Main Points
- Resolution No. 736 launches an experimental project for issuing a return certificate to Ukraine, starting from July 13, 2026, for a period of one year.
- The project covers citizens born on temporarily occupied territory after August 24, 1991.
- A certificate can be obtained even in the absence of personal data in the Unified State Demographic Register.
- Identification is carried out through a procedure for establishing a person with the involvement of witnesses – closest relatives aged 16 and over with Ukrainian documents.
- Witnesses participate in person or through video conferencing with a video recording, which is stored for three years.
- The issuance of the certificate is free of charge, no prior appointment is required, and the manufacturing process takes up to two months.
- The certificate is valid for three months, and extension or replacement of an expired document is not possible.
- The project involves Ukrainian embassies in Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Turkey, as well as consulates in Antalya and Istanbul.
- For children under 16, a simplified procedure applies without witnesses; birth certificates issued by occupation authorities are not accepted.
- Grounds for refusal include false information, unconfirmed data in registers, and warnings from the SBU.
- The current procedure under Resolution No. 285 from 2017 continues to operate in parallel.
The Cabinet of Ministers has adopted Resolution No. 736, which introduces an experimental project for issuing a return certificate to Ukraine – a document known as a ‘white passport’. This applies to citizens born on temporarily occupied territory after Ukraine’s declaration of independence. The project started on July 13, 2026, and will last for a year.
A key innovation concerns people whose data is missing from the Unified State Demographic Register. Previously, the lack of a record in the register effectively blocked the path home: it was extremely difficult to confirm a person’s identity without Ukrainian documents. Now, the applicant will be able to involve witnesses, and the embassy or consulate will conduct a procedure for establishing the person’s identity based on their testimony.
The experimental procedure applies to citizens born after August 24, 1991, on occupied territories. It is implemented by Ukrainian diplomatic institutions in five countries – Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Turkey. Applications can be submitted to the embassies in Minsk, Tbilisi, Yerevan, Astana, and Ankara, as well as to the general consulates in Antalya and Istanbul. These are the routes most frequently used by people leaving the occupied territories through Russia.
Obtaining a certificate is free of charge, and no prior appointment is required. The manufacturing process takes up to two months, and the document itself is valid for three months. Lawyers from the NGO ‘Donbas SOS’ emphasize a significant limitation: it is impossible to extend the validity of the certificate or obtain a new one to replace an expired document. Therefore, it is essential to plan the return taking into account these three months.
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To apply, a written application according to a sample provided by the institution’s employee and a birth certificate are required. In the absence of a birth certificate, an electronic copy of the e-certificate or an extract from the State Register of Civil Status of Citizens can be used. A foreign birth certificate requires legalization unless otherwise provided by an international treaty. Additionally, copies of parents’ documents, a passport or e-passport (if preserved), as well as two color photo cards (3.5 x 4.5 cm) and one photo (10 x 15 cm) are submitted. When documents are submitted by a legal representative, they must provide their own passport and confirmation of their authority.
After submitting the documents, the consular employee verifies the information and sends requests to state agencies and registers. If it is not possible to identify the person, and there are no documents with a photo or a digitized face image, a procedure involving witnesses is initiated.
The circle of witnesses is limited to close relatives. This includes spouses (including former ones), parents, stepfathers and stepmothers, children and stepchildren, siblings, grandparents, great-grandparents, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, adoptive parents, guardians, and custodians. A witness must be over 16 years old, capable, and have Ukrainian documents that confirm their identity. Family ties are confirmed by a marriage certificate or its dissolution, a birth certificate, or a court decision. If there are no documents or confirmations in Ukrainian registers, the procedure for establishing a person’s identity cannot be conducted.
Witnesses come to the embassy or consulate in person. If a visit is impossible, a video conference is allowed – in this case, a video recording is made, which is stored for three years. The applicant and the witness are informed about the date and conditions of the procedure by email at least three working days in advance.
For children under 16, a simplified scheme applies without witnesses. The decision is made based on the application of a legal representative, a birth certificate, or data from the State Register of Civil Status, as well as the passport of one of the parents. Birth certificates issued by occupation authorities are not considered.
The resolution defines four grounds for refusal. A certificate will not be issued if the status of a legal representative is not confirmed by registers or documents; if the data from departmental information systems, the Unified State Demographic Register, and the State Register of Voters contradict the declared information or are insufficient for identification; if the applicant provided false information about themselves or the witness; or if the Security Service of Ukraine has expressed concerns. A written decision on refusal is provided upon request – with an indication of the grounds, procedure, and deadlines for appeal. After eliminating the obstacles, it is possible to apply again.
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