**An Australian citizen travelling on an ordinary Australian passport currently needs no visa for a short tourist visit or transit through Ukraine.** You may stay for **up to 90 days in any 180-day period**. This exemption took effect on **1 August 2020**, so older accounts describing visa applications are outdated. See [Ukraine’s presidential decree](https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/289/2020) and [Australia’s current travel advice](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/ukraine).

For your proposed trip:

| Question | Current answer |
|---|---|
| Can I get a visa on arrival? | You do not need one; you enter under the visa exemption. |
| Must I apply in Australia or Romania? | Neither: there is no visa application for this short visit. |
| How much does it cost? | There is no visa fee. |
| Single or multiple entry? | You can leave and re-enter, provided your **total stay** remains within 90 days in any 180 days. Leaving does not reset the allowance. |
| Do I need an invitation? | No invitation is required for a visa application, because no application is needed. |
| Must I submit an itinerary? | No visa itinerary needs to be submitted. Border officers can still ask about your purpose, accommodation, onward plans and means of support. |
| Should I obtain a transit visa instead? | No. The exemption covers transit as well as short visits, so uncertain hitch-hiking times do not require choosing between transit and tourist visas. |

The visa exemption and its duration are confirmed by [Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry](https://mfa.gov.ua/en/consular-affairs/entry-and-stay-foreigners-ukraine/entry-regime-ukraine-foreign-citizens). General border requirements, including evidence of sufficient funds, are described in the [UK government’s entry guidance](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ukraine/entry-requirements).

**On your bounty question specifically:** if you needed a visa for some other purpose, Ukraine does allow applications at its embassies and consulates abroad; it does not impose a universal requirement to apply in your country of citizenship. However, its Foreign Ministry warns that an embassy in a third country **may require a temporary or permanent residence document**. Consequently, being an Australian tourist in Romania does not by itself establish that your application would be accepted. I could not verify an alternative visa-issuing location outside Bucharest or a Romanian exception for visiting tourists. See the [official application guidance](https://mfa.gov.ua/en/consular-affairs/entry-and-stay-foreigners-ukraine/visa-information).

Finally, the visa rules do not establish that your intended ferry is operating. Confirm the Ukraine–Georgia sailing directly with the operator before relying on it. For travel now, Australia’s advice is **“Do not travel” to Ukraine** because of the ongoing war. [Smartraveller](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/ukraine)