How to Get Ukrainian Citizenship

Ukrainian citizenship is governed by the Law of Ukraine “On Citizenship of Ukraine” No. 2235-III of 18 January 2001. Article 6 lists the grounds for acquiring it. Most foreign applicants use one of four routes: birth to a Ukrainian parent, territorial origin, naturalisation (admission to citizenship) or restoration. Below are the requirements of each route as they stand in the current text of the Law, including the 2025 amendments on multiple citizenship.

Grounds for acquiring Ukrainian citizenship

• by birth;
• by territorial origin;
• admission to citizenship (naturalisation);
• restoration of citizenship;
• adoption;
• guardianship or custody over a child, or placement of a child in a children’s institution or foster family;
• guardianship over a person declared legally incapable by a court;
• citizenship of one or both parents of a child;
• recognition or establishment of paternity or maternity;
• other grounds under international treaties ratified by the Verkhovna Rada.

Citizenship by birth: descent from a Ukrainian parent

A person whose parents, or one parent, were citizens of Ukraine at the moment of the person’s birth is a citizen of Ukraine (Article 7), wherever the person was born. Article 7 also covers some children of foreigners or stateless persons who permanently resided in Ukraine and children of refugees or persons granted asylum in Ukraine; in most of these cases the condition is that the child did not acquire another citizenship at birth.

Citizenship by territorial origin (Ukrainian roots)

Article 8 gives this right to a foreigner or stateless person if they, at least one parent, a grandparent or great-grandparent, a full or half sibling, a child or a grandchild were born or permanently resided before 24 August 1991 on the territory that became Ukraine. The same applies to territories that belonged to the Ukrainian People’s Republic, the West Ukrainian People’s Republic, the Ukrainian State, the Ukrainian SSR, Carpathian Ukraine and the other entities listed in the article. The children of such a person also qualify.

Conditions: recognising and observing the Constitution and laws of Ukraine, and passing exams on the basics of the Constitution, the history of Ukraine and the state language at the level set by the National Commission on State Language Standards. The applicant also files one of the documents on foreign citizenship described below. Citizenship is acquired on the date of the decision of the authorised state body.

Naturalisation: admission to Ukrainian citizenship

Under Article 9, a foreigner or stateless person may be admitted to citizenship on these conditions:

• recognising and observing the Constitution and laws of Ukraine, confirmed in the application;
• knowledge of the basics of the Constitution and the history of Ukraine and command of the state language at the required level; the exam procedure is set by the Cabinet of Ministers;
• continuous residence in Ukraine for the last five years;
• an immigration permit;
• legal sources of income.

The five-year residence condition is waived for a person married to a Ukrainian citizen for more than three years, for a person whose marriage of more than three years ended with the citizen’s death, and for some former contract servicemen of the Armed Forces, the State Special Transport Service and the National Guard. Refugees and persons granted asylum need three years of residence counted from recognition. Holders of the foreign Ukrainian status need one year after receiving an immigration permit, provided they have held the status for at least a year.

Admission is refused to a person convicted in Ukraine of a grave or especially grave crime until the conviction is expunged, to a person who committed abroad an act that the Criminal Code of Ukraine treats as grave or especially grave, and to a person whose unlawful actions threaten the national security of Ukraine. The decision is taken by the President of Ukraine by decree after review by the Commission on Citizenship under the President, and the date of the decree is the date of acquiring citizenship.

Restoration of Ukrainian citizenship

A former citizen who has become stateless is registered as a citizen of Ukraine on application, whether they live in Ukraine or abroad (Article 10). A former citizen who has acquired another citizenship must return to Ukraine for permanent residence and file a commitment to terminate the foreign citizenship and/or a declaration recognising themselves only as a citizen of Ukraine.

Foreign citizenship: declaration or commitment

Together with the application, the applicant files one of four documents (Articles 8 and 9): a declaration recognising oneself as a citizen of Ukraine; a commitment to terminate foreign citizenship; a declaration renouncing foreign citizenship and recognising oneself only as a citizen of Ukraine; or a declaration of having no foreign citizenship. Citizens of states whose nationals acquire Ukrainian citizenship under the simplified procedure file the first declaration. The Cabinet of Ministers sets the list of such states, taking into account EU membership and sanctions over the armed aggression against Ukraine (Article 10-1). Anyone who files a commitment must submit proof of terminating the foreign citizenship within two years of becoming a citizen of Ukraine.

Documents for a citizenship application

The set depends on the route. A typical file includes:

• an application for acquiring, admission to or restoration of Ukrainian citizenship;
• a passport document with a translation into Ukrainian;
• documents proving the ground: birth certificates of the applicant and relatives, a marriage certificate, archive records of residence before 24 August 1991;
• an immigration permit and residence permit, where the route requires them;
• proof of legal sources of income;
• documents on passing the exams, or a commitment to pass them for the categories allowed to file it;
• one of the declarations or the commitment on foreign citizenship.

How we help

• we check which route fits your family history and status;
• we collect and translate documents, including archive requests for the territorial-origin route;
• we prepare the application, declarations and supporting papers;
• we track the review and respond to requests from the migration authority.

If you do not yet have the right to live in Ukraine, start with an immigration permit and permanent residence permit. Foreigners already in Ukraine keep their migration registration valid during the procedure. To review your case, book a consultation with a migration lawyer or leave a request on this page.

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