Ukrainians born under occupation will be able to obtain a document allowing them to return to their homeland

The Ukrainian government is launching a pilot program that will allow citizens born in the temporarily occupied territories to obtain identity documents for their return to Ukraine.

Thousands of Ukrainian citizens born in the temporarily occupied territories after the declaration of independence still do not have Ukrainian documents. 

This is due, in particular, to limited access to Ukrainian government agencies and the inability to obtain the necessary documents.

“Thousands of Ukrainian citizens born in the temporarily occupied territories since the country gained independence still do not have Ukrainian documents. The reason is obstacles in accessing Ukrainian government agencies and the inability to obtain the necessary documents,” Lubinets stated.

Ukrainian citizens who meet all of the following conditions will be able to obtain a document:

• were born after August 24, 1991, in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine;
• are not listed in the Unified State Demographic Register;
• require the document to enter territory controlled by Ukraine.

Thus, this mechanism is intended to assist Ukrainians who, due to the occupation, are unable to use the standard procedure for obtaining documents.

An application for a certificate may be submitted in person or through a legal representative.

To do so, applicants may contact the Ukrainian embassies in Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Belarus.

Documents will also be accepted by the Ukrainian consulates in Istanbul and Antalya.

This pilot project is intended to facilitate the return to Ukraine of citizens who were born in the temporarily occupied territories and, due to a lack of documents, cannot freely enter territory controlled by Ukraine.

This was announced by Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.

As a reminder, last week, as part of the “Bring Kids Back UA” initiative, Ukraine repatriated another 35 children and adolescents from the temporarily occupied territories and Russia.

Prior to that, Ukraine had repatriated four more children, aged 6 to 15, from the temporarily occupied territories. Among them were a boy who had been separated from his parents for several years, a girl whose mother had been unable to retrieve her for a long time due to the loss of her documents, and two teenagers who found themselves under occupation without their families.

Another 11 children were successfully returned to territory controlled by Ukraine from the temporarily occupied Kherson region. Among them were four girls and seven boys aged 6 to 17. An adult orphan was also evacuated.