How to get Ukrainian citizenship by marriage?

Marriage to a Ukrainian citizen gives a foreigner the basis for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship, but with many reservations.

The first thing you should understand is that marriage in Ukraine does not give you an immediate right to citizenship.

To begin with, you have to obtain a residence permit in Ukraine and fulfill a number of other requirements:

• You should live in Ukraine for 2 years without interruption;

• Your marriage at the time of applying for citizenship must also last at least 2 years;

• You must renounce other existing citizenships or make such a promise to the SMS;

• You must obtain an immigration permit and prepare evidence that you are ready to accept Ukrainian citizenship (language skills, sufficient means of subsistence, knowledge of Ukrainian laws, etc.).

Thus, if at the moment you already live in Ukraine for more than two years, being married all this time to a citizen of Ukraine - we can proceed to the procedure of obtaining citizenship, which we have described in more detail here.

If you only intend to get married in Ukraine - your path will begin with obtaining the residence permit. We will help you with the procedure and cover this topic below.

You may also like: Frequently Asked Questions About the Procedure of Obtaining a Residence Permit in Ukraine

Legal advice on obtaining a residence permit in Ukraine by marriage

Each case is unique - we are contacted both by foreigners who have already concluded a marriage, and those who only want to do this, but have many questions regarding further procedural steps:

• Will the place of the marriage affect the procedure for obtaining a residence permit and Ukrainian citizenship? Is it necessary to get married in Ukraine?

• What to do if the period of stay in Ukraine expires, but the marriage has not yet been concluded and the documents for residence permit have not been yet submitted?

• What to do if this period has already passed?

Analyzing each case, our lawyers provide Clients with a consultation as part of the ordered service. At this consultation you will get a legal analysis of your situation and clear recommendations of a lawyer to solve your issue. You will understand how to act depending on your circumstances, and the main thing is that you will get a correctly organized solution to your problem.

You can find the price of our services for obtaining a residence permit in Ukraine on the service page. We have created for you the following packages: Family, Family + and Family Premium, from which you can choose the one that suits you best.

Please note! The price of the service packages includes a preliminary consultation with a migration lawyer.

We can also help if you have no grounds for a residence permit. You can read more about this here.

To begin working with a foreigner, at first the consulting is needed for defining a strategy of actions. For that, it is necessary to specify the following information from the client:

It is also necessary to request from the Client a scanned copy of the following documents, and/or having those documents with him at consulting:

After becoming familiar with the documents and getting all reliable information, one can get down to the following stages:

• getting a type C visa;
• entering the territory of Ukraine on the short-term type C visa;
• registration of marriage with citizen of Ukraine;
• leaving Ukraine:
• getting a type D visa;
• entering the territory of Ukraine;
• personal submission of documents and getting a Residence permit;
• registration of place of residence and getting a document of residence place registration.

You may also like: How to Obtain a Residence Permit in Ukraine for the Whole Family?

Legal services for obtaining a residence permit and citizenship in Ukraine by marriage from our company

Residency through marriage is also called residency for family reunification, and may be obtained if you are married to a Ukrainian or a foreigner who already has a residence permit in Ukraine.

A residence permit through marriage is issued for 1 year, may be renewed and allows a foreigner to stay in Ukraine, enter and leave the country as required during the period of residence permit.

The conditions for obtaining a residence permit through marriage in Ukraine are as follows:

• Marriage with a citizen of Ukraine – the fact of existence and legality of such marriage shall be confirmed by a Ukrainian marriage certificate or any other official documents confirming the marriage in another country. That is, you do not need to get married in Ukraine in order to provide such documents to obtain a residence permit. But if you have not married yet, and time is running out - we can offer you the arrangement of the marriage in just 1 day (provided that the Client has all the documents).

• Collected package of documents, some of which must be translated and apostilled. Thus, to obtain this type of residence permit, a foreign national must submitt a notarized translation of the passport, marriage certificate, insurance in Ukraine. Our lawyers arrange translation and certification of the documents for the Clients.

• Obtaining D-type Visa in Ukraine and entry/exit from Ukraine. To obtain a residence permit in Ukraine, you will need to obtain a certain type of visa, and then leave Ukraine and enter it again after marriage. This requirement does not apply to some CIS countries.

Please note! One of the requirements for obtaining a residence permit through marriage in Ukraine is a passport issued not less than six months before applying for a residence permit. To learn why you can’t get a residence permit if you have a new passport, and what to do in this case, please follow the link.

Is there a difference with whom you get married in Ukraine?

Let’s look at several options, depending on who your future spouse is.

Option 1: Residence Permit by marriage, if you are married to a citizen of Ukraine.

This option fits the procedure described above. Marriage to a citizen of Ukraine allows the foreigner to get a Residence Permit in Ukraine on the basis of marriage for 1 year, with the possibility of extension.

If the foreigner has been married to a citizen of Ukraine for more than 2 years, a foreigner gets the right to apply for a permanent residence permit in Ukraine.

Please note! If the marriage of a foreigner with a citizen of Ukraine was concluded in another country, the documents confirming the marriage will need to be legalized. Our lawyers will tell you how to do it or we can take care of the documents on our own.

Option 2. Residence permit by marriage, if the marriage is concluded with a foreigner who has a residence permit in Ukraine.

If your spouse already has a residence permit in Ukraine, for example, on the basis of a work permit, you have the right to obtain a residence permit for the pur[ose of the family reunification.

In this case you also need to legalize the marriage documents, provide a document about the availability of sufficient financial support, and to provide a copy of the residence permit of your spouse, on the basis of which they have the right to stay and reside in Ukraine.

Residence permit by marriage in Ukraine for citizens of Moldova

• do not need a D visa to enter Ukraine;
• Ukrainian migration authorities calmly issue documents for a residence permit during hostilities, unlike documents, for example, for citizens of the Republic of Belarus or Tajikistan;
• residents of Moldova can stay in Ukraine for 90 days with a mandatory departure for the next 90 days. Be sure to take into account the deadlines for submitting documents in order to have time to make all the translations of documents, arrange insurance and submit documents at least 15 days before the end of the first 90 days.

Can I get not a residence permit but a permanent residence permit in Ukraine on the basis of marriage?

A Permanent Residence Permit is also issued on the basis of marriage, but an important detail is that you are entitled to apply for a Permanent Residence Permit only after two years from the date of the marriage registration.

You will also need to get an Immigration Permit. Our lawyers will help you with this step, taking over the entire procedure for obtaining a Permanent Residence Permit in Ukraine through marriage on a turnkey basis.

If you already have a residence permit in Ukraine and you want to proceed to the procedure of obtaining citizenship, we offer you the following services:

• Consultation of a migration lawyer on obtaining Ukrainian citizenship through marriage;

• Verification of grounds for obtaining citizenship and applicant’s compliance with all the requirements;

• Development of a plan of actions for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship;

• Preparation and submission of documents to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;

• Full support of the procedure for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship through marriage;

• Assistance with renunciation of foreign citizenship.

Do you want to get a residence permit in Ukraine through marriage? Don’t hesitate to contact us! We will help you to complete the procedure within the required period, and will take care not only of all the necessary documents, but also organize the procedure as a whole.

Didn’t find an answer to your question?

Everything about the procedure for obtaining a Residence Permit in Ukraine here.

Everything about the procedure for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship here.