Ukrainian Citizenship by Naturalization
Full support with obtaining Ukrainian citizenship through marriage, residence permit, or other grounds — from document preparation to the Presidential Decree
Звернулися до компанії ЮСТІКОМ із досить складного питання. Юристи фірми спрацювали дуже чітко і одразу дали повний алгоритм дій щодо отримання документів. Зрештою задане питання вирішилося позитивно та у встановлені терміни. Дякуємо за дуже уважний підхід спеціаліста з роботи з клієнтами Лучко Оксану, юристів Денисюк Тетяну та Дениса Джур....
Допомогу, яку мені надала команда - від розуміння ситуації до оформлення рахунку до самої консультації була безцінна. Настільки легко, швидко, зручно. А ще дуже приємно, що юрист Анна була максимально підготовлена у питанні і дала надзвичайно практичні рекомендації стосовно моєї специфічної ситуації. А ще просто безцінне ставлення до клієнта. Я буду зве...
Дякую, Наталії Вєнковій за фахову консультацію , роз'яснення ситуації та за людяність і моральну підтримку яка є дуже важливою в наш час ! Рекомендую як фахівця і сама надалі буду користуватись її послугами ) Ще раз дякую !...
Ein sehr guter Service! Wurde immer benachrichtigt wenn ein Sache erledigt wurde. Die Menschen haben sich immer Zeit genommen und waren immer hilfsbereit. Wenn ich noch ein mal Dokumente aus der Ukraine brauche dann werde ich mich auf jeden Fall noch mal an die Firma wenden. Besonderen Dank an Denys und Oksana 🩷🙏
Дякую фахівцю Лучко Оксані, за окреслені реальні перспективи з міграції. Зекономило мені багато часу та зусиль
Recommendations from corporate clients
Admission to Ukrainian Citizenship: Overview
1) The right to apply for Ukrainian citizenship by admission belongs, among others, to:
- foreign nationals and stateless persons married to a Ukrainian citizen for more than 3 years who have obtained a permanent residence permit;
- foreign nationals and stateless persons residing in Ukraine with a permanent residence permit for more than 5 consecutive years;
- foreign nationals serving or who have served under contract in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Special Communications Service, or the National Guard of Ukraine;
- persons granted refugee status or asylum in Ukraine — after 3 years of residence;
- persons with outstanding merits to Ukraine or whose admission is in the state interest.
2) As of January 16, 2026, admission to citizenship requires passing three mandatory exams: fundamentals of the Constitution of Ukraine, history of Ukraine, and the state language. The procedure is established by the Cabinet of Ministers.
Persons with visual, hearing, or speech disabilities, as well as persons with certain mental disorders, are exempt from the exams.
3) Renunciation of all existing citizenships within 2 years is a mandatory condition for obtaining a Ukrainian passport.
Exception: citizens of Canada, Germany, Poland, the USA, and the Czech Republic may retain their citizenship alongside Ukrainian citizenship.
Cost of Obtaining Ukrainian Citizenship
- Legal analysis
- Document preparation
- Obtaining a copy of the immigration permit
- Coordination of documents with the Migration Service
- Document submission and process monitoring
- Obtaining the decree, certificate of registration as a Ukrainian citizen and/or temporary identity document of a Ukrainian citizen
- UAH 51900
- State fee
- UAH 300
- Notarized translation of documents into Ukrainian
- from UAH 600 — depending on volume and language
- Power of attorney for company lawyers
- UAH 1200
- Address search for citizenship registration in Kyiv
- price calculated individually after consultation
Admission to Ukrainian Citizenship in Detail
What are the grounds for applying for admission to citizenship?
Glossary:
- PRP (permanent residence permit) — permanent residence permit in Ukraine (indefinite);
- TRP (temporary residence permit) — temporary residence permit in Ukraine (for a fixed term);
- Continuous residence — absence from Ukraine of no more than 90 days at a time and no more than 180 days per year;
- Immigration permit — the basis for obtaining a permanent residence permit;
- Overseas Ukrainian — a foreign national or stateless person of Ukrainian origin holding the relevant certificate;
- Exams — fundamentals of the Constitution of Ukraine, history of Ukraine, state language. Persons with visual, hearing, or speech disabilities and persons with certain mental disorders are exempt.
| Category | Residence in Ukraine | Immigration permit | Exams | Sources of income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marriage to a Ukrainian citizen for more than 3 years | PRP | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Overseas Ukrainian | 1 year with PRP | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Refugees and persons with asylum | 3 years | — | ✓ | — |
| Stateless persons | 3 years | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine | 3 years or 1 year during martial law | — | Commitment to pass within 2 years | ✓ |
| Military personnel of the AFU awarded a state decoration | — | — | Commitment to pass within 2 years | — |
| Persons with outstanding merits / state interest | — | — | Commitment to pass within 2 years | — |
| Holders of TRP under Part 20 of Art. 4 | — | — | Commitment to pass within 2 years | — |
| Holders of TRP under Part 24 of Art. 4 | 3 years with TRP | — | Commitment to pass within 2 years | — |
| Other foreign nationals | 5 years with PRP | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Are exams required to obtain citizenship?
As of January 16, 2026, persons acquiring Ukrainian citizenship by admission are required to pass three exams:
- Fundamentals of the Constitution of Ukraine — assessment of basic knowledge of the constitutional order, rights and freedoms of citizens;
- History of Ukraine — knowledge of key events and figures in national history;
- State language — according to the level determined by the National Commission on State Language Standards.
Exempt from exams:
- persons with visual, hearing, or speech disabilities;
- persons with certain mental disorders (list approved by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine);
- legally incapacitated persons.
Instead of passing exams, the following categories submit a commitment to pass them within two years of obtaining citizenship:
- military personnel of the AFU, State Special Communications Service, National Guard (active and awarded state decorations);
- persons with outstanding merits to Ukraine or state interest;
- holders of temporary residence permits (Parts 20 and 24 of Art. 4).
Where to apply for Ukrainian citizenship?
Documents are submitted to any territorial division of the Migration Service. Submission through a power of attorney is not permitted — in person only.
For certain categories not subject to the continuous residence requirement (military personnel, persons with outstanding merits, state interest) — documents may be submitted to a Ukrainian embassy or consulate in the country of residence.
Procedure for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship by admission
- Document preparation from 1 w.d.
- consultations
- signing a power of attorney at a notary
- translations of necessary documents into Ukrainian, their notarization
- formation of a package of documents
- Submission and review of documents at the Migration Service up to 8 months
- coordination of the package of documents with the Migration Service
- a foreigner personally accompanied by a lawyer submits documents to the Migration Service
- monitoring of the citizenship registration process by the Migration Service
- Review by the Presidential Commission and issuance of the Decree 1–3 years
- monitoring of the document review process by the Commission
- submission of the Commission's recommendations to the President of Ukraine
- the President of Ukraine issues a Decree on admission to citizenship
- Obtaining the certificate of registration as a Ukrainian citizen and temporary identity document up to 1 month
- the applicant personally submits the application and receives documents at the Migration Service accompanied by a lawyer.
When is renunciation of foreign citizenship required?
Renunciation of foreign citizenship is a mandatory condition for obtaining a Ukrainian passport. This procedure should only be initiated after the President of Ukraine has signed the Decree on admission to citizenship and the Migration Service has issued the certificate and temporary identity document of a Ukrainian citizen.
2 years are allocated for renunciation of foreign citizenship from the date of the Decree. If a document confirming renunciation of foreign citizenship is not submitted to the Migration Service within this period — Ukrainian citizenship will be annulled. Reapplication after this is not possible.
However, there are exceptions:
- Citizens of Canada, Germany, Poland, the USA, and the Czech Republic may retain their citizenship — renunciation is not required.
- Military personnel of the AFU, persons subjected to politically motivated persecution, holders of temporary residence permits under Parts 20/24, their families, and certain other categories submit a declaration of renunciation of foreign citizenship and recognition of themselves as Ukrainian citizens only instead of the full renunciation procedure.
List of documents for admission to Ukrainian citizenship
1. 2 photographs
2. Applicant's passport
- All pages of the passport must be certified
3. Certificate of no criminal record from the country of citizenship
- The document is valid for 3 months from the date of issue.
- Not required from:
- stateless persons recognised in Ukraine;
- refugees, persons subjected to politically motivated persecution, and their spouses;
- holders of TRP under Parts 20/24 and their spouses and spouses' parents;
- military personnel of the AFU and their spouses and spouses' parents;
- persons with outstanding merits and their spouses.
4. Document confirming completion of exams or commitment to complete them within 2 years
Exempt from exams:
- persons with visual, hearing, or speech disabilities;
- persons with certain mental disorders;
- legally incapacitated persons;
- children.
5. Document confirming lawful sources of income
Not required from:
- refugees and persons with asylum in Ukraine;
- military personnel of the AFU, State Special Communications Service, National Guard (active and discharged on certain grounds);
- persons with outstanding merits or state interest;
- holders of TRP under Parts 20 and 24 of Art. 4.
6. Additional documents depending on the ground for obtaining citizenship
Marriage to a Ukrainian citizen: passport of the Ukrainian citizen spouse; document confirming marriage for more than 3 years; copy of the immigration permit.
- Residence in Ukraine for more than 5 years: document confirming continuous residence in Ukraine; copy of the immigration permit.
- Military personnel of the AFU: military service contract; certificate of service; document confirming residence in Ukraine for 3 years or 1 year during martial law; commitment to pass exams.
- Military personnel of the AFU awarded a state decoration: document confirming the award; military ID; service contract and certificate of service; commitment to pass exams.
- Persons with outstanding merits / state interest: submission addressed to the President of Ukraine from the relevant central executive authority; commitment to pass exams.
- Refugees and persons with asylum: refugee certificate or document confirming asylum in Ukraine; document confirming residence in Ukraine for 3 years from the date of recognition as a refugee or granting of asylum.
- Holders of TRP under Part 20 of Art. 4: temporary residence permit; commitment to pass exams.
- Holders of TRP under Part 24 of Art. 4: temporary residence permit; document confirming residence in Ukraine for 3 years from the date of obtaining the TRP; commitment to pass exams.
What you get
FAQ
Does marriage to a Ukrainian citizen automatically grant the right to citizenship?
How many years does one need to live in Ukraine to obtain citizenship?
Can foreign citizenship be retained after obtaining Ukrainian citizenship?
Can an application for citizenship be refused and on what grounds?
Yes. A person shall not be admitted to citizenship if they:
- have been convicted in Ukraine of a serious or particularly serious crime (until the conviction is expunged or pardoned), taking into account the level of threat to national security;
- have committed an act on the territory of another state recognised under the Criminal Code of Ukraine as a serious or particularly serious crime;
- have created or are creating a threat to the national security of Ukraine through unlawful actions.
Questions and comments