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Family law Obtaining a duplicate birth certificate

Sulyk Roman

Head of family law practice

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sulyk@prikhodko.com.ua

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An attorney with extensive experience specializing in complex family disputes. As Head of Practice, he combines deep legal expertise with a personalized approach to every client. He ensures strategic protection of family interests and delivers impeccable results in the most challenging cases.

Obtaining a duplicate birth certificate

A birth certificate is one of the most important documents in every person’s life. It confirms the fact of birth, family ties and nationality, and is the basis for obtaining other documents, including a passport.

However, in life there may be situations when the original certificate is lost, damaged or becomes inaccessible. In such cases, the question arises: how to get a duplicate birth certificate in Ukraine?

In this article, we will examine in detail in which cases a duplicate is needed, who has the right to receive it, what documents need to be prepared, and what the procedure for applying to the state civil registration authorities (SCR) looks like.

Grounds for obtaining a duplicate

A duplicate birth certificate may be issued in the following cases:

Loss or theft of the original;
Damage to a document that makes it impossible to use it;
Destruction of the certificate due to an emergency (fire, flood, etc.);
The need for an additional copy for submission to various institutions (for example, when moving abroad);
Detection of the fact that the original was issued with errors (after correcting the data, a new copy is issued).

Who can apply for a duplicate?

The following persons have the right to apply for a duplicate:

The person to whom the certificate is issued, if he or she has reached the age of 14;
Parents or legal representatives of a minor;
Guardians or custodians – if there is an appropriate decision from a court or guardianship authority;
Representative by power of attorney – provided that a properly executed notarized power of attorney is provided.

Where to turn?

Obtaining a duplicate birth certificate is done through:

Any territorial department of the DRACS (not necessarily at the place of birth registration);
Administrative Service Centers (ASC);
Through the “Diya” portal or the Unified State Web Portal of Electronic Services (if you have an electronic signature).

Required documents

To obtain a duplicate, the applicant must submit the following documents:

Passport of a citizen of Ukraine or other identity document;
Identification code (if available);
Documents confirming family ties (if the applicant is not the certificate holder himself);
Receipt for payment of state duty (to be specified in the State Registration and Taxation Service);
Application for issuance of a duplicate.

The application form is approved by order of the Ministry of Justice and is filled out on the spot or in advance through online services.

It will also be useful: Apostille on the birth certificate

Term and cost

Typically, a duplicate is issued within 1 to 5 business days after submitting a full package of documents. In the case of applying through electronic services, the period may be slightly longer – up to 10 days. The cost of obtaining a duplicate includes only the state duty and, in some cases, the services of the Central Administrative Service (if provided for by the local tariff).

Features for citizens abroad

If a citizen of Ukraine is abroad, a duplicate can be obtained through:

The consular office of Ukraine in the country of residence;
Representative in Ukraine (by power of attorney);
By mail (with prior approval from the DRACS).

Consular offices have the authority to accept applications, but the processing time may be longer – up to several weeks.

Conclusions

The procedure for obtaining a duplicate birth certificate in Ukraine is clearly regulated, however, even minor errors in submitting documents may be grounds for refusal or delay in processing the application.

Cases are especially difficult when documents are submitted on behalf of other persons, abroad, or if there are doubts about the data in state registers; in such situations, legal support is necessary.