Acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship

Citizenship of Ukraine can be obtained only if the person has the grounds for this, which are provided for in the Law of Ukraine “On Citizenship of Ukraine”.

Grounds for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship are such as:

• territorial origin
• restoration of Ukrainian citizenship
• acquisition as a result of adoption or by birth

But what to do with persons for whom none of these grounds are suitable, in such a case, according to Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine “On Citizenship of Ukraine”, a foreigner or a stateless person may be admitted to the citizenship of Ukraine at their request.

The procedure is quite complicated and long, since the decision on acceptance of citizenship is taken by the President of Ukraine, such a procedure can last more than two years.

Grounds and requirements for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship

• Recognize and observe constitutional rights and obligations, as well as all legislative norms.
• Availability of a declaration of lack of citizenship of another country or readiness to renounce it if it exists.
• Permanent residence in Ukraine for five years on legal grounds.
• For foreigners who have married a citizen of Ukraine, permanent residence for two years is required.
• Legal stay in the territory of the country for at least three years with the status of a refugee, stateless person or granted asylum in Ukraine.
• Military service as part of the Armed Forces on a contract basis.
• Knowledge of the state language.
• Availability of livelihood in the amount of at least 12 minimum wages.
• Amendments to the Laws of Ukraine

Also, recently the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi signed the Law No. 7606 “On Amendments to the Laws of Ukraine “On the Citizenship of Ukraine” and “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language” Regarding the Conditions of Acceptance to the Citizenship of Ukraine”, which provides for new rules for acquiring citizenship.

According to the document, now in order to obtain Ukrainian citizenship, it will be necessary to pass exams on knowledge of the Ukrainian language, history and the Constitution.

Foreigners or stateless persons who have outstanding merits for Ukraine, whose admission to Ukrainian citizenship is in the state interest, or who, in accordance with the procedure established by law, perform military service under a contract in the Armed Forces, the State Special Service of Transport or the National Guard of Ukraine, persons who received a temporary permit residence, within two years from the moment of acquiring citizenship, they must pass the relevant exams and submit documents about their passing.

Non-fulfillment of the obligation to pass exams on the basics of the Constitution of Ukraine, the history of Ukraine, and the level of proficiency in the state language by these categories of persons is grounds for loss of Ukrainian citizenship.

Exams must be held in accordance with the procedure established by the Cabinet of Ministers.

The procedure for obtaining citizenship is quite complicated, and we do not recommend starting the process on your own without the help of a qualified lawyer, therefore, if you wish to obtain Ukrainian citizenship, the immigration lawyers of the Intermarium law firm will help you fill out and collect the necessary list of documents based on the individual situation of each client, submit them to state authorities and go through the entire procedure strictly on time and without refusals.