How to marry a foreigner in Ukraine

Current Ukrainian legislation allows you to marry a foreigner in Ukraine. Marriage is possible if future newlyweds fulfill a number of important requirements. Translation specialists of "Derzhpereklad" agency said what documents are needed for the marriage registration.

Basic requirements for couples planning to get married

1.You can marry a foreigner in Ukraine only after reaching adulthood. Before reaching the age of 18 years you can get married by permission of the court (from the age of 16). 

2. The ability to get married also is possible if you have not officially registered such an alliance with another person before. Or you already have made a divorce. If there is a marriage stamp in the passport, the registry office will not give the permission to conclude a new one.

3. There are no factors that exclude the possibility of marriage. In our country, it is forbidden to marry close relatives, it is impossible to marry an adoptive parent (or adopted person), etc.

It is important to understand that abidance with these requirements must be documented. If the marriage registry office finds out that you or your spouse do not have important certificates or documents, your application may not be accepted.

Only strong love shall be the reason of your marriage with a foreigner in Ukraine. This is just a strong recommendation, but not a requirement. It should be kept in mind that it will be much easier for a foreigner, which has got married with an Ukrainian woman, to obtain citizenship or an official residence permit in this country. To obtain a permanent residence permit, for example, it is enough to live in a marriage for more than 2 years!

What documents are necessary for marriage with a foreign citizen

In this case when applying to the registry office there are no serious obstacles for a Ukrainian citizen. It is much more difficult to prepare a set of documents for a stateless person. It is mandatory to provide:

1. Passport with a stamp that the person legally resides in Ukraine. It is put while crossing borders. If for some reason there is no mark in the document, you must contact the migration service. The passport serves you as a confirmation of the person’s identity and that this person has reached adulthood. 
2. An official document (usually a reference from a country whose applicant is a citizen), confirming that a person isn’t married with another person. The marriage registry office will request this document if the passport itself does not contain information about the current marital status.
3. Dissolution document is needed, if the foreigner was married. Such a document must be provided with an official translation.  The translation is additionally certified by the consulate, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine and the diplomatic mission.

How to marry a foreigner in Ukraine

You need to submit an application to the marriage registry office, if the marriage is your own will (this is a obligatory condition).  Such an application should be set in a legal way.

Together with the application, it is necessary to provide the entire list of documents about which we spoke above. After checking them, the representative of the registration authority will tell about your rights and obligations, register the application and set the date of registration.

Please note that you can only submit an application together with the future spouse. If for some reason he/she cannot be present in the country, you must additionally certify his/her signature with a notary. A person must write a power attorney to the person who will submit the application from him/herself.

There are also other points to which special attention should be paid:

1. All documents (especially those that were received by the future spouse in another country) must undergo the legalization procedure in Ukraine and be registered in accordance with the requirements of our legislation.
2. All documents required by the registration authority are submitted only in Ukrainian. Documents of a foreigner must have an official translation.

To significantly simplify the marriage procedure, to properly prepare a set of documents, contact the company "Derzhpereklad". We are finely aware of the specifics of preparing documentation for foreign citizens who are going through the marriage process, we know the nuances of the translation and legalization of documents for people who arrived from around the world. We will advise you on issues of marriage in Ukraine, arrange all the translations and documents for submission to the marriage registry office as soon as possible!