Is it possible to get a residence permit if one of the relatives once lived on the territory of Ukraine

Pursuant to legislation of Ukraine relatives of persons who have lived on the territory of the USSR for a certain period may obtain a Temporary Residence Permit. This procedure is not simple, but we will help you understand its key aspects. 

What kind of kinship gives the right to apply for the permit? First of all, it is:

• parents (mother, father), children (son, daughter), grandchildren,
• grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents,
• sisters, brothers (including half-brother/half-sister). However, this rule applies only to brothers and sisters, rather than cousins or third cousins.

If the issue of relatives is quite understandable, it is a bit more complicated with regard to territory. Since the territories must meet the following criteria while the relatives are living on them:

• according to the law on succession of Ukraine, became the territory of Ukraine after 1991,
• were part of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, Transcarpathian Ukraine, the West Ukrainian People’s Republic, the Ukrainian State, the Ukrainian SSR.

For example, the Clientєs grandmother lived in Lviv from 1930 to 1939. When studying the situation, it was established that before 1945 this territory was not part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, as well as the other territories listed above. Therefore, the relative’s residence in its territory before 1945 does not entitle the Client to a Temporary Residence Permit.  However, during the interview we learnt that his great-grandfather lived in Lviv in the period from 1918 to 1932. Due to the fact that from 1918 to 1919 it was the territory of the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic, we got legal grounds for a Temporary Residence Permit. 

It is therefore important to check all of these points, and also take into account the fact that many cities and towns have already been eliminated, renamed, merged with others, etc.  

The fact of permanent residence must first of all be confirmed by the relevant certificate of the registration authority and a certified copy of the house book or Form 16, Form A of the apartment card, etc. If no archive data was preserved, the fact of permanent residence during a certain period at a certain address must be confirmed by an appropriate court decision.

The documents confirming kinship include birth certificates, marriage certificates, name change or other relevant official records. It is much easier to prove male lineage, as the change of surname is less common (women sometimes have three or more marriages, which makes it difficult to document all previous surnames). If you have no documents confirming the relationship, it can be done on the basis of a court decision, i.e. establishment of the fact that a certain citizen is the mother of another citizen (or a sister, grandfather, great-grandmother, etc.).

All documents are considered in package, and with all the above-mentioned grounds for obtaining a Permanent Residence Permit you won’t face any difficulties.

Please see the service fee for obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit in Ukraine here.

Our company has been offering migration services for more than 15 years. We do not stop our work even during wartime. Contact us to find a simple solution to your legal problem.