Senior lawyer
Lawyer practicing international migration. Specializes in issues of migration law - paperwork on the territory of Ukraine and the countries of the European Union (Romania, Hungary, Spain, Czech Republic).
Get EU citizenship
EU citizenship for Ukrainians opens up an unhindered right to reside and work in the European Union, as well as free movement within its territory without additional visas or permits.
The choice of a specific legalization method directly depends on your individual grounds, such as ethnic origin, official marriage, or long-term residence in the country.
Since every immigration case is unique, promises regarding specific timeframes for acquiring status should be avoided without a prior detailed analysis of your personal history.
Ways to obtain EU citizenship
EU citizenship is acquired through several main pathways:
- Citizenship by descent (repatriation): Based on proving documentary family ties with citizens of a specific European state. This is the fastest option, suitable for those whose ancestors lived in the relevant territories.
- Naturalization in EU countries: A long path that involves continuous legal residence in the country (usually from 5 to 10 years), paying taxes, and integrating into society. Suitable for labor migrants, businesspeople, and students.
- Conditions for acquiring citizenship through marriage: Allows obtaining an EU country passport after entering into an official union with its citizen. Suitable for couples planning a life together, and often significantly reduces the required residence period.
- Investment programs: Obtaining citizenship of another country through significant financial investments in the economy or real estate, which is suitable for wealthy clients (the list of such countries is currently limited).
Advantages of working with “Prikhodko & Partners”
By entrusting the legalization procedure to our law firm, you gain confidence in the outcome:
- Practical experience: We have years of successful practice interacting with consulates, migration services, and archives of European states.
- Individual approach to contract terms: We develop a personalized action plan, specifying in the agreement exclusively those tasks required for your specific case.
- Confidentiality: Any personal, family, or financial information is protected by strict attorney-client privilege.
- Legal safety for the client: We act strictly within official legislation, eliminating the risk of refusal due to legal or procedural errors.
Who can qualify for citizenship by descent
Obtaining European citizenship through repatriation is available to individuals who can confirm their ethnic or territorial roots.
Basic documents confirming origin include ancestors’ birth certificates, marriage certificates, extracts from parish registers, as well as archival certificates confirming the residence of relatives in certain territories prior to historical border changes.
Currently, countries such as Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary offer effective simplified programs for descendants of emigrants, allowing them to obtain European status much faster than through standard naturalization.
Documents required to acquire citizenship
To become a full-fledged resident and obtain EU citizenship, it is necessary to collect a verified legal dossier.
A typical package of documents includes:
- Applicant’s internal and international passports.
- Birth and marriage certificates.
- Certificates of no criminal record in Ukraine and the country of residence.
- Specific supporting documents (archival extracts for repatriation, language proficiency certificates, or proof of income for naturalization).
The final and complete list of documents depends strictly on the chosen country and the legal grounds of your case.
Stages of processing citizenship
The process of acquiring European status follows a clear step-by-step algorithm:
- Assessment of grounds for initiating the migration process.
- Collection, translation, notarization, and apostilling of documents.
- Official submission of the application and assembled dossier to migration authorities or consulates.
- Review of the case by government institutions.
- Receiving the passport and taking the oath of allegiance (if required).
It is worth remembering that overall processing times vary by country and can range from one to several years depending on the workload of public authorities.
Benefits of EU citizenship for Ukrainians
When considering legalization, it is important to clearly understand the advantages offered by European Union citizenship.
An EU passport for Ukrainians grants a range of fundamental rights:
- Unhindered right to reside and work in the European Union on general terms.
- Completely visa-free movement within Schengen countries with an EU passport and the ability to travel visa-free to most countries worldwide (including Canada, Japan, and often the US).
- Simplified family reunification in an EU country for your close relatives.
- Accessible or discounted education for children in European educational institutions.
- High social guarantees of an EU citizen, including access to European healthcare, banking systems, and pension insurance.
Stages of cooperation with a lawyer
We ensure a clear and transparent work process with every client:
- Inquiry: You submit a request or give us a call.
- Initial consultation: We analyze your migration query and available grounds.
- Defining contract goals: We clearly define the final result of legal support.
- Drafting the project: We draft the legal assistance agreement.
- Coordination of terms: We thoroughly go through every clause of the agreement with the client.
- Signing support: We execute the agreement and immediately proceed with implementing the strategy.
Cost of lawyer’s services
The approach to pricing is completely transparent.
The cost of legal contract support depends on objective factors: the complexity of your case conditions (e.g., the need for extensive archival search), the overall scope of the lawyer’s work, the number of revisions in preliminary documents, the necessity of personal accompaniment during application submission at foreign institutions, and the chosen consultation format (in-person meeting or online call).
Comparison of main legalization pathways in the EU
| Method of acquisition | Basic requirement to start | Estimated procedure complexity | Possibility of acceleration |
| Repatriation (descent) | Proven family ties | Medium (main thing is to find documents) | High (via simplified programs) |
| Naturalization | Legal residence 5+ years | High (language exam, integration) | Low (terms are strictly fixed) |
| Marriage to a citizen | Official registration of marriage | Medium (proving non-sham status) | Medium (naturalization period is shorter) |
| Investments | Significant capital | High (verification of source of funds) | High (in countries where permitted) |
How to obtain an EU passport quickly and legally is a matter requiring a qualified legal approach, as any mistake in the documents can lead to refusal.
Entrust your migration process to the law firm “Prikhodko & Partners”: contact us for a consultation, and we will select the most effective program for your safe relocation.
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Do you have grounds for obtaining EU citizenship?
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How to obtain EU citizenship based on descent?
To take advantage of this pathway, it is necessary to collect archival documents, vital records, or birth certificates proving that your closest ancestors (up to 2-3 generations) held the corresponding citizenship or permanently resided in the territories of certain states. Then a dossier is prepared and submitted to the ministry of justice of the chosen country.
Is dual citizenship with Ukraine retained when obtaining a European passport?
Ukrainian legislation does not recognize dual citizenship, treating an individual solely as its own citizen. At the same time, some EU countries (such as Romania) allow keeping the primary passport during naturalization or repatriation, while others require official renunciation of it. This issue requires individual legal analysis.
What are the ways to obtain citizenship of another country for employees?
Labor migrants most often obtain EU citizenship through naturalization. This process begins with securing a work visa, followed by obtaining a temporary, and subsequently permanent, residence permit (PR). After 5-10 years of legal employment, one can apply for a passport.
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