Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) re-issued its Ukraine travel advisory on 8 May, maintaining the highest ‘Do Not Travel’ warning and reminding Australians that the embassy in Kyiv remains at minimal staffing. The update cites intensified drone strikes on energy infrastructure and a heightened risk of missile attacks on major cities, including Odesa and Lviv, areas previously regarded as relatively safer. DFAT warns that security conditions could deteriorate with little notice and that evacuation routes may become unavailable. Commercial airlines continue to avoid Ukrainian airspace, and overland crossings into Poland and Romania are experiencing periodic closures.
![Smartraveller renews ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory for Ukraine amid escalating attacks]()
Amid the uncertainty, VisaHQ can assist travellers and companies by expediting visa arrangements for neighbouring countries such as Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. Its online portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) offers real-time entry requirements, document reviews and concierge services, helping Australians adapt quickly when border rules shift or evacuation routes change.
For Australian companies with expatriate staff in neighbouring EU states, the advisory reinforces the need for robust regional evacuation plans and for checking that business-travel insurance covers acts of war. Relocation managers moving personnel to or from Poland, Slovakia or Hungary should monitor any spill-over disruption at land borders, which were jammed for up to 18 hours during the last Russian missile wave in March. Consular officials stress that assistance is severely limited and that dual nationals may be subject to military call-up if they enter Ukraine. Travellers continuing to Russia, Belarus or Moldova face additional visa-processing scrutiny on re-entry to Australia under the Autonomous Sanctions Regulations.
Amid the uncertainty, VisaHQ can assist travellers and companies by expediting visa arrangements for neighbouring countries such as Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. Its online portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) offers real-time entry requirements, document reviews and concierge services, helping Australians adapt quickly when border rules shift or evacuation routes change.
For Australian companies with expatriate staff in neighbouring EU states, the advisory reinforces the need for robust regional evacuation plans and for checking that business-travel insurance covers acts of war. Relocation managers moving personnel to or from Poland, Slovakia or Hungary should monitor any spill-over disruption at land borders, which were jammed for up to 18 hours during the last Russian missile wave in March. Consular officials stress that assistance is severely limited and that dual nationals may be subject to military call-up if they enter Ukraine. Travellers continuing to Russia, Belarus or Moldova face additional visa-processing scrutiny on re-entry to Australia under the Autonomous Sanctions Regulations.
