How to tie the knot in Kyiv
casinos, getting hitched here is a bit more complicated than rolling up to a Las Vegas chapel and saying ТI do.У
The process is very much dependent on the whims of local bureaucrats and can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months.
A marriage between two expatriates requires that one of them live in Ukraine. However, the rules are murky about the length of residence and other conditions. ItХs probably best to spring for the plane ticket home and celebrate with your family. That way, you also avoid bitter relatives.
The much more likely scenario of an ex-pat getting married to a Ukrainian citizen also is fraught with hassles. If you have been married before, you must get the original divorce decree or death certificate and have it authenticated by the Ukrainian Embassy or consulate in your home country.
Next, go to your embassy in Kyiv and fill out a sworn statement, both in your language and in Ukrainian, that you donХt have a spouse waiting for you abroad. Most embassies charge a fee for this.
The oath must be authenticated at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine at Mykhailivska Ploscha, tel. 293-1266, 293-4488. The ministry accepts documents from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. You can pick them up between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Same-day service costs Hr 40, and next-day service costs Hr 20. Pay the fee to account number 141924 at any branch of the National Bank of Ukraine.
Then, get an official translation of the data page of your passport, as well as any divorce or death certificates regarding all your former spouses.
By now, you should have a small mountain of documents, including your passport, its translation, original death and divorce certificates, their translations, and the oath that you are free to marry unimpeded by any straggling spouses. Bring them all to the local ZAGS, (ask your Ukrainian fiance if you want to hear any anecdotes about ZAGS, the place where all births, deaths, marriages and similar changes in circumstance are recorded). At this point, you are ready to get married.
Central ZAGS in Kyiv is at 11 Prospekt Peremogy, tel. 274-0282. Be prepared to wait for a while Р busy ZAGS offices are often overwhelmed with couples taking the plunge.
Jake Rudnitsky
