money

[mc3]

Hello Guys, ands gals, too
I got a question or two hope to find so info about ..
When i travel to Ukraine do i need to show some sort of proof
i have money to live on like a bank statement or show them cash?
I read on here alot about people coming from FSU having to show they
can suport there self having to have so much money for the loted
time of there trip?

Next question Do i have to have health insurance and show proof of it
to enter Ukraine And will my medical insurance i have thru my work
be good enough  ? Or do i need to buy like travel insurance?

[Anotherkiwi]

Hello Guys, ands gals, too
I got a question or two hope to find so info about ..
When i travel to Ukraine do i need to show some sort of proof
i have money to live on like a bank statement or show them cash?
I read on here alot about people coming from FSU having to show they
can suport there self having to have so much money for the loted
time of there trip?

Next question Do i have to have health insurance and show proof of it
to enter Ukraine And will my medical insurance i have thru my work
be good enough  ? Or do i need to buy like travel insurance?

First part - no, you don't have to show anything.  However, you would be an idiot to arrive without the means to support yourself for however long you plan to stay, whether in cash or available on a credit card or two.
 
Second part - no again.  We have no idea what your medical insurance will cover - you need to read the policy and talk to a rep from the insurance company.  However, no matter what your state of health is in general, ALWAYS have travel insurance when you go overseas.  We do have a couple of posters who say they never take out a travel policy, but you never know what might happen while you're away, and I doubt very much that your work insurance would replace stolen or broken items.
 
I've just returned from nearly a month in Australia - my policy cost $78 because I decided to take the "no excess" option.  Just as an example, I got a small gash in my leg a week before I came home.  I was lucky that there was a paramedic on duty at the cricket match where I was, sitting only a few metres away, and the wound was treated and dressed within about three minutes of the injury - at no charge.  Had the same thing happened to me in the USA or Ukraine I would probably have been up for several hundred dollars in costs for treatment, and the policy would have paid for itself several times over.  In the absolute worst case (death) a good travel insurance policy will cover the cost of someone flying out to retrieve your body and accompany it home.
 
I didn't need the policy, but it sure was a comfort to know that it was available.

[JayH]

Money you will not have to show if you look respectable.Generally speaking having credit card/s would suffice . You do not need to show them cash.
The ability to support oneself in any foreign country is a requirement to enter.
You should have health insurance and also it is strongly advised to have travel insurance plus the ability to have medical cover beyond normal health cover eg for emergency medical evacuation.
Check on the extent of existing insurance.
I am presuming you are American? The entry requirements can be questioned on arrival-- it will depend on how they assess you on arrival whether they will want more.

[Jumper]

You should check on your health ins,

and consider travel ins, its normally inexpensive.

You wont need to show a certain amount to enter?
yet of course in customs there are certain levels that you are suppose to declare
(entirely different)

If you are planning on using mostly credit or debit cards and ATM's  (which are plentiful in most any city) Bankomat
be sure to inform your CC co. or bank of your travel dates,and countries you are traveling to and through, or the cards can get cut off.
Also despite letting banks know ,this can still happen with foreign charges, so i'd take more than one card.


Personally I open a separate account long before, with a debit/credit card that i use for travel.
Right before travel i transfer in what i need ,and any emergency fund i might think prudent)
(schedules get disrupted/flights/plans change ,etc)
On return i just transfer any unused out of it, so the chance of fraud is pretty slim.


In another thread you asked what currency to use in Ukraine.
In general you'll use grivna, and most ATMs will dispense that.
The exchange rate is generally not bad through ATMs or your bank, but you can check prior to travel.
If you take cash..there are exchange kiosks most everywhere to change dollars(or euro) to grivna

I tend to travel with enough cash to get by at a min,as a safety net
but rely on Cards.(only using the cash if something unusual comes up)
I've traveled a lot, and to far stranger places than Ukraine, so just been burned to many times with a machine that ate my card, or banks forgetting to note im traveling.. etc to rely solely on them.

good luck.

[mc3]

I want to thank every one who offered addvice !!
I will have enough to sustain my self while im there ..
Not a problem so basicly i will be fine .. i will look into the travel
insurance.. Any one know of a good company to use? And how far out
in advance do i need to get this insurance? Im sure not to wait till
thew last minute to get it ?But a week before two weeks before i leave?
Never bought it so dont know how it works .. I will be looking into it!!
Thanks again for your help
sencerly
MC3   

[Anotherkiwi]

...i will look into the travel insurance.. Any one know of a good company to use? And how far out in advance do i need to get this insurance? Im sure not to wait till thew last minute to get it ? But a week before two weeks before i leave?
Never bought it so dont know how it works .. I will be looking into it!!
Thanks again for your help
sencerly
MC3   

Don't know what's available in the US - you will need to do a bit of digging to find a company that provides exactly what you want (or near enough, anyway), but I doubt that you will have too much trouble.  Perhaps start by looking at Expedia.
 
If you've already booked your flights, or you know exactly what dates you're travelling, buy it NOW.  That way the policy is already in force to cover cancellation expenses (such as non-refundable flight or hotel bookings) if you have to change dates or cancel the entire trip (perhaps because of a family illness or you break your leg in an accident).

[mc3]

Ok thanks  ill look into it  and  go ahead and get it

[ML]

Second part - no again.  We have no idea what your medical insurance will cover - you need to read the policy and talk to a rep from the insurance company.  However, no matter what your state of health is in general, ALWAYS have travel insurance when you go overseas.  We do have a couple of posters who say they never take out a travel policy, but you never know what might happen while you're away, and I doubt very much that your work insurance would replace stolen or broken items.
 
I've just returned from nearly a month in Australia - my policy cost $78 because I decided to take the "no excess" option.  Just as an example, I got a small gash in my leg a week before I came home.  I was lucky that there was a paramedic on duty at the cricket match where I was, sitting only a few metres away, and the wound was treated and dressed within about three minutes of the injury - at no charge.  Had the same thing happened to me in the USA or Ukraine I would probably have been up for several hundred dollars in costs for treatment, and the policy would have paid for itself several times over.  In the absolute worst case (death) a good travel insurance policy will cover the cost of someone flying out to retrieve your body and accompany it home.
 
I didn't need the policy, but it sure was a comfort to know that it was available.

Sounds good, but unfortunately these types of policies can be completely worthless in practice.

Many insurance policies that are off the beaten path (the beaten path are standard health insurance policies overseen by employers, nationally competitive auto insurance policies, etc.) are designed to never pay off.  i.e. there are far too many exceptions, caveats, etc.

Even in the best of situations, the medical providers will never accept these policies for payment.  They will insist on cash payments, and then you will be left to try for reimbursement from the issuer.  The issuer will likely never accept any of the documents you provide from the foreign country, always insisting that they need something additional and, of course, translated, notarized, reviewed and authenticated by a local doctor (at your cost), etc. 

In the end, you will simply give up; except of course where there are tens of thousands of dollars involved.  Then you will not give up until your legal costs in trying to recover begin to approach the amount you are trying to recover.

The main advantage is as you stated: "a comfort to know that it was available."
The comfort is an illusion, but still it makes us  feel good for the duration and, in most cases, we never have the ill fortune to discover the truth.

The analogy is with door locks.  Many people go to extreme lengths to install the strongest looking lock, multiple locks, etc.  But in actuality, a person can take a hand drill to make a pilot hole in the thinnest wood area of your front door, then use a pointed saw to get going, and soon have entry while leaving your magnificent locks in place.  Also, the door moldings can be removed, a few nails cut through, and then the door removed with the locks firmly in place.

But this scenario is not likely to happen to most of us, so we get 'great comfort from our impressive locks.'  And there is value in this comfort, illusion or not.

[LAman]

Sounds good, but unfortunately these types of policies can be completely worthless in practice.
 
 
 

The analogy is with door locks.  Many people go to extreme lengths to install the strongest looking lock, multiple locks, etc.  But in actuality, a person can take a hand drill to make a pilot hole in the thinnest wood area of your front door, then use a pointed saw to get going, and soon have entry while leaving your magnificent locks in place.  Also, the door moldings can be removed, a few nails cut through, and then the door removed with the locks firmly in place.

But this scenario is not likely to happen to most of us, so we get 'great comfort from our impressive locks.'  And there is value in this comfort, illusion or not.

Geez ML...just brake a window and get in quickly.....no muss no fuss.....who needs a drill, saw ,cut nails, remove molding or door, ect.
 
BTW..I do agree with you in regard to travel insurance....best use is just the POM....

[The Natural]

The importance of having travel insurance cannot be overstated! There are cases of people who travel and are not insured are made debt slaves for life because they need hospitalization. I've only needed it once and that was in the USA in 1996 when I stepped on a nail. It was only for a little over a hundred bucks, but was paid for by my insurer.


Nowadays I have a travel insurance along with the other insurances I have which is annually. So I pay somewhat over 200 dollars for the insurance and I keep the insurance card in my wallet with the info and phone number on it. I case something happens, I have showed my girl the card to give to the health provider. I naturally hope that will never be necessary.

[BC]

check with your credit card issuer and auto club membership.

Some provide travel medical insurance.

[Anotherkiwi]

...Even in the best of situations, the medical providers will never accept these policies for payment.  They will insist on cash payments, and then you will be left to try for reimbursement from the issuer.  The issuer will likely never accept any of the documents you provide from the foreign country, always insisting that they need something additional and, of course, translated, notarized, reviewed and authenticated by a local doctor (at your cost), etc.

Has this happened to you?  Admittedly I haven't needed the medical side, but on my last trip to China and Russia I had two separate claims (theft of a phone in China, lost wallet in Odessa) that my insurer paid out without any proof of loss other than my written statement.  They did ask if I had a police report from Odessa, but when I explained that the advice I had received from my apartment manager was basically "don't go near the cops" there was no problem.
 

In the end, you will simply give up; except of course where there are tens of thousands of dollars involved.  Then you will not give up until your legal costs in trying to recover begin to approach the amount you are trying to recover.

The main advantage is as you stated: "a comfort to know that it was available."
The comfort is an illusion, but still it makes us  feel good for the duration and, in most cases, we never have the ill fortune to discover the truth.

The comfort was no illusion.  Again, practice obviously differs between our countries, but it's been a long time since I can recall a story here about a customer going through the hoops to which you refer above.  My payment WAS delayed, but mainly because the original note-taker when I rang up had mixed up a couple of details.
 
We do also have the advantage of accident compensation (as I posted in another thread a few days ago).  Provided you're a New Zealand citizen or resident, and have spent at least 180 days here in the last year, then you will automatically be paid out if you have a genuine personal injury.

[mc3]

It all sounds like good sound advise better to be safe than sorry!!
Thanks guys

[ML]

Has this happened to you?

I have given much advice here; and I often get this question about 'has this  happened to you.'

Not to sound arrogant, but my 'data base' is much, much, much larger than probably 95 percent of the people here.  The things I report do not have to have 'happened to me.'

I have worked in consulting for close to 40 years, sometimes as an independent and sometimes for worldwide firms employing over a thousand consultants who roam the world encountering more situations than you could ever imagine.  These firms gather all the stories reported by the consultants and put in data bases that can be accessed by all others.

An easily frightened person could read these data bases and be afraid to ever leave home.  More hardened persons read, reflect, take all precautions possible, etc., etc., . . . but in the end, we are fully aware that there are no guarantees and that things such as travel insurance provide mostly just peace of mind.  Not to say they don't ever pay off; but many times they do not.

Similarly, I have told of the pitfalls of using debit cards at ATMs in FSU and some  other countries.  Persons here have poo pooed all I wrote saying it has never happened to them nor to friends they know.

But I seriously doubt that 95% of the people here have read the stories of close to 6,000 business consultants who report their experiences back to home bases.

[Anotherkiwi]

I have given much advice here; and I often get this question about 'has this  happened to you.'

Not to sound arrogant, but my 'data base' is much, much, much larger than probably 95 percent of the people here.  The things I report do not have to have 'happened to me.'

I have worked in consulting for close to 40 years, sometimes as an independent and sometimes for worldwide firms employing over a thousand consultants who roam the world encountering more situations than you could ever imagine.  These firms gather all the stories reported by the consultants and put in data bases that can be accessed by all others.

Thanks ML.  I know that you're a very experienced traveller, but this is the first time that I've seen you give this sort of detail - it's very interesting.

[BillyB]

Next question Do i have to have health insurance and show proof of it
to enter Ukraine And will my medical insurance i have thru my work
be good enough  ? Or do i need to buy like travel insurance?

You do not need to purchase health insurance nor show proof of it. If you easily get sick and are on the edge of dying, take a postage paid, self addressed body bag with you so the authorities will know where to mail you back home.
 
Options if you don't have or buy health insurance. Keep the American consulate's phone number with you. If you get extremely ill or victim of violence, they can help. For a little more than the price of health insurance, you could probably pay a Ukrainian doctor to take care of your needs. It's cheap over there.

[The Natural]

Not to sound arrogant, but my 'data base' is much, much, much larger than probably 95 percent of the people here.  The things I report do not have to have 'happened to me.'

I have worked in consulting for close to 40 years, sometimes as an independent and sometimes for worldwide firms employing over a thousand consultants who roam the world encountering more situations than you could ever imagine.  These firms gather all the stories reported by the consultants and put in data bases that can be accessed by all others.

An easily frightened person could read these data bases and be afraid to ever leave home.  More hardened persons read, reflect, take all precautions possible, etc., etc., . . . but in the end, we are fully aware that there are no guarantees and that things such as travel insurance provide mostly just peace of mind.  Not to say they don't ever pay off; but many times they do not.

Similarly, I have told of the pitfalls of using debit cards at ATMs in FSU and some  other countries.  Persons here have poo pooed all I wrote saying it has never happened to them nor to friends they know.

But I seriously doubt that 95% of the people here have read the stories of close to 6,000 business consultants who report their experiences back to home bases.

As is often the case on this site, it seems The US vs Europe and Australia/New Zealand operate under totally different contingencies. Sure, there are no guarantees of a totally safe solution in life, purchased or not, but in this case, under normal circumstances, one would have to be a fool to travel to countries where one is not medically covered and not have a private insurance. If someone is keeping a record of anything at all, it would be strange if horror stories doesn't over the years add up. Does that mean you should forget about insurance? NO, I say. Seems to me the rugged individualist mentality of certain Americans that they can and will cope just fine without the help of others, no matter the situation, is somewhat naive.


ML tell me, do you travel without medical insurance?

[Faux Pas]

I have bought travel insurance every trip I've made to Russia. Six to date and bought it for my wife on all of her trips as well as trips we've made together. I'm not exactly sure why other than my initial travel agent told me I needed it. The fact of her commission was only an after thought. I don't know why I bought it then because I am insured to the gills anyway. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that as ML stated, it was for a "peace of mind".

Of all those premiums I paid 15-20, I never had an occasion to file a claim until last year when the wife was returning from Russia. Customs in Houston held her up so long she missed her connecting flight home. My out of pocket expense for that was a little over $600 bucks. I called the travel insurance company for instructions. I followed it to the letter and almost 2 months later I received a check for $150 bucks. Given the cost and the hassle, it is not worth the premium which probably averaged $75 bucks a pop

[Hammer2722]

If your American and and current govt worker or retired military, there is a American clinic in Kiev that services the Embassy staff there. They will also treat American with certain insurance coverage. I know they will accept Tricare insurance there so I keep their address and contact info with me when I am in Ukraine.

[mc3]

WOW lots of different advice I thank each and every one of you for your
input!! I called my insurance provider and i am covered over seas so ill be good
to go... As far as medical goes!!
mc3

[Jumper]

While they may cover you, which is good to find out.
The key is having a form of payment the local emergency staff, or doctors, will accept.

Many local doctors or dentists  in the FSU won't except some insurance information from a US provider,so you'll need to pay at time of treatment.
Then go through the reimbursement dance with your health care provider
when you return home.
It's unrealistic to take the kind of money a true serious medical emergency would need to cover, so the options get complex,and as ML mentioned most are just peace of mind and not effective in practice.

I've raced all over the world, and busted myself up in a long list of  countries.
Sadly the odds are my personal experience in various countries hospitals trumps most anyones,.,lol There certainly is not some cut and dried means of getting things easliy taken care of as far as insurance.


When I was traveling to Ukraine, for vacation, health care wasn't a big concern , I made sure my regular health ins policy covered expenses in other countries ,but i dint expect the local doctors there in the FSU to take my blue cross/ blue shield or Anthum  card either


Its not a big deal,but just be aware.


Also the US consulate will not help you by financial means , if you are in some foreign country without health insurance and need treatment.So certainly no one should count on that.