Ukraine: Information on whether the residence permit (propiska) system still exists
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 August 1992 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | UKR11283 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ukraine: Information on whether the residence permit (propiska) system still exists, 1 August 1992, UKR11283, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abfc43.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A footnote in a recent report from Helsinki Watch states the following:
All citizens of the former Soviet Union were required to obtain...residence permits [propiski] to live in a particular city and to secure legal employment. The propiska system, a clear infringement on freedom of movement, continues to operate in all of the former republics (15 Apr. 1992, 2).
The report does not provide any additional information on this topic. A researcher at Helsinki Watch stated in a telephone interview that none of the republics of the former Soviet Union have repealed the laws pertaining to residence permits, although the Russian parliament is expected to debate a bill in the fall repealing the propiska system (6 Aug. 1992). The researcher could not provide additional information on the extent to which the system is enforced in rural and/or urban Ukraine.
Consular officials at the Embassies of Ukraine in Ottawa and Washington, D.C. indicated in telephone interviews on 5 August and 7 August 1992 that the majority of Ukrainian residents are registered, and that a system of residence permits is still in effect in Ukraine.The consular official at the Embassy of Ukraine in Ottawa noted that the purpose of the propiska system was to control and account for living arrangements in Ukraine and that the system depended on the Ministry of the Interior or the police. He stated further that in the near future the propiska system will no longer be enforced, and in the meantime, its use is diminishing.
Two reports from the BBC Summary of World Broadcasts refer in passing to residence registration in Ukraine (29 June 1992; 4 June 1992); but further information specific to residence permits in Ukraine, apart from that already available in the REFINFO database, is not currently available to the IRBDC.
For information on the propiska system as it operated in the Soviet Union, please consult the REFINFO database and the Response to Information Request SUN11285 of 12 August 1992.
References
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 29 June 1992. "Parliament Adopts Decision on New Passport." (NEXIS)
_____. 4 June 1992. "Crimeans Complain About Passports Being Stamped With Word Ukraine." (NEXIS)
Embassy of Ukraine, Ottawa. 5 August 1992. Telephone Interview with Consul.
Embassy of Ukraine, Washington, D.C. 6 August 1992. Telephone Interview with Consul.
Helsinki Watch. 6 August 1992. Telephone Interview with Researcher.
_____. 14 April 1992. Vol. 4, Issue 7. New Citizenship Laws in the Republics of the Former USSR.