The law on changing a surname explained
Reference information: rules, amounts and deadlines change. Check the date of the material and the official sources.
The law on changing a surname explained
Ukrainian legislation allows a citizen of Ukraine to change their surname, first name or patronymic. A surname may be changed for several reasons, set out in the table below:
| Reason for the change | Surname | First name | Patronymic |
|---|---|---|---|
| At one’s own request | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Marriage (registration, divorce, annulment) | ✔ | — | — |
| Adoption (revocation of adoption) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Change of the father’s name or removal of data from the civil status record | — | — | ✔ |
Under Article 35 of the Family Code of Ukraine, a couple getting married may choose the surname of either of them as their common married surname or continue using their own pre-marriage surnames. In addition, the bride or groom may add the partner’s surname to their own.
Article 113 of the Family Code of Ukraine governs the right to choose a surname after divorce: a person who changed their surname on registering the marriage may, after the divorce, keep the new surname or return to their pre-marriage surname.
A change of name (surname, first name or patronymic) in Ukraine means the internal passport of a citizen of Ukraine must be replaced within one month. The international passport can be replaced or applied for at the same time.
If you need to submit to the competent Italian authorities an explanatory certificate on Ukrainian legislation on changing a surname, to account for discrepancies in personal data, citizens of Ukraine living in the consular district of the Consulate General of Ukraine may apply to the Consulate.
To obtain the certificate, you must provide:
- A valid international passport of a citizen of Ukraine + 2 copies of its first page.
- The original birth certificate + a copy (+ a copy of its Italian translation, if available).
- The original certificate of marriage, of divorce, or of the death of one of the spouses + a copy (+ a copy of its Italian translation, if available).
- If there is no marriage or divorce certificate, an extract from the State Register of Civil Status Acts showing the pre-marriage surname + a copy (+ a copy of its Italian translation, if available).
The certificate is issued in Ukrainian and, at the applicant’s request, can also be provided in Italian. It can be issued urgently (within 5 days) or under the standard procedure (10 working days). The date on which the certificate will be ready is set by the consular officer who accepts the documents, who gives the applicant a receipt stating the time and date of issue.
Cost of the certificate
The cost of the certificate is set according to the approved consular fee schedule. The fee is paid by bank card at the POS terminal in the public reception hall.
The certificate can be collected in person on the day and at the time set by the consular officer. To do so, you must present your original passport and the receipt issued when you submitted the documents.
