Young people born after 1991 who have lived their entire lives under occupation have faced particular problems obtaining documents because they never received Ukrainian passports. According to Sybiha, current legal rules made it difficult for them to confirm their identity and citizenship and, as a result, to get the documents needed to return to Ukraine.
The Foreign Ministry took an active role in developing the new mechanism together with other state agencies and bodies dealing with reintegration issues. As a result, an experimental procedure has been introduced to simplify the process.
Sybiha said Ukrainian citizens born in temporarily occupied territories who have never received Ukrainian passports will now be able to obtain, free of charge, a certificate allowing them to return to Ukraine through Ukrainian diplomatic missions abroad. After returning, they will be able to receive a national ID card and an international passport.
A simplified identity verification process has also been introduced. In particular, identity can be confirmed based on testimony from an adult family member who is a Ukrainian citizen, including remotely by video link.
According to Sybiha, applicants will be able to apply at:
- Ukraine’s Embassy in Belarus,
- Ukraine’s Embassy in Georgia,
- Ukraine’s Embassy in Armenia,
- Ukraine’s Embassy in Kazakhstan,
- Ukraine’s Embassy in Turkiye,
- as well as the consulates general in Istanbul and Antalya.
On March 1, Dina Urikh, program director of the Plakhta charitable foundation, told NV in an interview that young Ukrainians who grew up in temporarily occupied territories and have not yet received their first Ukrainian passport face serious bureaucratic obstacles when trying to leave for government-controlled Ukrainian territory and obtain documents.
The main problem is the complicated identity verification procedure, which often requires documents or testimony from relatives — something many people do not have access to because of the occupation or difficult family circumstances. Despite some previous simplifications, the process of obtaining documents can still take months and in practice makes it harder for young people to return to and integrate into Ukraine.