Making changes to the registration civil status record

Amending a civil registration requires sufficient grounds. If you’re interested in a consultation or legal support in such matters, consider the services of the lawyers at “Prikhodko & Partners” Law Firm. Our specialists know how to effectively assist you, thereby saving you time and effort. In the meantime, we invite you to learn more about the legal framework governing this matter.

At whose request can changes be made to the registration record?

Such changes are made upon application:

• the person for whom the birth certificate is registered;
• one of the child’s parents or their guardian or trustee;
• the guardian of a person who is legally incompetent;
• the heirs of a deceased person;
• the representative of the guardianship and trusteeship authority while exercising powers related to guardianship and trusteeship with respect to the person entitled to file this application.

As for making changes to a civil registration record, this function is assigned to the State Registration Department of Civil Status Acts at the location where the relevant civil registration record is kept. After making changes, the applicant receives a replacement certificate of state registration of the civil status act.

Where can I submit an application to make the relevant changes?

To submit such an application, you should contact one of these authorities:

1. state Registration Department of Civil Status Acts;
2. diplomatic mission of Ukraine or consular office;
3. center for Administrative Services.

Under the martial law introduced in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, an application for changes to a civil status record may be submitted to any State Registration Department of Civil Status Acts located in the territory controlled by the Ukrainian government.

What documents need to be submitted?

To receive this service, you must submit the following documents:

• an application in the prescribed form;
• a Ukrainian citizen’s passport (this may also be a foreign national’s passport or a stateless identity document). If the application is submitted by a Ukrainian citizen permanently residing abroad, the applicant is required to present a Ukrainian citizen’s passport for travel abroad;
• a certificate of state registration of civil status acts, which, at the time of application, contains incorrect, incomplete, or subject to change information;
• other documents required for the consideration of the application and the subsequent resolution of the matter.

To make changes to a registration record, there must be grounds for doing so.

Grounds for making changes to civil status records

So, among such grounds are the following court decisions:

• on recognition of paternity (maternity);
• on adoption;
• on the reversal of a previously issued court decision on recognition of paternity, the exclusion of information about the child’s father (mother) from the birth certificate, and other documents that require specific changes to civil status records.

In addition to the court decisions listed above, the grounds for making changes to the registration record may be:

• an administrative court ruling;
• a conclusion from the RCSA, diplomatic mission, or consular office of Ukraine;
• an application for recognition of paternity;
• an application from an unmarried mother, guardian, trustee, or the adult. This applies to the inclusion of information about the child’s father, if it was not initially included;
• an application from a wife or husband who has retained their premarital surnames to choose the surname of one of them as their common surname (this may also be an application to add the surname of the other spouse to their own);
• an application to change the surname of a minor child in the event of a change of surname of one of the parents (from the age of seven, the child’s consent to this must also be certified);
• a record of name change;
• a decision of the guardianship and trusteeship authority;
• a record of marriage and divorce.

Changes to the civil registration record can also be made in other specific cases where they do not conflict with current Ukrainian legislation. After reviewing the collected documents, the RCSA draws its own reasoned conclusion:

• making changes to the registration record;
• or refusing to make such changes.

If the applicant is denied amendments to the registration record, the reasons for the denial are stated in the report. The document also specifies the possibility of appealing the denial in court.

How can we be useful?

When you contact the lawyers at “Prikhodko & Partners”, who specialize in such requests, we can assist you with the following services:

1. provide advice and guidance on the actions and documents required make changes to the registration record;
2. provide legal support for the procedure, which will save you both time and effort;
3. provide representation in court if your application for changes to the registration record is unreasonably denied.

To request an initial consultation or a service for making changes to the registration civil status record, please fill out the feedback form on our website.