Where a translation cannot be avoided
Ukrainian authorities work with documents in Ukrainian. That is why almost every procedure for a foreigner starts with a translation of the passport. Cabinet of Ministers Procedure No. 322 requires a translation of the passport page with personal data, certified in the manner prescribed by law, for a посвідка (temporary residence permit, TRP). The Law "On Employment of the Population" requires the same for a дозвіл на застосування праці (work permit). Other first documents of a foreigner are covered in the guide to first steps in Ukraine.
Besides the passport, the foreign documents on which the ground for a permit rests are translated as well. Typical examples are a marriage certificate for a TRP through marriage, children's birth certificates for family reunification, and diplomas or academic certificates. These documents are first legalised in the country of issue and only then translated.
Document checklist
0/4 doneWhat a "certified translation" means
The rules for the TRP and the work permit say "certified in the prescribed manner" and do not use the word "notarial". In practice the ДМС (State Migration Service, DMS) and the центри зайнятості (employment centres) accept a translation on which a notary has certified the translator's signature. A translation bearing only a translation agency's stamp is generally not good enough for these procedures, so we go straight for a notarised one.
There are exceptions. To obtain a податковий номер (individual tax number, IPN) without a TRP, a passport translation certified with a translation agency's stamp is sufficient. And once the foreigner holds a TRP, no passport translation is needed for the tax number at all, because the TRP itself identifies the person. The tax number is covered in detail in the article on the tax number for a foreigner.
The name in the translation becomes the reference
What matters most in a passport translation is not the stamp but the spelling of the name. The name passes from the translation into the permit application, into the work permit itself, into the TRP and then into bank agreements. If Ukrainian documents have already been issued to the foreigner, the name in a new translation must match them letter for letter.
The spelling of the name in the translation is decided individually. The main requirement is that it matches the Ukrainian documents the person already holds.
Small differences such as І and Ї, or Е and Є, mean a different person as far as the register is concerned. More traps of this kind are described in the article on mistakes that lead to a residence permit refusal.
Foreign documents need the apostille first
A marriage certificate or diploma issued abroad does not work in Ukraine without legalisation. For Hague Convention countries an apostille is placed, for other countries consular legalisation is arranged, and with some countries no legalisation is needed at all. All of this is done in the country that issued the document. How to tell which procedure applies is explained in the article on apostille and legalisation.
Order matters here. First comes the apostille on the original, then the translation in Ukraine together with the apostille. If the document is translated abroad, the translation will also need to be certified, and sometimes apostilled separately.
Which translation for which procedure
Requirements for the translation differ slightly from one authority to another.
How to check a translation
Check the translation with the passport in hand, character by character. Compare the passport number with the machine-readable zone at the bottom of the photo page, not with earlier documents. Check the date and place of birth against the original. For citizens of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan the passport number has a set number of characters, and an extra digit added by text recognition software turns up more often than you might expect.
If an error is found after notarisation, it is safer to have the document translated again. Handwritten corrections on a certified translation are risky, because a document with corrections that have not been certified may be rejected.
Lawyer's experience
In our practice most problems with translations begin when a client brings a translation made "somewhere, some time ago". The name in it is spelled differently from the Ukrainian documents already issued, and nobody noticed. That is why we translate the passport ourselves and, before translating, check the spelling against all of the client's documents.
Our second tip is about spare copies. A notarised passport translation will be needed for several procedures in a row, from the work permit to the TRP. Order several copies at once, because that costs less than going back to the notary.
If you need a translation without the risk of mismatches, we provide notarised translation of documents with a check against your earlier documents. What else goes into the work permit package is described in the article on documents for a work permit.
Official sources
Frequently asked questions
Can I translate my passport myself?+
For the State Migration Service and the employment centre, the translation must be certified in the manner prescribed by law, which in practice means a notary certifying the translator's signature. A translation you make yourself without certification is not accepted by these authorities.
Do I need a passport translation if I already have a residence permit?+
Not for a tax number, because the residence permit already identifies you in Ukrainian. For other procedures, such as a new work permit, a passport translation is still needed separately.
Can I have a document translated abroad?+
You can, but then the translation also has to be certified and, where required, legalised or apostilled. It is simpler to apostille the original in the country of issue and have it translated once you are in Ukraine.
Why does the spelling of my name in the translation matter so much?+
Because the name passes from the translation into the work permit, the residence permit and every later document. A difference of a single letter from your earlier Ukrainian documents can become a ground for refusing a residence permit.
Is a translation agency's stamp enough?+
Only for a tax number obtained without a residence permit. For a work permit and a residence permit we always use a translation on which a notary has certified the translator's signature, because an agency stamp alone is generally not accepted there.
This article is general guidance, not individual legal advice.