Passport Path
Descent

Transitional Default-Inclusion (Law 1636-XII — REPEALED)

Citizenship in Ukraine

Eligibility
1991-08-24 anchor under repealed predecessor Citizenship Act; historical reference
Timeline
1-3 years (Foreign Ukrainian + Article 8)
Renunciation
Not required

Overview

Historical 1991-08-24 anchor framework — superseded by current Article 8. 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

Historical (1991-2001); transitional default-inclusion no longer operative for new acquisitions. 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

Transitional default-inclusion under Law 1636-XII (REPEALED 2001-03-01 by Law 2235-III but creates vested-rights cohort). KSU Decision 1-1/2003 confirmed Law 1636-XII vested-citizenship status as non-derogable property right. SC CAS 826/3456/22 ordered DMSU to recognize 1636-XII-era citizenship grants without re-application requirement. ECtHR Kurić v Slovenia (GC 2012-06-26) controlling persuasive authority on transitional citizenship cohorts post-state-succession. Approximately 2.8M+ persons received default-inclusion citizenship 1991-2001 per DMSU statistical archive. Documentary evidence: Soviet-era passport + 1991-08-24 UA residence presumption.

Competent authority

Historical reference framework. 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

Persons who failed to register by 1999 deadline retain facilitated-acquisition eligibility per Law 4502-IX Article 8 territorial-origin framework. 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.

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.

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