Institute of citizenship of Ukraine

Citizenship of Ukraine shall mean a legal bond between a natural person and Ukraine, which finds its expression in their mutual rights and duties;

Legal content of the citizenship of Ukraine, the procedure of acquisition and termination, the powers of the government involved in matters of citizenship, defined by the Constitution of Ukraine, Law "On Citizenship of Ukraine" (18 January 2001) and international treaties.

The Ukrainian laws on citizenship shall be based on the following principles:

1) single citizenship - citizenship of the state of Ukraine that rules out the possibility for existence of a citizenship of administrative-territorial units of Ukraine. Should a citizen of Ukraine acquire a citizenship (nationality) of another state or states, then in legal relations with Ukraine, such citizen shall be acknowledged as the citizen of Ukraine only. Should an alien acquire the citizenship of Ukraine, then in legal relations with Ukraine, he shall be acknowledged as the citizen of Ukraine only;

2) prevention of statelessness;

3) impossibility of depriving the Ukrainian citizen of the citizenship of Ukraine;

4) recognition of the right of the Ukrainian citizen to alter citizenship;

5) impossibility of automatic acquisition of the citizenship of Ukraine by an alien or a stateless person due to registration of marriage to the citizen of Ukraine or acquisition of the citizenship of Ukraine by his/her spouse and automatic termination of the citizenship of Ukraine by any of the spouses due to termination of marriage or termination of the citizenship of Ukraine by the other spouse;

6) equal protection of the law shall apply to the citizens of Ukraine regardless of the grounds, procedure, and the moment of acquisition of the citizenship of Ukraine;

7) retaining of the citizenship of Ukraine regardless of place of residence of the citizen of Ukraine.

The following documents shall confirm the citizenship of Ukraine:

1) passport of the citizen of Ukraine;

2) certificate of belonging to the citizenship of Ukraine;

3) passport of the citizen of Ukraine for travelling abroad;

4) provisional certificate of the citizen of Ukraine;

5) travel document of a child;

6) diplomatic passport;

7) service passport;

8) identification card of a seaman;

9) identification card of a crewmember;

10) identification card of a person to come back to Ukraine.

The citizenship of Ukraine shall be acquired:

1) by birth;

2) by territorial origin;

3) by admission to the citizenship;

4) by restoration of the citizenship;

5) by adoption;

6) by establishment of guardianship or wardship for a child or placement of the child in a childcare or healthcare institution, family children’s home or adoptive family, or placement in the care of foster parent family;

7) by establishment of wardship for a person adjudged as incapable;

8) owing to situation when one parent is or both parents of a child are citizen(s)of Ukraine;

9) by recognition of parenthood or affiliation;

10) on other grounds stipulated by international treaties of Ukraine.

The citizenship of Ukraine shall be deemed terminated:

1) in consequence of secession from the citizenship of Ukraine;

2) in consequence of loss of the citizenship of Ukraine;

3) on other grounds stipulated by international treaties of Ukraine.

Secession from the citizenship of Ukraine can be denied if a person requesting secession has not honored his/her commitments to the state or has property obligations related to the interests of legal and natural person on the territory of Ukraine, or if secession from citizenship will result in the status of a stateless person.

Citizenship of Ukraine shall be lost:

Ø if a citizen of Ukraine voluntarily acquired citizenship of another state;

Ø if a person is enrolled for military service, security service, law enforcement authorities, judicial bodies or other bodies of state power of foreign state without the consent of the public authorities of Ukraine, and if respective public authorities of Ukraine have made a request there to;

Ø if citizenship of Ukraine has been acquired as a result of submitting information or documents known to be false;

Ø if a person residing/sojourning beyond the borders of Ukraine has not, without good reasons, undergone consular registration over seven years. Good reasons shall be the following: absence of diplomatic missions and post of Ukraine in the country of domicile, lengthy illness, hostilities and other emergencies.

For a citizen of Ukraine an affiliation to foreign citizenship shall not be recognized until the decision on his/her loss of citizenship of Ukraine is adopted.