Obtaining and Legalising Ukrainian Documents for Citizens Living Abroad
We help Ukrainians and former residents of Ukraine obtain documents from Ukraine remotely: duplicate civil registry certificates, certified copies of court decisions, criminal record certificates, and we also add an apostille. You do not travel to Ukraine, and to obtain certificates and court decisions you do not need a notarised power of attorney from a consulate. We send the ready package by courier to any country where delivery is available.
Current as of July 2026.
To find out what is needed in your particular case, contact us. Send a photo of the existing document in a messenger, and we will tell you what is possible.
Who this is for
Ukrainians who have moved abroad need documents from Ukraine constantly, and obtaining them on your own is difficult. Consular queues stretch for months. We take this part on ourselves.
- Citizenship, a residence permit or permanent residence, when certificates with an apostille are required
- A loan or mortgage at a foreign bank that asks for proof of marital status
- Getting married abroad, which often requires a recently issued duplicate certificate
- Inheritance abroad, when certificates or court decisions are needed
- Enrolling a child in a school or kindergarten abroad
- The divorce went through a court, and there is no divorce certificate
- An old-format or laminated document on which an apostille cannot be placed
Which documents we obtain
Civil registry certificates
We obtain duplicates (repeat certificates) in place of lost or damaged documents from the Ukrainian civil registry office (in Ukraine it is DRATsS, formerly RATsS/ZAGS) in any region of Ukraine, regardless of where the record was registered:
- Birth certificate. The most frequently requested document; for this we mainly need the person's details, and having the old certificate on hand is not required.
- Marriage certificate. We obtain a duplicate if the marriage has not been dissolved. After a divorce, a duplicate marriage certificate is not issued, but if needed an extract from the State Register of Civil Status Acts can be obtained, for example to confirm a pre-marriage surname.
- Divorce certificate. We obtain a duplicate if the divorce was registered by the civil registry office (RATsS/DRATsS). If the marriage was dissolved by a court after 27 July 2010, the document confirming the divorce is the court decision that has entered into legal force.
- Name-change certificate. Needed when the surname or given name in older documents does not match the current one.
- Death certificate. We obtain it for relatives, provided there are documents confirming the family relationship.
A repeat certificate (duplicate) has the same legal force as the original. Often the issue is solved not by an apostille on the old document, but by obtaining a new duplicate, if the old one is not accepted abroad.
Court decisions
We obtain certified copies of court decisions on divorce, recovery of child support, division of property, adoption, establishment of facts and in other cases, for clients who were parties to the proceedings or are entitled to a copy. In Kyiv we work promptly. In other cities in territory controlled by Ukraine we obtain them on an individual request. This is exactly the work that translation bureaus do not do: they do not provide court representation, whereas we act as attorneys under an engagement agreement and a warrant.
Complex cases
Lost or damaged civil-status records, documents from territories temporarily occupied by russia where the record or archives are unavailable, establishment of legal facts through a court, inheritance document sets. We handle such matters separately: first we analyse the situation and the evidence, then agree the cost and timing after a consultation.
Divorce through a court: there is no certificate, there is a court decision
If the divorce took place after 27 July 2010 through a court, the civil registry office does not issue a divorce certificate. The only document confirming the divorce is the court decision. For use abroad you need a properly certified copy of that decision, and an attorney can obtain it. If the divorce was before 27 July 2010 and was registered by the civil registry office, we obtain a repeat certificate.
Apostille and translation
We add an apostille under the current rules to a birth certificate, marriage certificate, court decision, criminal record certificate and other official documents. Before ordering we help determine the sequence of steps: whether your document is suitable for an apostille, whether a new-format duplicate is needed first, whether an apostille is enough, and whether a translation is required.
Not every document can be apostilled. Sometimes a new-format duplicate has to be obtained first. We check this before the order so that you do not submit a document that will not be accepted.
We do notarised translations in Ukraine. Before ordering a translation, I advise checking with the receiving authority whether it will accept a Ukrainian notarised translation, or whether the translation is better done locally once the document arrives in Ukrainian. This way you do not pay for a translation twice.
Criminal record certificate
We obtain a criminal record certificate (a certificate of no criminal record, in Ukraine formally an "extract on criminal record") for submission abroad: to foreign authorities, for a visa, employment, marriage or acquiring citizenship. If required, we add an apostille straight away so the document is accepted by a foreign authority. All remotely, without your visit to Ukraine.
The timing and cost depend on whether an apostille is needed and how urgent it is, see the table below. What exactly to send for the order is described in the FAQ section.
For which countries documents are most often needed
Most often clients come to us from Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. The requirements depend not only on the country but on the specific authority the document goes to: a migration service, a bank, a court, a university or a marriage registry. So check with your authority which document and which form of legalisation are needed, and we will obtain it in Ukraine and prepare it for those requirements. Country lists by legalisation requirements: list of countries that require an apostille and countries for which an apostille is not required.
Cost
Main services
| Service | Cost | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Duplicate civil registry certificate (any region) | €45 | 2-5 business days |
| Certified copy of a court decision (Kyiv) | €70 | usually 1-3 business days, some courts longer |
| Certified copy of a court decision (other cities) | €100 / on request | individually |
| Apostille on a document (turnkey) | €45, official fee included | by arrangement |
| Restoration of a civil-status record through a court | on request | on request |
Certificates and additional services
| Service | Cost | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal record certificate, urgent, without apostille | €60 | 3-4 business days |
| Criminal record certificate, standard, without apostille | €30 | 10-12 business days |
| Criminal record certificate, urgent, with apostille | €75 | 8-9 business days |
| Criminal record certificate, standard, with apostille | €45 | 15-17 business days |
| Notarised translation of a passport (for foreign nationals) | €20 | by arrangement |
Obtaining documents without a notarised power of attorney (applies to certificates and court decisions): +€45.
International delivery (Nova Poshta Global, DHL) is charged separately at the carrier's rate.
Occasionally a civil-status record contains an error that needs correcting. This is additional time and cost, agreed separately after checking the record.
What to send to start
So that we can assess your case, send us in a messenger:
- a photo or scan of the document you need to obtain or legalise, if you have it
- a scan of your passport and Ukrainian tax ID number
- the country where the document will be submitted
After reviewing it we will tell you which document is needed, whether an apostille or translation is required, and the cost. The passport and tax ID are needed to conclude the engagement agreement and start the work. We keep client data confidential under attorney-client privilege.
Send your documents in a messenger and find out the cost.
How we work
- Enquiry. You describe the situation, we assess what is possible and what is needed for it.
- Authority to act. You choose the convenient option. If you already have a notarised power of attorney, we work under it. If having a power of attorney certified by a local notary or the Ukrainian consulate is inconvenient or costly, instead we sign an engagement agreement: we prepare it, you sign it and return a scan.
- Obtaining. We obtain the document from the civil registry office or the court.
- Legalisation. If needed, we add an apostille and make a translation.
- Delivery. We send the ready package by courier (Nova Poshta Global, DHL) to your country.
To order a document or get a quote for your particular case, contact us. Tell us the destination country and send a photo of the document, and we will tell you what needs to be done and how much it costs.
Why a law firm and not a translation bureau
Many translation bureaus place an apostille today. But they cannot obtain a repeat certificate from the civil registry or a copy of a court decision, because that requires an attorney. We have worked since 1992, we observe attorney-client privilege, we approach the civil registry office on the basis of attorney powers and we represent the client in court. We do not just place a stamp: we take on all the work in Ukraine, explain which document your situation actually needs, obtain what is unavailable to bureaus, and handle complex cases where the question is not the stamp but access to the document.
Frequently asked questions
The divorce was through a court, I live in Germany, I am applying for citizenship, and the document is not accepted. Why?
Most often the reason is how the copy of the court decision is prepared. Foreign authorities pay attention to the note that the decision has entered into legal force and to the correctness of the copy's certification. If that is missing or done incorrectly, the document is returned. We prepare the copy of the decision with these requirements in mind.
Do I need a power of attorney to obtain a document?
We can obtain documents without your notarised power of attorney, under an engagement agreement. This is convenient if you are abroad and cannot arrange a power of attorney. This service costs €45 more.
Which documents are needed to order a repeat certificate?
For Ukrainian citizens: a scan of the internal passport, the Ukrainian tax ID number and the registered place of residence, and preferably a scan of the document to be obtained. If the document is for close relatives, you additionally send documents confirming the family ties. We clarify the remaining details when ordering.
What is needed for a criminal record certificate?
A good-quality scan of the passport with the registered address. For an ID card it is a scan of both sides and a registry extract on the registered address. The Ukrainian tax ID number is also needed. If you changed your surname or given name, documents with the previous details are needed. When ordering, the purpose of the certificate is stated, for example for submission to a foreign authority, a visa, employment or citizenship. We will help word it correctly.
I am a foreign national who previously lived in Ukraine. Can you obtain documents for me?
Yes. For foreign nationals a notarised translation of the passport is additionally required (€20). If you have a Ukrainian tax number, a registered address or a residence permit, you send those documents too, so the translation is correct.
Can an apostille be placed on a Soviet-era certificate?
An apostille is generally not placed directly on a document issued in Soviet times. First we check the civil-status record and obtain a duplicate on a current Ukrainian form, after which the document can be submitted for an apostille.
The document is laminated. Can an apostille be placed on it?
A laminated original is usually not accepted for an apostille. In that case we first obtain a repeat certificate and then submit the new document for an apostille.
Do you meet the stated deadlines?
In most cases yes. But please take two things into account. For duplicate certificates there are sometimes delays if the civil-status record contains an error that has to be corrected. In addition, we work in a country where a war is going on: during air-raid alerts government offices suspend reception, and this happens for several hours a day. We do everything to meet the deadlines and would be grateful for your understanding: you are abroad, and we are handling your matter during a war.
Need to obtain a document from Ukraine?
Tell us which document you need and in which country it will be submitted, and send a photo of what you have. We will check whether a duplicate, an apostille or a translation is needed, and tell you the cost before we start.
Contact Yurinkom to order your document.
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Page author: attorney Igor Balaban