A child was born abroad: is it necessary to obtain a Ukrainian birth certificate
Ukrainians whose children were born abroad increasingly face the same question: is it possible to obtain a Ukrainian birth certificate if the child has already been officially registered in another country. The answer is unequivocal — no. The legislation does not allow the same birth fact to be registered twice, but this does not mean that a foreign certificate is not recognized in Ukraine. We explain why the Ukrainian Civil Status Registry Office cannot issue a new document and which papers confirm the child's birth on the territory of Ukraine.
Why the Ukrainian Civil Registry Office does not issue a birth certificate if the child was born abroad
Recently, this question has increasingly concerned Ukrainian parents whose children were born outside Ukraine.
The fact of the child's birth is registered by the competent authority of the country where the child was born. This authority issues the primary birth record and issues the birth certificate.
According to Ukrainian legislation, the same birth fact cannot be registered again in another country.
That is why the Ukrainian civil status registration authorities cannot issue a new Ukrainian-style birth certificate instead of the already issued foreign document.
In other words, the Ukrainian Civil Status Registry Office is not the authority that carried out the state registration of the birth of such a child and therefore has no legal grounds to create a new record and issue a Ukrainian-style birth certificate.
Which documents confirm the child's birth in Ukraine
To confirm the child's birth in Ukraine, the following are used:
- birth certificate issued by the competent authority of a foreign state;
- its translation into Ukrainian;
- apostille or consular legalization (if provided for by international treaties);
- documents confirming Ukrainian citizenship.
Does a foreign birth certificate have legal force in Ukraine
It is important to remember that a properly issued foreign birth certificate has the same legal force in Ukraine as documents issued by Ukrainian civil status registration authorities.
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