premier Palace
Service level: 5*
Price (single/day): 278-325
Phone: (+30 44) 537 4501
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: www.premier-palace.com
2. Radisson SAS
Service level: 4*
Price (single/day): 360
Phone: (+30 44) 492 2200
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: www.kiev.radissonsas.com
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Kiev: Top hotels
3. Riviera Hotel
Service level: 4*
Price (single/day): 214-263
Phone: (+30 44) 581 2828
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: www.rivierahotel.com.ua
4. Khreschatyk Hotel
Service level: 3*
Price (single/day): 76-80
Phone: (+30 44) 229 7193
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: www.khreschatik.kiev.ua
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Kiev: Public transport
Kiev offers a variety of public transportation means to get you
around the city:
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
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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
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Kiev: Restaurants
Restaurants in Kiev offer cuisines nearly fromall corners of
the world:
Japanese sushi
Italian pizza
Mexican Chili Diablo
Caucasian shashliks
German schnitzels
Russian pelmeni
Ukrainian varenyky
and more
Most of Kievs eating places will offer priceslower than in
other European cities
Rewarding waiters in Kievs 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
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Kiev: Sightseeing
Kiev belongs to one of the most spectacular sightseeing places
in Europe
Take your time to see Kievs famous:
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 citys
famous Andriivskyi Uzviz offers a wide selection of beautiful
reminders of Kiev
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Kiev: Mailing and calling
Mail and phone services in Ukraine are lower in cost than those
in Europe
Post and Internet Kiev Central Post Office
located in the very city center
all types of mail letters, packages, faxes, telegrams
rich selection of postcards and stationary
24-hour Internet caf
Mobile phones
most popular means of phone connection in Ukraine (cheapness
and reliability)
main mobile service operators in Ukraine (country-wide
presence, roaming service):
Beeline
MTS
KyivStar
life:)
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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
Car rentals usually request the renter to have driving license
and passport valid in Ukraine
Kiev offers a wide selection of car rental agencies. Some of
them:
Europcar
Hertz
SIXT
www.europcar.ua
www.hertz.ua
www.sixt.ua
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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:
Table 4.1: Foreign Embassies in Kiev
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Thank you!
For more information about Ukraine, visit
www.software-outsourcing-ukraine.com
Questions?->[email protected]
2010 | Softheme Team | Kyiv, Ukraine | Software Outsourcing
Solutions
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