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Author: Ilona Melnychuk, attorneyThe key points in brief
A Ukrainian court decision or certificate of dissolution of marriage has no legal force in another state on its own: for a foreign institution to recognize it, the document most often needs to be apostilled. Below we explain who affixes the apostille on divorce documents in 2026 and how, how much it costs, how long it takes, and in which cases an apostille is really needed and when you can do without it.
An apostille is a special stamp that confirms the authenticity of the signature, the authority of the person who signed the document, and the authenticity of the seal or stamp on it. It was introduced by the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. Ukraine acceded to this convention, and it has been in force for Ukraine since 22 December 2003. More than 120 states are parties to the convention.
The practical value of the apostille is that it replaces the complex procedure of consular legalization. A single stamp affixed in Ukraine makes your divorce document valid for the authorities of another state party to the convention: the foreign institution will not require additional confirmations from Ukrainian consulates or ministries. That is why the apostille is often called a simplified form of legalization, and for most everyday situations abroad it alone is sufficient. It is also important to understand the limit of this certification: the apostille attests to the authenticity of the signature and seal on the document, but does not verify the correctness or lawfulness of the content of the divorce decision itself.
An apostille is needed when you submit a Ukrainian divorce document to the official authorities of a country that is a party to the Hague Convention. Parties to the convention include most European Union states, the USA, the United Kingdom and many other countries to which Ukrainians most often travel, so an apostille is precisely what is needed for them. In practice these are most often the following situations:
At the same time, an apostille is not always needed. With a number of countries Ukraine has bilateral legal assistance treaties under which official documents are accepted without an apostille (for example, with Poland, the Czech Republic and some other states). In practice the institutions of a foreign country sometimes still ask for an apostille, so this is worth finding out in advance. If the destination state is not a party to the Hague Convention at all, an apostille will not do: full consular legalization applies there, consisting of several stages involving the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the consulate. The advice is simple: before spending time and money, check with the authority that will accept the document what exactly it needs, an apostille, consular legalization, or a document without additional certification.
The apostille on divorce documents is affixed by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. It is the Ministry of Justice that is responsible for apostilling documents issued by courts and justice authorities, and the latter include the civil status registration authorities (DRATsS). That is, both a court decision on the dissolution of a marriage and a certificate or register extract issued by DRATsS are apostilled by a single authority, the Ministry of Justice, through its central office, territorial bodies and electronic register.
For comparison: the apostille on education documents is affixed by the Ministry of Education and Science, and on a number of other official documents by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But for divorce documents only the Ministry of Justice is relevant, so there is no need to turn to other agencies. This simplifies the task: you know exactly where to submit the application regardless of whether you divorced through the court or through DRATsS.
The apostille is affixed on an official document that confirms the fact of the dissolution of the marriage, and depending on the method of divorce such a document may be a court decision, a certificate of dissolution of marriage, or a register extract. If the marriage was dissolved through the courts, the key document is the court decision on the dissolution of a marriage, and the apostille is affixed precisely on it. If the marriage was dissolved through DRATsS, the role of such a document is played by the certificate of dissolution of marriage or extract on the dissolution of marriage.
Choose the document that the foreign institution asks for: for some an extract is sufficient, while others need precisely the court decision or the certificate. It is important to remember that the apostille is not affixed on an ordinary photocopy. The original of a properly executed document or its official or notarized copy is required. We also advise taking a fresh copy: if you have a very old copy on hand, it is easier to order a new extract or duplicate than to risk a refusal.
Yes, the court divorce decision must have entered into legal force, and the copy must bear the corresponding mark of the court. Without this the apostille will not be affixed. As a general rule, a decision of the court of first instance enters into legal force after the term for an appeal expires, which is 30 days, if no one has appealed it. Read more about the deadlines and grounds in the article on how to appeal a court decision on the dissolution of a marriage.
This is directly related to the moment of termination of the marriage: under Article 114 of the Family Code, a marriage dissolved by a court decision terminates on the day that decision enters into legal force. Therefore it makes sense to order the apostille only after the decision has become final. A copy with a mark of entry into legal force is issued by the court that made the decision. What such a decision contains and what actions are worth taking after it is made is described in detail in a separate article on a court decision on the dissolution of a marriage.
The procedure can be reduced to several sequential steps. Here is the general order of actions in 2026:
After the apostille is affixed, the document usually still needs to be translated into the language of the destination country and the translation notarized, which is discussed below. If you engage an attorney or a specialized company, they take on most of these steps under a power of attorney.
The main official charge for an apostille is the administrative fee, which for individuals in 2026 is about UAH 670. This amount is calculated as 0.2 of the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons, which from 1 January 2026 is UAH 3,328, so the amount of the fee changes slightly each year. For legal entities the fee is higher and is about UAH 1,160, but in divorce cases the applicants are usually individuals.
In addition to the fee itself, it is worth budgeting for related costs: making an official or notarized copy of the document, translation and its notarization, and the services of a representative under a power of attorney if you engage one or a specialized company. Private intermediaries also offer expedited processing for a separate, sometimes significant, charge. Therefore the final turnkey cost can be several times higher than the official fee, and that is normal: you are paying not only for the stamp, but also for the preparation and support of the whole package. The details for paying the fee and its current amount should be checked directly before submission, since they are tied to the subsistence minimum and are updated.
As a general rule, a decision to affix the apostille is made within about three working days from the moment the application is registered. This term is provided for by the updated procedure in force from 2026. If additional verification of the document’s authenticity or a request to the issuing authority is needed, the term may be longer and sometimes reach several weeks.
It is important to take into account that this is the term only of the procedure at the Ministry of Justice itself. To it is added the time to obtain a proper copy at the court or DRATsS and, after the apostille, the time for translation and notarization. Therefore, if the documents are needed by a specific date abroad, plan the process with a margin of several weeks rather than days.
From 1 February 2026 a new procedure for affixing the apostille is in force, approved by an order of the Ministry of Justice (No. 3177/5 of 20 November 2025), and the main innovation is the transition to a digital format. An updated electronic register of apostilles has been introduced, through which an application can be submitted online, and the apostille itself may be issued in electronic form. Outdated requirements, such as submitting samples of signatures and seal impressions, have also been abolished.
The practical advantages for the applicant are as follows: fewer papers, the ability to submit an application remotely and to verify the completed apostille online in the register by its number, which is convenient both for you and for the foreign institution that will want to make sure of its authenticity. At the same time the transition is still ongoing, and not all stages are equally available to everyone and in all situations, so the specific method of submission is worth clarifying before applying. The general direction is obvious: the apostille in Ukraine is becoming digital and more accessible.
An apostille does not replace a translation: in most cases a foreign institution requires a notarized translation of the document into the language of the destination country as well. The apostille is affixed on the divorce document itself, not on the translation. The further order of actions depends on the requirements of the specific state: in some countries it is sufficient to make a translation in Ukraine and notarize it, in others the translation must be performed on the spot by a sworn or accredited translator, and sometimes an additional apostille on the notarized translation itself is required.
The recognition of a Ukrainian divorce abroad also depends on the country and the circumstances of the case, especially if one of the spouses is a foreigner; we examine these nuances in the article on dissolution of a marriage with a foreigner. And if you live outside Ukraine and cannot come in person, an apostille can realistically be arranged remotely through a representative under a power of attorney; practical options are described in the article on how to get a divorce from abroad. To avoid having to redo the package twice, the most reliable approach is to clarify the requirements in writing in advance with the institution or consulate to which you will submit the documents.
No. The apostille is affixed on the original of a properly executed document or on its official or notarized copy. A simple photocopy without certification is not accepted. For a court decision a mark of entry into legal force is also mandatory.
The apostille itself has no term of validity and does not expire. However, a foreign institution may require a relatively fresh document, for example an extract issued within the last few months. Therefore it is sometimes easier to order a new extract with an apostille than to use a document that is many years old.
Yes. A certificate and an extract on the dissolution of marriage issued by DRATsS authorities are apostilled by the same Ministry of Justice as court decisions. We explain the difference between a certificate and an extract in separate articles of the cluster on divorce documents.
Often no: with a number of states Ukraine has legal assistance treaties under which official documents are accepted without an apostille. But in practice a specific institution sometimes still requires an apostille, so this question is worth clarifying directly with the authority that will accept the document.
Yes. An apostille can be ordered by your representative in Ukraine under a notarized power of attorney or by a specialized company. With the development of the electronic register, part of the actions can be performed remotely. Read more about the remote options in the article on how to get a divorce from abroad.
The apostille is affixed on the divorce document itself, that is, on the original or a certified copy, and not on the translation. The translation is made separately after the apostilling and notarized. Some countries additionally require an apostille on the notarized translation as well.
The procedure is the same: you obtain a certificate or extract on the dissolution of the marriage at DRATsS, and the apostille on this document is affixed by the Ministry of Justice. There is no need to turn to the court separately in that case.
Soviet-era documents are not accepted for an apostille directly. First you need to re-obtain the corresponding document from a modern DRATsS authority, and only then affix the apostille on it. This also applies to old marriage or divorce certificates.
Ilona MelnychukAttorney, Lexon law firmSpecializes in family, civil, and commercial cases. Over 15 years of practice: representing clients’ interests in courts and negotiations.Author: Ilona Melnychuk, attorney In Brief You can dissolve a marriage through the registry office (DRATS, the body for the state registration of civil status
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