How to Get a Replacement Birth Certificate in Ukraine if the Original Is Lost or Damaged

When should you request a replacement birth certificate?

If your Ukrainian birth certificate has been lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed, you can request a repeat birth certificate based on the existing civil status record.

This is not a new registration of birth. The civil registration authority uses the birth record already held in the State Register of Civil Status Acts or the relevant archive and issues another certificate based on that record.

Diia confirms that a repeat certificate has the same legal force as the certificate originally issued.

Do you need a replacement certificate or a birth extract?

A repeat birth certificate and an extract from the birth register are separate official products. If you lost the paper birth certificate and need another certificate with the same legal function, use the repeat birth certificate service.

Do not order a birth-register extract merely because the original certificate is missing unless the institution asking for evidence specifically accepts or requires an extract. Diia lists Repeat issuance of a birth certificate and Birth extract as separate services.

Who can obtain a repeat birth certificate?

The person whose birth was registered can request their own repeat certificate. Ukrainian civil-registration rules also allow birth certificates for children, regardless of their age, to be issued repeatedly to their parents and adoptive parents where the legal conditions are satisfied.

The current Diia service also states that a child who has a passport may request the document. Other persons can receive a repeat certificate where legislation specifically gives them that right and they provide the documents needed to establish their entitlement.

If your situation involves guardianship, representation or another special legal relationship, it is safer to apply through a civil registration office with the documents proving your authority rather than assuming the standard online route will cover the case.

How do you order a replacement birth certificate online?

The quickest remote route is the official Diia repeat birth certificate service.

The online process is straightforward:

1. sign in or register in your Diia citizen account;
2. complete the online application for the repeat certificate;
3. select delivery to an Ukrposhta branch or by Ukrposhta courier;
4. pay the required amount;
5. sign the application with an electronic signature or Diia.Signature;
6. submit it to the state civil registration authority;
7. track the status in your Diia account and wait for the email notification;
8. receive the document using your selected delivery method.

Diia estimates that completing the application takes approximately 10 minutes.

How much does a replacement birth certificate cost?

The official state duty for repeat issuance is UAH 0.51. This corresponds to 0.03 of the non-taxable minimum income used for the statutory state-duty calculation.

If you order through Diia and choose postal or courier delivery, the Ukrposhta delivery charge is additional. The delivery amount depends on the option presented during the application and should be checked before payment.

If you are legally exempt from the state duty, provide the document establishing that exemption when the relevant procedure requires it.

How long does it take?

For the current online Diia service, the stated service-delivery period is 3 working days.

Diia warns that processing may take longer because of air alerts or electricity outages.

For an application made directly to a state civil registration office, the official administrative-services guide states that the repeat certificate is normally issued on the day of application when the applicant is entitled to receive it and the record can be processed.

What do you need for an in-person application?

For an offline application, the official administrative-services guidance requires an application and documents that allow the authority to identify both the applicant and the right to obtain the certificate.

Depending on the situation, this can include:

• a Ukrainian passport, foreign passport document or another accepted identity document;
• documents proving the applicant's right to receive the repeat certificate;
• documents proving the family relationship where this is necessary;
• proof of a representative's authority if representation is legally permitted;
• proof that the state duty was paid or proof of an exemption;
• a certified Ukrainian translation where a required supporting document is in another language.

The application itself is formed and registered using the civil-status register system when handled by the competent authority.

Where can you apply in person?

The service is provided by Ukraine's state civil registration offices, commonly referred to as DRACTS or DRATS offices. The official Diia administrative-services guide also identifies Centres for the Provision of Administrative Services, known as CNAPs, and Ukrainian diplomatic missions and consular posts as service channels in applicable cases.

If you need the certificate while outside Ukraine, Ukrainian diplomatic missions and consular institutions can provide civil-registration services within their competence. The appropriate route can depend on where the underlying birth record is held.

How will you receive an online order?

The current birth-certificate service on Diia lets you choose between delivery to an Ukrposhta branch and Ukrposhta courier delivery.

Monitor your application status in the Diia citizen account under ordered services. Diia also sends an email notification as the application progresses.

If someone else needs to handle the matter for you, do not assume that person can simply collect an online order. Diia advises representatives who need to act for another person to use the appropriate offline procedure and establish their authority there.

What happens if your application is refused?

If the state registrar refuses to issue the certificate, the authority must state the reason. Common statutory grounds include the applicant not having the legal right to receive the repeat certificate or failure to provide evidence of payment of the state duty or a valid exemption.

For an online application, Diia advises correcting the problem identified by the registrar and submitting the request again. The current Diia guidance states that you do not need to pay the service fee again after correcting the identified deficiency.

What if the birth was registered many years ago?

Older civil-status records may no longer be held by the active civil registration office. Diia specifically advises that where 75 years have passed since the birth registration and the civil-status record has not subsequently been restored, you should contact the relevant regional state archive and request the available archival duplicate or record.

This is important for older family records: repeatedly submitting the standard Diia request will not solve a case where the underlying record has already been transferred to archival custody.

Are there territorial restrictions on the online service?

The current Diia service states that repeat birth certificate issuance is unavailable in temporarily occupied territories and areas of active hostilities where the service cannot operate.

Availability can change as official territorial classifications and government systems are updated. If your record or current location is affected, check the current Diia service and the competent civil registration authority for the available route.

What rules govern replacement birth certificates?

The legal framework includes the Law of Ukraine On State Registration of Civil Status Acts and the civil-registration rules issued by the Ministry of Justice.

For the current procedure, applicants should rely on the official Diia birth certificate service and the Diia administrative-services guide.