Getting documents from Ukraine in the USA: birth and marriage certificates and the criminal record
Checked against the official pages on 22 October 2026. How we check.
Requests are filed by the person, a legal representative (parent, guardian, adoptive parent) or someone with a power of attorney. A power of attorney certified by a U.S. notary needs an apostille and a notarized Ukrainian translation (Embassy page, in Ukrainian).
Civil-status certificates and archive papers
For each document you request, the Embassy asks for (Embassy page, in Ukrainian):
- three copies of the request form, filled out only in Ukrainian;
- your passport for travel abroad with a copy, and a copy of the internal passport;
- a copy of the document that proves your relationship to the person, if the record is someone else’s;
- the original document that gives a representative authority, if a representative files;
- the fee, by money order or cashier’s check to “Embassy of Ukraine”;
- a return envelope for the document.
The fee is $20 per document, or $50 if you want it apostilled. For the apostille you add an application and the receipt of the apostille duty, 670 hryvnias in 2026, paid separately in foreign currency to the State Treasury account the Embassy gives. Each document is paid separately.
The Embassy also has the power to issue repeat birth and marriage certificates and extracts from the State Register of Civil Status Acts itself, and points to its civil-status section for that (Embassy page, in Ukrainian).
The criminal-record certificate
There are two routes.
Online, the Ministry of Internal Affairs issues an extract at vytiah.mvs.gov.ua: it carries the ministry’s electronic seal and a QR code and goes to your email (New York page, in Ukrainian).
Through the Embassy, you file an application with your passport, a copy of your birth certificate, a money order or cashier’s check for $30 and a paid return envelope; it takes up to two months (Embassy page, in Ukrainian).
The certificate is in Ukrainian. For U.S. authorities, a U.S. notary can certify an English translation, or the Embassy does it for $40.
New York can also issue its own certificate, in Ukrainian, after checking an online extract, for $30 by money order and with an e-Consul booking (New York page, in Ukrainian).
| What | How | Fee | Usual time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil-status certificate or extract | Through the Embassy | $20 | 6 months to a year |
| The same, apostilled | Through the Embassy | $50 + 670 UAH | 6 months to a year |
| Criminal-record certificate | Through the Embassy | $30 | Up to two months |
| Criminal-record extract | Online, vytiah.mvs.gov.ua | — | Sent by email |
The times are the Embassy’s, and it warns that under martial law it cannot estimate further delays (Embassy page, in Ukrainian, criminal-record page, in Ukrainian).
- Three forms per document, in Ukrainian
- Your passport and copies
- Proof of relationship, if needed
- A money order per document
- Apostille application and duty receipt, if wanted
- A return envelope