How to Obtain Citizenship by Descent in Ukraine

LADISLAS MAURICE: Hello from Kyiv, today we’ll be discussing how to obtain Ukrainian citizenship by descent together with Taras, my immigration and real estate attorney. How are you, Taras? 

TARAS: Hi Ladislas, I am good. Thank you for coming to Ukraine. Long time no see. 

LADISLAS MAURICE: Yeah, indeed. 

Who is eligible to obtain Ukrainian Citizenship by Descent 

LADISLAS MAURICE: So, Taras, tell me. Let’s say I am of Ukrainian origin. I have parents or grandparents or great-grandparents from Ukraine. Is it possible to obtain Ukrainian citizenship without, especially if I’m a male, without being held back if the war is still going on? 

TARAS: Nice question and it’s really new legislation, basically, a revolutionary for Ukraine. We have introduced dual citizenship, basically, more or less due to war going on and other stuff. But for the citizen from 26 countries as of today, mostly most Western countries, US, Canada, EU, Japan, Australia, all those citizens, if they have Ukrainian descent, now they have possibility to have a fast track called procedure. Basically, most of this procedure is that you don’t need to give up on your citizenship. Prior to this, if you know the most, the biggest problem of citizenship by descent is was, that you need to say I’m not USA citizen or German or whatever, and mostly nobody did this. Now you legally will be able if you have grounds to first get Ukrainian passport, second keep your own passport. For procedural terms, as you said, it’s true that during wartime we have special laws, so you can be subscribed or detained from out going out of Ukraine, but the process, how it’s done, goes that basically zero chance or zero risk for any foreigners, male over 25, if you go through this procedure, to be held. You legally will be able to submit all documents here, to pass procedures here in Ukraine. You are still a foreigner, and to get real passport, the moment when you are getting real passport will be in embassy or consulate of Ukraine.  

The only problem with all this stuff or not problem, but obstacle that we can manage to overcome is that now by new law, you need to pass Ukrainian test and history. Before you could just get passport without it, but again, nobody did it because they need to give up the passport. Now they made process clear, transparent, but you need to study some Ukrainian language and also it’s not only grandparents, even grand-grandparents. So any connection for mostly all ancestors will be counted as ground to get Ukrainian citizenship by descent. 

LADISLAS MAURICE: Wow, so it’s really wide. 

TARAS: Yeah. 

Legal requirements for Citizenship by Descent in Ukraine 

LADISLAS MAURICE: So, how many generations back? 

TARAS: The problem with generations will be with archive. So basically two generations we managed mostly, is the longest way that you can track because, to start all this process, you need to get archive documents that your parents was in Ukraine. Sometimes it’s not possible. You have only immigration, for example, documents where your grand-grandparents go to USA, let’s say. And even with this documents we still will be able to confirm in court that yes, this was Ukrainian citizen before leaving, because in their records when they immigrated, there is nationality and place of birth, and by this court ruling, you’re also going and getting your citizenship by descent. 

LADISLAS MAURICE: Does this apply for people whose parents or grandparents, et cetera, had Ukrainian citizenship or were of Ukrainian nationality? 

TARAS: They stayed in Ukraine, or they lived in Ukraine, territories that is now considered Ukraine, or had any meaningful life period of, for example, there was no evidence that you are citizen of Ukraine or you was born in Ukraine, but if you was married in Ukraine, if you have property in Ukraine, and we have evidence of that, that will also count. So basically the rule, law says that any person that lived on the territory of Ukraine during this period will be considered as the one that is Ukrainian citizen, now you as ancestor will get possibility to, based on this fact, to obtain your citizenship. So it’s not only nationality, but nationality also helps. 

LADISLAS MAURICE: That’s not me, let’s just be clear. You’re pointing at me. 

TARAS: I’m saying we as a client. 

LADISLAS MAURICE: Unfortunately, I take the passport,but unfortunately, no. 

Certificate of a Foreign Ukrainian 

TARAS: Yeah, no. Nationality is a separate stuff. If you don’t want, for example, citizenship but you still feel a connection with Ukraine, you can get a Certificate of Foreign Ukrainian just for the reason that your ancestor was Ukrainian nationality and this gives you then possibility to get immigration permit and also for process is beneficial. 

LADISLAS MAURICE: Interesting. So for example, if your ancestors were sent by Stalin to Kazakhstan, and they never lived in really Ukraine or I don’t know, there’s no real proof, but it says on your grandfather’s Soviet passport that he was of Ukrainian nationality? 

TARAS: Interesting that even witnesses can confirm that your ancestors are Ukrainian nationality. Thus, you also Ukrainian nationality and you will have specific document that confirms that you are Ukrainian origin, and then it gives you possibility to get immigration permit and live in Ukraine permanently. Not citizenship, but it’s like a pass. 

LADISLAS MAURICE: Like a permanent residency. 

TARAS: Yeah. 

LADISLAS MAURICE: Okay. Yeah, there are a few European countries that have this, where you can’t quite get the citizenship, but you’ll get the right to live as someone of that ethnic background. So, okay, interesting. 

 So, effectively, this is great news for people who are of Ukrainian descent, whether they can prove the citizenship or not. You can in many cases get the citizenship easily, and you won’t be stuck in Ukraine and suddenly getting conscripted and sent to wherever you don’t want to be sent to.  

Immigration and real estate lawyer services in Ukraine 

LADISLAS MAURICE: So, you can start you can you can help your clients start all the documents back in Canada, back in the US, gather. Can you help them find documents? Because it’s easy to say, oh, my grandmother was… 

TARAS: Yeah, sure. We start every time this process with archive documents. We do all this job here. Again, as I said, sometimes, often times, not all documents are on place. Then we can have a separate procedure and for sure if you have all documents is pretty easy, straightforward… 

LADISLAS MAURICE: And cheaper. 

TARAS: … just we get confirmation. If not, yeah, we will help them and get this grounds if you’re sure that your have this descent. 

LADISLAS MAURICE: Okay, cool. So, great opportunity. I mean, the Ukrainian passport is a very good travel document. It’s, I mean, it’s a top-notch travel document. So, I highly encourage anyone who’s of Ukrainian descent to do it.  

Ukrainian Citizenship by Descent as a heritage for children 

LADISLAS MAURICE: And then what’s interesting as well is it’s not a decision just for yourself. You owe it to your children and future children or grandchildren, et cetera, because it then goes down the generations. Even if your children are not born in Ukraine and your spouse is not Ukrainian, you can still go register them at a Ukrainian embassy overseas or consulate. You will get the passport there for your child or they’ll give you a some sort of, some sort of like paper that when you go into Ukraine, you convert that into the passport for the kid. So, it’s one decision is not just for you, but it’s also for all of your descendants. 

TARAS: Absolutely correct. 

Contact Taras to obtain Citizenship by Descent in Ukraine 

LADISLAS MAURICE: Great. So, if you’re interested in finding out more about this process and you want to get in touch with Taras who can help you with, I mean, from A to Z, finding documents, blah blah, everything. There’s a link below and you can get in touch with him. Taras, thank you. 

TARAS: Thank you. 

LADISLAS MAURICE: Make sure to download my free e-book, “12 Mistakes to Avoid When Investing in International Real Estate”, which you can find on my website, link below, and feel free to follow me on Instagram @thewanderinginvestor. I look forward to hearing from you.