Who can get a permit as a family member
The Law 'On the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Persons' allows the families of foreigners who live in Ukraine lawfully to join them and obtain permits of their own. This ground is called family reunification. Paragraph 33 of Procedure No. 322 extends it to the families of foreigners living in Ukraine on most grounds, from work and study to volunteering. It also covers the families of servicemembers.
In most cases the people joining are the husband or wife and the children of a foreigner who holds a посвідка (temporary residence permit, TRP). The general rules of the process are set out in our guide to the TRP. If you are married to a Ukrainian citizen, that is a different ground, covered in the article on a TRP through marriage.
Document checklist
0/7 doneWhich documents you need
Subparagraph 12 of paragraph 33 of the Procedure adds three documents to the basic package, which is the same for every ground. The first confirms that the person is a family member under the law of their country of origin. Usually this is a marriage certificate or a child's birth certificate. The second confirms that the host family member has enough money to support the family. The third is the host's own permit, and it is handed in personally by the person it was issued to.
Originals are returned after checking, and copies certified by an officer of the ДМС (State Migration Service, DMS) are attached to the application form. The basic package, meaning the passport, its translation, the insurance policy and the fee receipt, is covered in the article on documents for a TRP.
Legalising family documents
Marriage and birth certificates issued abroad have no effect in Ukraine until they are legalised. Countries that are party to the Hague Convention use an apostille, others go through consular legalisation, and with some countries Ukraine has treaties under which no legalisation is needed at all. The document is also translated into Ukrainian.
Start with this part of the case. The documents usually have to be ordered in the country that issued them, and that is the longest stage of the whole process. Family reunification is often held up by the apostille or legalisation alone, while the rest of the package has long been ready.
Financial support
Under the Procedure, the host has to provide a document showing sufficient financial means to support the family members. In our practice it takes the form of a notarised statement by the host family member, a letter of guarantee of financial support. If you book in advance, it can be signed at a notary on the day of filing.
Different DMS offices may read these requirements differently, both on the amount of support and on which documents prove it. So before filing we confirm them with the specific office that will handle the case.
Type D visa and filing
For most nationalities, a family member obtains a long-stay type D visa at a Ukrainian consulate before applying for the permit. Those who need no visa for a TRP under the law or an international treaty file without leaving Ukraine, except citizens of the aggressor state. Documents are filed at the place of residence with the DMS, a ЦНАП (administrative service centre, TsNAP) or a state enterprise of the DMS.
Citizens of some countries are invited to an interview, and the questions will cover family ties as well. Be ready to show that the family is genuine and lives together, and bring the documents for your housing.
Your family's permits depend on yours
A family member's permit depends on the permit of the person they joined. If the host loses their ground, a job for example, every permit in the family is at risk. Plan a change of employer or of ground so that your relatives are not left exposed. What to do once the cards are issued is explained in the article on steps after getting a TRP.
Lawyer's experience
What most often slows family reunification down is not the DMS but the documents from home. A marriage certificate was issued ten years ago, it uses an old transliteration of the surname, and an apostille can only be added in the issuing country. That is why I advise clients to order these documents before they even receive their own permit.
My second piece of advice is about names. The spelling of a wife's or child's name in the certificate translation must match the way it is written in their passports and in their future permits. A mismatch of a single letter is enough to halt the case.
If you want to bring your family over without extra trips, we handle the residence permit process for family members from the document check to the issued cards. The work route, which is what usually supports the host's own permit, is covered in the article on a work-based TRP.
Official sources
Frequently asked questions
Who can join me as a family member?+
Most often a husband or wife and children. The family tie is proved by a document under which the person counts as your family member under the law of their country of origin, which in practice means a marriage or birth certificate.
Do I have to come to the Migration Service in person?+
Yes. The Procedure requires the host family member's permit to be handed in by the person it was issued to. An exception is made for servicemembers who cannot come to the State Migration Service during martial law.
What is financial support and how do I prove it?+
It is proof that the host family member can support the relatives who join them. In our practice it is drawn up as a notarised statement by the host, a letter of guarantee of financial support, but the exact requirements are worth checking with your local office of the State Migration Service.
What happens to my family's permits if I lose mine?+
Your family members' permits rest on your ground. If yours goes, theirs are put in question too, so a change of job or of ground has to be planned with the whole family in mind.
How is this different from a residence permit through marriage to a Ukrainian?+
Marriage to a Ukrainian citizen is a separate ground with its own package. There is no need to prove financial support, and the Ukrainian spouse's citizen passport is filed with the application.
This article is general guidance, not individual legal advice.