Ukrainians who are abroad and have military obligations face serious difficulties due to the expiration dates of their foreign passports. In connection with the war, mobilization and travel restrictions, many citizens found themselves in a situation where their foreign passports became invalid, and the term of extension or renewal of documents in Ukraine took a long time.
However, recently it became known that Ukrainians conscripted into the military increasingly turn to the countries where they are temporarily staying, with a request to issue them so-called "gray passports" for the opportunity to travel without the need to present a main foreign passport.
In social networks, Ukrainians write that even the "Reserve+" installation does not help to get consular services abroad, if the application shows that a conscript is declared wanted. In this case, the embassies refuse to issue a new foreign passport, and all that remains is to make a "gray passport" for travel.
"Who is interested, yesterday I successfully verified in practice that you can travel with a "gray passport". Online check-in for the flight cannot be done and there are delays during the check-in, but in the end it is missed everywhere,” they write in the chats.
At the same time, a number of countries, in particular, Great Britain, have already issued clarifications that an obstacle to issuing "gray passports" may be the need to "pass military service in one's native country."
However, the Ukrainians point out that they are contesting this provision, proving to the Home office that mobilization for war does not fall under this condition.
"I wrote here about submitting a travel document (gray passport) a month ago. Here is the result," shares one of the users of social networks, attaching a letter from the British authorities that he was approved to issue a "gray passport".
