Вдом‪а‬ 4+

This app is either the worst conceived app in history or a brilliant scheme to weed out would-be travelers. The app claims to be for the purpose of enabling foreign travelers to enter Ukraine. The problem is you have to have a phone with a Ukrainian phone number and SIM card in order to use the app. Furthermore, you have to actually be able to read Ukrainian in order to use the app - something probably 1% of foreign visitors can do.

In order to use this app, the foreigner must buy a smart Ukrainian burner phone. Then that traveler will need to figure out how to translate the app well enough to use it, which is even more difficult given that you can’t copy text from the app to paste into a separate translator app.

In short, this app is the worst app I’ve ever come across, given its intended purpose. Hopefully it’s only this horrible because it’s new and Ukraine will make it better in the future. For now it’s basically unusable, which is really unfortunate for those of us who already purchased plane tickets...

I want to add my own experience to help English-speakers who have issues with testing and quarantining using the Дй Вдома app.

First, you definitely need to enter a Ukrainian phone number to use the app. If you have a Ukrainian friend who can provide theirs, it’s very helpful. I’m not sure what happens if you don’t; you’ll probably need a local SIM card.

Second, it’s IMPERATIVE that the number you use for the app is the SAME number you provide your testing lab. The lab employees probably won’t ask which one to give them. Otherwise, you’ll end up in my situation, where I had to repeatedly contact many app support representatives AND the testing laboratory to get the correct phone number entered into the system. After 18 hours from receiving my negative results and all the hassle from contacting representatives (who hopefully spoke English), I finally got released from my self-quarantine through the app.

Lastly, the app is an enforcement tool; it’s not designed to encourage visitors. It seems its only purpose is to try to charge fines by randomly requesting you to submit geo-located photos within a 15 minute timeframe. I received these requests, despite my negative PCR test results and while as I was busy contacting all the parties I mentioned. So be aware of the app’s “intended” purpose.

I hope this can help. Good luck, because in Ukraine, you always need as much as you can get!

This app and the accompanying process can only be explained as a purpose designed system intended to make visitors regret their decision to visit Ukraine by tricking them into house arrest and constant risk of legal troubles in a foreign country with no recourse or ability to contact a human being to resolve issues. Official statements from government agents, verbiage within the app itself, and verbiage on the government websites regarding how it will function are inconsistent and none of them are accurate.