Obtaining Ukrainian citizenship

In order to obtain Ukrainian citizenship, a foreigner must submit an application, declare the absence of foreign citizenship, be fluent in the Ukrainian language, reside continuously on the territory of Ukraine for more than 5 years (2 years if married to a Ukrainian citizen), have an immigration permit and a source of funds for subsistence.

Persons sentenced to imprisonment for committing crimes in Ukraine and serious crimes in the territories of other countries, as well as persons accused of genocide and other crimes against humanity, cannot obtain Ukrainian citizenship.

Obtaining Ukrainian citizenship takes on average up to 1 year. But for persons who have direct relatives who are citizens of Ukraine or who were previously citizens, an accelerated procedure applies lasting 1 month.

The necessary documents for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship , together with the application, are submitted to the migration service. The list of documents depends on the grounds for obtaining citizenship.

Granting Ukrainian citizenship is a labor-intensive process that consumes time and effort. To obtain citizenship, you need to correctly complete the application and collect the full list of documents issued by various authorities. By contacting our company, you will receive qualified consultation on all matters related to obtaining citizenship. Our staff will help you determine the appropriate grounds to acquire citizenship in Ukraine, and will also help prepare the full package of corresponding documents.

Obtaining Ukrainian citizenship through relatives

In most countries of the world, obtaining citizenship is possible through family ties with citizens who were born or reside on the territory of the country. Many people are interested in how this can be done and obtain resident status in Ukraine through this process.

Obtaining Ukrainian citizenship through family ties implies the procedure for acquiring Ukrainian citizenship by territorial origin. It provides a person’s right to obtain Ukrainian citizenship due to the presence of relatives who were born or resided on the territory of Ukraine or a territory that became the territory of Ukraine before August 24, 1991.

The exact definition of the territory is contained in Article 8 of the Law of Ukraine on Citizenship of Ukraine, and can be found at the link zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2235-14.

According to Article 8 of the Law of Ukraine on Citizenship of Ukraine, relatives for the purposes of the right of territorial origin are one of the parents, grandfather or grandmother, full or half brother or sister, son or daughter, grandson or granddaughter.

To undergo the procedure, a foreigner has the right to submit the relevant documents:

• at the place of their legal residence,
• for citizens living abroad – at the embassy at the place of permanent residence,
• for citizens residing in Ukraine – to the Main Directorate of the Territorial Body of the State Migration Service at the place of registration.

Please note that the submission of the specified documents is carried out in person; in exceptional cases (illness) a notarized application may be sent by mail or through another person.

You need to prepare a certain package of documents, first of all documents confirming kinship with close relatives, as well as evidence of their birth or residence on the specified territories.

1. Application for acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship based on territorial origin.
2. Two photographs (size 35 x 45 mm).
3. A document confirming the fact of birth/residence of the applicant’s relatives in the territories specified in part 1 of Article 8 of the Law of Ukraine on Citizenship of Ukraine.
4. A copy of the applicant’s birth certificate or other documents certifying the applicant’s kinship with relatives who were born/resided in the territories specified in part 1 of Article 8 of the Law of Ukraine on Citizenship of Ukraine.
5. One of the following documents:

Documents must be legible and in the original. If any documents are missing, it is necessary to obtain duplicates or request documents from various state authorities. Otherwise they will not be accepted for consideration.

After submission of the documents to the appropriate authority, the period for their consideration begins. Importantly, unlike the procedure for obtaining citizenship, which takes up to 1 year, the consideration of documents on these grounds takes only about 3 months.

Next, the person must be registered as a citizen of Ukraine. From this moment the foreigner has 2 years to submit documents confirming renunciation of their current citizenship. There are minor exceptions where confirming documents are not submitted, and the declarative principle of renunciation of citizenship is applied.

Very often everything ends at this point, because most countries are very reluctant to issue documents confirming renunciation of citizenship. For a successful completion of the process, this issue should be addressed long before submitting documents. The most important thing is not to miss the deadlines so as not to start all over again, and if you were in Ukraine during the waiting process, it may also be possible to leave the country to reset the residence periods.

Reason beyond the individual’s control for not obtaining the document on termination of foreign citizenship

Failure to issue to a person who submitted a petition for termination of foreign citizenship the document on termination of citizenship within the time limit established by the legislation of the foreign state (except in cases where the person was refused termination of citizenship), or the absence in the legislation of the foreign state of a procedure for termination of citizenship at the initiative of the person, or the high cost of processing renunciation of foreign citizenship that exceeds the minimum wage established in Ukraine at the time when the person acquired Ukrainian citizenship (Law of Ukraine on Citizenship of Ukraine).

Only after providing these documents will the authorized Ukrainian authorities issue you a Ukrainian passport — for travel abroad if the documents were submitted through a Ukrainian embassy abroad; a Ukrainian passport if the documents were submitted in Ukraine.

Consultation on obtaining citizenship through family ties

The process of obtaining Ukrainian citizenship, as with any country in the world, is not simple. In the case of Ukraine an important element is the availability and correct preparation of the package of documents for obtaining citizenship, and even better — its preliminary review before submission by an immigration lawyer.

A qualified consultation will help you understand the essence of the process, its timelines, requirements and financial aspects.