Guide to Ukraine helpful information for foreign visitors www.softheme.com

Table of Contents General information Time zone Public holidays Political system Banking system Education in Ukraine IT outsourcing Visas and customs www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors General information Arriving in Kiev Top hotels Public transport Restaurants Sightseeing Mailing and calling Car rental Foreign embassies Ukraine: Kiev, the capital:

Ukraine: General information www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors 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

Ukraine: Time zone www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors 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

Ukraine: Public holidays www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors January 1 – New Year’s Day January 7 – Orthodox Christmas Day March 8 – International Women’s 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 Calendar 2010: Public Holidays in Ukraine * In red – public holidays and the days off transferred to Mondays or Tuesdays. Ukraine’s public holidays in 2010:

Ukraine: Political system www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors 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 Party of Regions Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and

Ukraine: Banking system www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors The Ukrainian 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)

Ukraine: Education www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors 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

Ukraine: IT outsourcing www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors 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

Ukraine: Visas and customs www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors 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: 1 liter of hard alcohol 2 liters of wine 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco food products valued no more than €50 goods valued less than €200

Kiev: General information www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors 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)

Kiev: Arriving in Kiev www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors 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)

Kiev: Arriving in Kiev www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors 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

Kiev: Top hotels www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors On arriving to Kiev you will need a place to stay. Check some of Kiev’s best hotels: Service level: 5* Price (single/day): €278-325 Phone: (+30 44) 537 4501 E-mail: reservation@premier-palace.com URL: www.premier-palace.com 2. Radisson SAS Service level: 4* Price (single/day): €360 Phone: (+30 44) 492 2200 E-mail: reservations.kiev@radissonsas.com URL: www.kiev.radissonsas.com 1. Premier Palace

Kiev: Top hotels www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors Service level: 4* Price (single/day): €214-263 Phone: (+30 44) 581 2828 E-mail: reservation@rivierahotel.com.ua URL: www.rivierahotel.com.ua 4. Khreschatyk Hotel Service level: 3* Price (single/day): €76-80 Phone: (+30 44) 229 7193 E-mail: reservation@khreschatik.kiev.ua URL: www.khreschatik.kiev.ua 3. Riviera Hotel

Kiev: Public transport www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors 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

Kiev: Public transport www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors 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

Kiev: Restaurants www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors Restaurants in Kiev offer cuisines nearly from all corners of the world: Japanese sushi Italian pizza Mexican Chili Diablo Caucasian shashliks Rewarding waiters in Kiev’s 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 German schnitzels Russian pelmeni Ukrainian varenyky and more… Most of Kiev’s eating places will offer prices lower than in other European cities

Kiev: Sightseeing www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors Kiev belongs to one of the most spectacular sightseeing places in Europe 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 city’s famous Andriivskyi Uzviz offers a wide selection of beautiful reminders of Kiev Take your time to see Kiev’s famous:

Kiev: Mailing and calling www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors Mail and phone services in Ukraine are lower in cost than those in Europe located in the very city center all types of mail – letters, packages, faxes, telegrams rich selection of postcards and stationary 24-hour Internet café Mobile phones Post and Internet – Kiev Central Post Office most popular means of phone connection in Ukraine (cheapness and reliability) main mobile service operators in Ukraine (country-wide presence, roaming service): Beeline life:) MTS KyivStar

Kiev: Car rental www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors 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 Kiev offers a wide selection of car rental agencies. Some of them: Europcar Hertz SIXT Car rentals usually request the renter to have driving license and passport valid in Ukraine www.europcar.ua www.hertz.ua www.sixt.ua

Kiev: Foreign embassies www.softheme.com Outsourcing to Softheme™ Guide to Ukraine: helpful information for foreign visitors 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

Thank you! 2010 | Softheme Team | Kyiv, Ukraine | Software Outsourcing Solutions www.softheme.com » Outsourcing to Softheme™ Questions? → info@softheme.com For more information about Ukraine, visit www.software-outsourcing-ukraine.com