Obtaining Ukrainian citizenship by territorial origin
Obtaining Ukrainian citizenship by territorial origin
Foreigners and stateless persons may acquire Ukrainian citizenship by territorial origin (Article 8 of the Law of Ukraine "On Citizenship of Ukraine") if they, a parent, grandparent, great-grandparent or sibling were born or permanently resided before 24 August 1991 in the territory that became Ukraine, or in other territories that were formerly part of the UPR, WUPR, Carpatho-Ukraine or the Ukrainian SSR. Their minor children also qualify.
What changed in 2026
Adult applicants take exams on the basics of the Constitution, the history of Ukraine and the state language (with exemptions for legally incapable persons and certain health conditions).
Instead of mandatory renunciation, citizens of countries on the Cabinet's list submit a declaration (see below).
The decision is taken by a regional office of the State Migration Service within 3 months.
Main documents
application and photos;
birth and marriage certificates, archive records proving the ancestors' birth or residence in the territory and the family link to them;
a declaration or undertaking regarding foreign citizenship;
documents issued abroad — apostilled, with a notarised translation.
The hardest part is usually proving the chain of family links: discrepancies in surnames, dates, village names. Copies of civil records and archive certificates can be obtained through lawyer's requests; if documents are missing, the fact is established in court.
Multiple citizenship
Since 16 January 2026, Law of Ukraine No. 4502-IX has been in force. Citizens of countries on the Cabinet of Ministers' list (EU member states, the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Canada, the USA and others) submit a declaration recognising themselves as Ukrainian citizens and do not have to give up their citizenship. Citizens of other countries still submit an undertaking to terminate their foreign citizenship. Acquiring the citizenship of the aggressor state is not allowed.
Foreign documents legalised or apostilled (unless a treaty exempts them) with a notarised translation (para. 5)
3
Submission
At the local SMS office; if you live abroad — at a Ukrainian diplomatic mission
4
Registration
Decision on registering the citizenship, then a Ukrainian citizen’s document
Required documents
For all grounds
Application in the prescribed form
Two photos, 35 × 45 mm
Foreign passport (stateless person’s document) and a copy — with a Ukrainian translation certified by a notary, unless a law or international treaty provides otherwise (para. 5)
Document confirming your stay in Ukraine or abroad, and a copy (para. 5)
Written consent to the SMS obtaining information about you and copies of documents from foreign authorities and international organisations (para. 7)
Documents issued abroad must be legalised (or apostilled) unless a treaty exempts them, with a notarised Ukrainian translation (para. 5). Originals are shown; copies are certified by the SMS officer or consul.
By territorial origin (Art. 8)
One document depending on your citizenship: declaration of no foreign citizenship (stateless), undertaking to give up foreign citizenship, application to change citizenship, declaration recognising yourself as a Ukrainian citizen (citizens of states on the CMU list) or declaration renouncing foreign citizenship (specified categories)
State certificate of Ukrainian language proficiency and proof of passing the exam on the Constitution and history of Ukraine (or proof of exemption)
Foreigners and stateless persons — a certificate from the competent authority of the country of citizenship (and of permanent residence) on the absence of serious and especially serious crimes (para. 47); valid 3 months if no term is stated; not required from recognised stateless persons, refugees, contract service members and other categories in para. 47
Eligible: anyone who themselves, or whose parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, full or half sibling, son or daughter, or grandchild was born or permanently resided before 24.08.1991 on territory that became Ukraine (for other historical territories — UNR, ZUNR, Ukrainian SSR etc. — excluding son, daughter and grandchildren), and their children (Art. 8 of the Law, version of 10.05.2026). If your name, date or place of birth changed — add documents confirming it. If there are no documents of birth before 24.08.1991 (for a deceased person), a State Civil Registry extract, a state archive document (for records before 1945) or a court decision is filed; kinship without documents is established by a court (para. 60).
The list is based on the official sources shown; the check compares documents with exactly this list. Depending on the circumstances, the migration authority may ask for additional proof — this is outside the service’s control and the service is not responsible for such a request.
Document preparation support — 90 days
Upload your documents — the system checks them against the official list and shows what to fix. Unlimited re-checks for 90 days.
Price: UAH 400 · 90 days
Ground: By territorial origin (Art. 8)
The button becomes active once you tick the consent box above.
Clarifications — optional
What the check will not assess in your case:
Not stated whether there was a refusal — the report will not conclude that the package addresses its reasons.
Timely filing not checked — you did not say whether your stay has expired.
Not stated whether there is a ban or expulsion decision — no conclusion on whether you can file.
Not stated whether there is a court case or detention — procedural position not considered.
Not stated whether there is a dispute about identity, citizenship or family relations.
What is included and how it works
Not a one-off check but repeat checks for 90 days. Your documents stay in your account, and every run checks the whole package together — so it sees whether data matches across documents and whether fixes introduced new errors.
The list for your exact ground, based on official migration-service sources and law
Each document: validity, translation and certification, all pages, readability
Cross-check between documents: names, dates of birth, numbers — the same everywhere
A green, yellow or red signal and exactly what to fix
Fix — upload — re-check: no limit on the number of checks within 90 days from payment, up to 3 checks per 24 hours
Picked the wrong ground? The system flags it; switch at no extra cost
A “No obvious gaps found” result once every mandatory item passes without remarks (a preliminary automated check, not a guarantee that the documents will be accepted)
How the check works and what you get
You upload documents for each item on the list for your ground (the list is below, with links to official sources).
An AI system reads the documents and compares them with exactly this list: presence, validity dates, complete pages, legibility, translation, matching names, dates and numbers.
You get a report for each document: a green, yellow or red signal, the reason and what exactly to fix. Anything not checked is marked separately.
The check does not establish that documents are authentic, does not certify translations, does not assess your legal situation and does not guarantee that documents will be accepted or that the decision will be positive. It is not a lawyer’s consultation.
This is an automated check against the official list, not legal advice. The final decision is made by the state authority. Check results stay in your account; document files are deleted 30 days after the support period ends (personal data).
The decision rests with the SMS; additional documents may be requested.
A lawyer prepares and sends the request to the authority; the reply appears in your account. ₴4,000 per request; package prices are shown on the package page.
