A birth certificate is an important document that confirms the fact of a person’s birth. In cases of loss or damage, it becomes necessary to restore the certificate. The process of restoring a birth certificate in Ukraine is regulated by law and may involve several steps.
Often, when processing documents abroad, an apostille is required. Apostilles in Ukraine are not issued for birth certificates of the Soviet model — a new-format duplicate must be obtained.
A birth certificate can only be restored in the country where the birth was registered.
If the birth was registered in Ukraine or the former Ukrainian SSR, you can apply to any Civil Registry Office (RACTS) to obtain a duplicate. Ukraine has a unified civil status register, so registry offices are centralized — there’s no need to contact your place of registration or residence. If you live abroad, you can apply through the Consulate of Ukraine.
Important nuance:
If you apply to the same RACTS that registered the birth, the duplicate will be issued faster.
If the application is submitted in a different region, it may take longer, as an interregional request must be made to the original registration office.
Please note: the service is unavailable in temporarily occupied territories or zones of active hostilities.
The key principle: the paper archive is stored in the place where the birth was registered.
If the birth was registered in the former USSR, you need to identify which republic issued it and send a request under that country’s legal procedure.
If the registration took place in an embassy of the former USSR in Albania, Bulgaria, the GDR, Poland, Romania, Hungary, or Czechoslovakia, the archives were transferred to Moscow after the collapse of the USSR. Retrieving this data now requires an individual request.
It’s important to note that on December 27, 2022, Ukraine suspended the application of the Minsk Convention of January 22, 1993, on legal assistance with the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. From that date, documents from those countries are legally valid in Ukraine only if apostilled in accordance with the 1961 Hague Convention.
Similarly, Ukrainian documents intended for use in Russia or Belarus must be apostilled under Ukrainian law.
To restore a birth certificate in Ukraine, the following documents are usually required:
- Application for restoration (can be completed at the Civil Registry Office)
- Identity document (Ukrainian or other passport)
- If available, a copy of the lost birth certificate (helps speed up the process)
- Documents confirming surname change (if applicable)
- Identity documents of the child (if the person is a minor)
- Payment receipt for the state fee
You may obtain a duplicate:
- Online via the Diia portal
- Offline — in person, via a representative with a power of attorney, or through a lawye
If the certificate is being restored for a minor, parents or legal guardians may apply on their behalf.
Restoring a birth certificate can take time and requires preparation. However, by following the legal steps, you can resolve the matter promptly with our assistance.
If you need to obtain a duplicate birth certificate, contact the lawyers in Kyiv of “First Legal” by filling out the form on our website or calling:
+38 (044) 35-35-164, +38 (067) 306-89-89, +38 (063) 45-85-448, +38 (099) 367-89-89