Eligibility quiz
Were you or your parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, child or grandchild born before 24 August 1991 in territory that became Ukrainian territory under Ukraine’s succession law?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
Ukrainian passport
Ukrainian citizens can get a foreign passport and hold up to two at once.
A passport is valid for four years for children under 16 and ten years from age 16.
Live in Ukraine for life
Ukrainian citizens have the right to live in Ukraine and return, even after living abroad permanently.
They cannot be expelled from Ukraine or sent to another country to face its authorities.
Study in Ukraine
Ukrainian citizens can study at all levels.
Free education includes general secondary, vocational, specialist pre-higher and higher education, but publicly funded places are subject to conditions.
Work in Ukraine
Ukrainian citizens can work and choose their occupation, with equal opportunities in professions and in job training and retraining.
Get help abroad
Ukrainian consulates can help protect your rights, give information and practical help, and assist during illness or an emergency.
They can be notified if you are arrested or detained.
If you lose your passport abroad, you can get a return document to travel back to Ukraine.
Vote and run for office
Ukrainian citizens can vote in elections and referendums from age 18, unless a court has found them legally incapable.
Citizens can also be elected and take part in running state affairs.
Use public healthcare
Ukrainian citizens have the right to health protection, medical care and medical insurance.
State and local public health institutions provide free care within the public healthcare system.
Get social support
Citizens can get social protection for disability, loss of a breadwinner, involuntary unemployment or old age if they meet the conditions.
People receiving social services have rights to information, dignity, privacy, a choice of provider and an assessment of their needs.
They can also refuse services where the law allows.
How to apply
Applying at a local officeApplying at a local office
Find your local office
Find a State Migration Service office where you can apply in Ukraine. You must be lawfully present in Ukraine to apply there.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which State Migration Service office in your city accepts Ukraine citizenship by territorial origin applications?”
Download the application form
Download the application for Ukrainian citizenship by territorial origin.
Download the formSearches DuckDuckGo for “Where can I download the Ukraine citizenship by territorial origin application form?”
Fill in the form
Complete and sign the application for Ukrainian citizenship by territorial origin. Prepare two copies.
Get form helpSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I complete the Ukraine citizenship by territorial origin application form?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the State Migration Service office.
See required documentsBook an appointment
Book a visit through the State Migration Service electronic queue and select the office where you will apply.
Book an appointmentSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I book a State Migration Service appointment for Ukraine citizenship by territorial origin?”
Go to your appointment
Go in person and bring your application in two copies, your documents and their copies to the State Migration Service office. There is no fee for this application in Ukraine.
Prepare for your visitSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit an application for Ukraine citizenship by territorial origin at the State Migration Service?”
Wait for the decision
Wait for the State Migration Service to decide your application, and respond if it asks for more information or documents.
See decision detailsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How long does a Ukraine citizenship by territorial origin decision take at the State Migration Service?”
Collect your citizenship certificate
After approval, collect your certificate of registration as a Ukrainian citizen from the State Migration Service office that made the decision. You can then use it to get a Ukrainian passport or temporary citizenship certificate.
Find certificate detailsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I collect my citizenship registration certificate after approval for Ukraine citizenship by territorial origin?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Get your birth certificate and the birth records of your parent, grandparent and Ukrainian great-grandparent, or archive records that show the same family links. Your great-grandparent’s record can also show their qualifying place of birth: a place in what is now Ukraine or another territory listed in Ukraine’s citizenship law, before 24 August 1991. If someone in the family line was adopted, include the adoption decision.
Marriage certificates *
Get the marriage certificates needed to connect the people in your family line. If needed to explain different names or dates, also include divorce, name-change, death or correction records from the offices that hold them.
* Only if marriage or other records are needed to connect family names or details.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationGreat-grandparent’s residence record *
Provide a record showing that your Ukrainian great-grandparent lived permanently, before 24 August 1991, in what is now Ukraine or another territory listed in Ukraine’s citizenship law. If ordinary records do not establish their residence, provide a final court decision establishing it.
* Only if you rely on your great-grandparent’s permanent residence rather than their birth.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationConsiderations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Tax residence
If other tests do not settle where you are a tax resident, Ukrainian citizenship can be a deciding factor.
Ukrainian tax residents are taxed on income from Ukraine and abroad.
Foreign tax may be credited when the law and a treaty allow it and the required evidence is supplied.
Military registration and service
Citizens subject to military registration must register, including when living abroad temporarily or permanently.
Medically fit men who are liable can be called to basic military service from age 18 until 25; women serve voluntarily.
Other duties, including mobilisation, depend on the rules for each group.
Citizenship can be lost
Citizenship can end by giving it up or under an international treaty, but not merely by submitting a request.
In cases set by law, it can be lost for voluntarily acquiring another citizenship, entering another country's military, or obtaining Ukrainian citizenship by deception or false documents.
A formal decision or document is needed.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
Expat Ukraine
Ukrainian Facebook group for people living in Ukraine interested in Ukrainian local life
Join on Facebookr/AnchorLessEurope
English Reddit group for people living in Europe interested in visas
Join on Redditr/europe
English Reddit group for people interested in local life in Europe
Join on RedditConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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