Moldova or Ukraine
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Moldova | Ukraine | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | — | — |
| Citizenship | 10 years | 5 years |
| Partner can work | yes | — |
| Parents | — | — |
| Pets | — | no trouble |
| Pet limit | no limit | 5 |
| Quarantine | — | — |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 741 · estimate | $ 688 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 22,2 | $ 19,6 |
| Life expectancy | 71.33 | 74.69 |
| Homicides/100k | 2.01 | 3.78 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 3.4 | 3 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Moldova — 46, Ukraine — 28. Types present in both: work, study, family, investment and repatriation. Moldova adds: remote work. Ukraine adds: talent.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Moldova: fees range from 100 to 3,600 MDL. Routes with no fee: 3. Routes with a published decision deadline: 34; the shortest is 4 days. Ukraine: fees range from 452 to 496 UAH. Routes with a published decision deadline: 28; the shortest is 7 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: Moldova after 5 years; the other country publishes no term. Citizenship: Moldova after 10 years, Ukraine after 5 years. Moldova allows a second citizenship, Ukraine does not.
Moldova in brief
Moldova singles out IT specialists as a separate ground for stay, and the family procedure here is among the fastest in the sample: a reunification permit is issued within 10 working days, a decision on the right of stay within 30 calendar days, and the spouse may work. The constraints are the period to citizenship — 10 years — and the Romanian language requirement.
Ukraine in brief
Ukraine is a country where martial law has been in effect since 24 February 2022 (Presidential Decree No. 64/2022, regularly extended by the Verkhovna Rada); special rules for crossing the state border, set by the State Border Guard Service, are tied to it. Part of the territory — the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (since 2014), and parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts (since 2022) — is not controlled by the government of Ukraine, and this guide does not collect data for these territories. The grounds for foreigners to stay and work are: a long-stay type D visa, a posvidka na tymchasove prozhyvannia (temporary residence permit; for work under an Employment Service permit, study, family reunification, or a gig contract with a Diia.City resident), and a dozvil na immihratsiyu (immigration permit) followed by a posvidka na postiyne prozhyvannia (permanent residence permit), which is issued outside the quota for close relatives of Ukrainian citizens. Obtaining Ukrainian citizenship generally requires five years of continuous residence, a state-language exam, and renunciation of foreign citizenship; 2025–2026 legislation (Law No. 4730-IX) expanded the list of cases in which multiple citizenship is recognised — mainly for refugees, Armed Forces of Ukraine service members, persons of outstanding merit, and certain other categories. Demographic statistics, including city populations, are pre-war: last updated by the State Statistics Service as of 1 January 2022 and not officially revised since for most cities due to population displacement during the war.
Other comparisons
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This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.