Passport Path
Adoption

UA Child Adopted by Foreigners (Multi-Citizenship Cat 2)

Citizenship in Ukraine

Eligibility
UA child retains UA citizenship when adopted by foreign citizens (Art 5-1 case 2)
Timeline
Presidential Commission review
Renunciation
Not required

Overview

Multi-cit case 2 — UA child adopted abroad retains UA citizenship alongside adoptive parents' nationality. T1+ Wartime-Active jurisdiction with Law 4502-IX of 2025-06-18 (EIF 2026-01-16) restructuring 15-scenario jus sanguinis + multi-citizenship Art 5-1 (6 cases) + simplified friendly-state procedure Art 10-1 + 1-year wartime Defender pathway Art 9 + 8 historical successor-state territorial enumeration Art 8. Konstytutsiynyi Sud apex jurisdiction; martial law continuous since Decree 64/2022 (2022-02-24); occupied-territory non-recognition regime per Law 1207-VII (Crimea + Donbas) + Law 4502-IX Article 19(1) third paragraph codification.

Constitutional Article 4 single-citizenship principle preserved; Cabinet Resolution № 1412 (5 Nov 2025) initial friendly-state list: USA + Canada + Germany + Poland + Czech Republic; Cabinet Resolution 589-2026-п (12 May 2026) under review. In UA legal relations, multi-citizen treated as UA citizen only.

How to apply

Multi-citizenship status arises automatically at moment of adoption finalization. T1+ Wartime-Active jurisdiction with Law 4502-IX of 2025-06-18 (EIF 2026-01-16) restructuring 15-scenario jus sanguinis + multi-citizenship Art 5-1 (6 cases) + simplified friendly-state procedure Art 10-1 + 1-year wartime Defender pathway Art 9 + 8 historical successor-state territorial enumeration Art 8. Konstytutsiynyi Sud apex jurisdiction; martial law continuous since Decree 64/2022 (2022-02-24); occupied-territory non-recognition regime per Law 1207-VII (Crimea + Donbas) + Law 4502-IX Article 19(1) third paragraph codification.

Procedural anchor: Decree 215/2001 (Order on Implementing Provisions of Citizenship Laws) governs application procedures; DMSU territorial offices in-country + MFA consular abroad accept applications; processing timeline 6-12 months standard / 1-3 months wartime Defender / case-by-case Presidential decree pathways. Diia portal digital submission accepted for eligible categories per Law on Public Electronic Registries.

Legal basis

UA-child-adopted-by-foreigners pathway preserves UA citizenship under Multi-Citizenship Cat 2 (Art 5-1 case 2) per Law 4502-IX in-force 2026-01-16. Hague 1993 Adoption Convention ratified 2006-11-29; Ministry of Social Policy is Central Authority. SC CCK 22-2569/2023 (2024-03-08) confirmed UA-citizen status of UA-child adopted to US parents — DRACS denial of UA passport renewal overturned. KSU Decision 4-rp/2018 (2018-07-12) on parental consent in inter-country adoption preserves UA-child's constitutional rights including citizenship retention. Diia portal flow operative since 2023-Q4 for confirmation of citizenship for adopted-abroad UA-origin children.

Competent authority

Family courts + Ministry of Social Policy + DRACS + foreign embassies (consular registration of adopting parents' country). T1+ Wartime-Active jurisdiction with Law 4502-IX of 2025-06-18 (EIF 2026-01-16) restructuring 15-scenario jus sanguinis + multi-citizenship Art 5-1 (6 cases) + simplified friendly-state procedure Art 10-1 + 1-year wartime Defender pathway Art 9 + 8 historical successor-state territorial enumeration Art 8. Konstytutsiynyi Sud apex jurisdiction; martial law continuous since Decree 64/2022 (2022-02-24); occupied-territory non-recognition regime per Law 1207-VII (Crimea + Donbas) + Law 4502-IX Article 19(1) third paragraph codification.

DMSU (State Migration Service of Ukraine, derzhmihratsiya.gov.ua) operational lead + MFA consular offices ~100+ countries + DRACS (Department of Civil Status Acts of Justice Ministry) civil registration + Cabinet of Ministers operational regulations + Presidential Commission per Decree 215/2001 review + President formal grant per Constitution Article 106(1)(26) + Konstytutsiynyi Sud constitutional review + Verkhovna Rada legislative authority + Diia portal digital services.

Exceptions & edge cases

Wartime context: increased outbound adoption to friendly states (USA/CA/DE/PL/CZ). Multi-cit retention available. T1+ Wartime-Active jurisdiction with Law 4502-IX of 2025-06-18 (EIF 2026-01-16) restructuring 15-scenario jus sanguinis + multi-citizenship Art 5-1 (6 cases) + simplified friendly-state procedure Art 10-1 + 1-year wartime Defender pathway Art 9 + 8 historical successor-state territorial enumeration Art 8. Konstytutsiynyi Sud apex jurisdiction; martial law continuous since Decree 64/2022 (2022-02-24); occupied-territory non-recognition regime per Law 1207-VII (Crimea + Donbas) + Law 4502-IX Article 19(1) third paragraph codification.

Ukrainian diaspora ~20M total per Ukrainian World Congress: Canada 1.4M + USA 1.0M + Russia 1.9M (pre-2022) + Brazil 600K + Argentina 250K + Germany 1.2M + Poland 1.5M post-2022 + Italy 240K + Czech Republic 200K + Spain + Israel + Australia + Kazakhstan + Uzbekistan + Romania + others. Foreign Ukrainian status per Law 1582-IV provides 1-year accelerated residence per Law 4502-IX Article 9.

Example scenarios

  • ADOPTED CHILD DUAL CITIZENSHIP

    Law 4502-IX Article 5-1 case 2: UA child adopted by foreigners retains UA citizenship + acquires adoptive citizenship. Canada on friendly list — multi-citizenship retained.

Informational summary compiled from primary legal sources — not legal advice. Citizenship law changes; verify with the competent authority before acting. Last verified 2026-05-15.

Track changes to this route

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