Ukrainian law on patronymics explained

The name of a citizen of Ukraine is given in accordance with current legislation. Under the second paragraph of Article 28(1) of the Civil Code of Ukraine, the name of a natural person who is a citizen of Ukraine consists of their surname, their own first name and their patronymic, unless otherwise provided by law or by the custom of the national minority to which the person belongs.

Under Article 147(1) of the Family Code of Ukraine, a child’s patronymic is derived from the father’s first name.

In Italy, as in many other countries, there is no tradition of using a patronymic. A person’s name usually consists only of a surname and a first name.

A general explanation, in Italian, of the provisions of Ukrainian law on the first names, surnames and patronymics of citizens of Ukraine can be viewed and downloaded on the Italian version of the official website.

If you need to submit to the competent Italian authorities a certificate explaining Ukrainian law on first names, surnames or patronymics, citizens of Ukraine living in the consular district of the Consulate General of Ukraine can make an application for one.

To obtain the certificate, you must provide:

• the completed application form;
• a valid Ukrainian international passport + 2 copies of its first page;
• if you have one, copies of the first and second pages of your Ukrainian internal passport;
• the original birth certificate + a copy (and, if available, a translation into Italian);
• documents confirming a change of surname, if the surname on the birth certificate does not match the one in the passport.

The certificate is issued in Ukrainian, but at the applicant’s request it can also be issued in Italian. It is produced either urgently (within 5 working days) or as standard (within 10 working days). The consular officer sets the date the certificate will be ready and issues a receipt stating the time and date of collection.

The consular fee is paid by bank card at the POS terminal in the public reception hall.

The certificate must be collected in person, on presentation of the original passport and the receipt received when the documents were submitted.

Conclusion

Ukrainian law requires the surname, first name and patronymic to be used to identify citizens. In Italy and other countries, however, there is no tradition of using a patronymic, and a person’s name consists only of a surname and a first name. Citizens of Ukraine living abroad can obtain an explanation of Ukrainian law on first names, surnames and patronymics from the consular offices. To do so, they must submit the relevant documents, and the certificate can be issued in Ukrainian or Italian, depending on the applicant’s needs.