How does a foreigner get a criminal record certificate (police clearance) in Ukraine?

What a criminal record certificate is

What people usually call a criminal record certificate, or police clearance, is officially an extract from the information and analytical system of the МВС (Ministry of Internal Affairs, MVS) called "Record of information on bringing a person to criminal liability and having a criminal record". The procedure for issuing it was approved by MVS Order No. 207. The extract shows whether a person has a criminal record in Ukraine. The full version also shows criminal liability and procedural restrictions.

A foreigner may need the certificate for work, study, adoption or guardianship, or for paperwork in their home country or a third country. Employers sometimes ask for it too. Other documents for your first months in Ukraine are covered in the guide to first steps.

Full or short extract

The short extract only states whether a person has a criminal record. The full one also shows whether the person has been brought to criminal liability and whether any restrictions under criminal procedure law apply.

How to order online

An electronic request is filed through Дія (Diia, the Ukrainian state app) or through the MVS e-services. To use Diia, a foreigner has to be logged in to the app and hold a biometric посвідка (residence permit) and a податковий номер (individual tax number, IPN). How a foreigner uses Diia is explained in the article on Diia for foreigners.

The request states the purpose, the type of extract and how you want to receive it. Three formats are on offer:

When your data are in the system and need no additional check, the extract is generated automatically.

• an electronic extract;
• an electronic extract printed at a ЦНАП (administrative service centre, TsNAP);
• a paper extract with an apostille.

Paper request for a foreigner

A foreigner without a residence permit or a tax number files a paper request in person or through a representative. The MVS order spells out what has to be shown. It is a passport or other identity document with a Ukrainian translation whose accuracy a notary has certified, and a document with your tax number, if you have one. A representative also brings a document confirming their authority to act for you.

The notarised passport translation is needed precisely because the MVS system stores data in Ukrainian. Your name in the translation must match your other Ukrainian documents, otherwise the search in the system may fail. How to order a translation correctly is explained in the article on notarised translation.

An extract for use abroad

Another country will need a paper extract with an apostille, and you can order the apostille together with the request. An electronic extract printed at a TsNAP will not work here, because it cannot be apostilled or legalised by a consulate.

A Ukrainian certificate or one from home

The Ukrainian certificate reflects records in Ukraine only. For some migration procedures, for example an immigration permit or citizenship, the authorities may also require a criminal record certificate from your country of citizenship or permanent residence. That certificate is issued by the competent authorities of that country, then legalised and translated for use in Ukraine.

So when you plan long-term steps, find out in advance exactly which certificate a given procedure requires. Sometimes it is easier to get the home-country certificate while you are still there than to arrange it later from Ukraine through relatives or a representative.

How long the certificate is valid

The law does not set a validity period for the extract. It records the information as of the date and time it was generated. How recent the extract must be is decided by the authority that receives it, and that is where to check the requirement before you order.

Lawyer's experience

Most problems with the certificate come from the name. If the passport translation spells your name differently from your earlier Ukrainian documents, the search in the MVS system may not find you, or may find the wrong person. That is why, before a paper request, we compare the translation with all of the client's documents.

My second tip concerns the purpose. If the certificate is meant for another country, order a paper one with an apostille straight away. An electronic extract printed at a TsNAP cannot be reworked, so you would have to file a new request and wait all over again.

If you would rather not deal with the request and the translation yourself, we handle obtaining a criminal record certificate from the request through to the extract in the form you need.

Frequently asked questions