How to Update the Photo in a Ukrainian Passport Booklet at Age 25 or 45
Holders of Ukraine's 1994-format passport booklet normally add a new photograph at age 25 and 45. Learn where to apply, which photos and documents to bring, the cost, processing time and the special martial-law deadline rules.
UA Ukraine
Documents & Identity ~ 7 min read
8 FAQ
Updated 2026-09-02
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If you hold a Ukrainian citizen passport in the 1994 booklet format and have reached age 25 or 45, you can have a new photograph inserted by applying personally to the appropriate State Migration Service (DMS) territorial unit or CNAP. The service is free. Bring the passport, an application and two 3.5 x 4.5 cm photographs showing your current appearance. The normal processing period is within 5 days and may be extended by up to 30 calendar days if additional verification is required. Normally the application is due no later than one month after turning 25 or 45, but a special martial-law rule currently protects qualifying passports whose photo-insertion deadline fell 30 days before 24 February 2022 or later: they remain identity and citizenship documents and must be updated or exchanged within 30 calendar days after martial law ends or is cancelled.
What you need
- An application for insertion of a new photograph.
- The applicant's Ukrainian citizen passport in the 1994 booklet format.
- Two photographs measuring 3.5 x 4.5 cm showing the applicant at their current age.
- If the booklet was issued by a DMS unit that has ceased operating or is temporarily unable to exercise its powers, provide all available supporting documents, including documents containing a photograph of the applicant.
- Where the ordinary statutory deadline was missed and the person seeks to retain the 1994-format booklet rather than exchange it for an ID card, DMS may require the relevant court decision under the applicable rules. The special martial-law extension should be considered before treating a current case as overdue.
Eligibility
This procedure is for a Ukrainian citizen who holds a 1994-format passport booklet and has reached 25 or 45 years of age. It is not the procedure for obtaining a first passport, replacing a lost passport or routinely updating an ID card.
How to do it
- Prepare your 1994-format passport booklet, the application and two 3.5 x 4.5 cm photographs showing your current appearance.
- Apply in person to the appropriate territorial unit of the State Migration Service of Ukraine or the relevant administrative services centre (CNAP). DMS states that an electronic-queue appointment is not required specifically for inserting the photograph at age 25 or 45.
- If your passport was issued by a DMS unit that has stopped operating or temporarily cannot exercise its powers, bring all available identity documents, particularly documents containing your photograph, so DMS can perform the necessary checks.
- DMS processes the application normally within 5 days. Where additional verification of the information supplied is necessary, the period may be extended by no more than 30 calendar days, with the applicant informed in writing.
- Collect the passport booklet with the new photograph inserted. DMS states that the resulting booklet has no fixed expiry period, subject to the applicable passport rules and future required photograph updates.
Who must update the passport booklet photo at 25 or 45?
The photograph-insertion requirement applies specifically to the 1994-format Ukrainian citizen passport booklet. Additional photographs are provided when the holder reaches age 25 and again at age 45.
This is maintenance of an existing passport booklet, not an application for a new ID card. If you have an ID card rather than the 1994 booklet, this particular photo-insertion procedure does not apply.
When do you have to insert the new photo?
Under the ordinary rule, the holder should apply no later than one month after reaching age 25 or 45. Outside an applicable exception, a person who misses that deadline may have to exchange the booklet for an ID card rather than simply insert a photograph.
How the martial-law extension changes the deadline in 2026
A special rule under Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1202 applies to 1994-format booklets where the deadline for inserting the photograph fell 30 days before 24 February 2022 or later. These passports continue to serve as documents identifying the person and confirming Ukrainian citizenship. They must be exchanged or have the appropriate photograph inserted within 30 calendar days after martial law is terminated or cancelled.
As verified on 2 September 2026, martial law remains in force: Presidential Decree No. 596/2026 extended it from 05:30 on 2 August 2026 for 90 days. This means the special protection under Resolution No. 1202 remains materially relevant in 2026.
The extension does not prevent an eligible holder from arranging the photograph insertion now. It changes the consequences and timing for passports falling within the protected period.
What documents and photographs do you need?
For the standard application, prepare:
- an application for insertion of the photograph;
- your 1994-format Ukrainian citizen passport booklet;
- two photographs measuring 3.5 x 4.5 cm that reflect your appearance at your current age.
If the passport was issued by a territorial DMS unit that has ceased operating or is temporarily unable to exercise its powers, DMS instructs applicants to provide all available additional documents, including documents containing their photograph. These can assist with identity verification.
Where do you apply?
The application is made personally, in person. DMS directs applicants to the territorial DMS unit for their registered place of residence or to the relevant CNAP. DMS also states that no electronic-queue appointment is required specifically for this passport-booklet photo service.
If you do not have an address at which you can register your residence and you are deregistered, DMS allows an application through the territorial DMS unit or CNAP corresponding to your last registered residence or your actual place of residence.
Special rules for IDPs and certain occupied territories
A person whose registered residence is in the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Sevastopol or in the specified territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions may submit the documents to a territorial DMS unit at the place of application. An internally displaced person submits through the territorial DMS unit for the place of residence confirmed by the IDP registration certificate. DMS has separate placement rules for homeless applicants.
How much does it cost and how long does it take?
The photo insertion service is free of charge.
DMS states that the application is normally processed within 5 days from application. If additional verification of the information supplied by the applicant is necessary, the processing period can be extended by no more than 30 calendar days, and the applicant must be informed in writing.
In a specific verification scenario involving a passport issued by a DMS unit that no longer operates and where DMS can identify the person through qualifying register information or documents, DMS states that the photograph may be inserted on the day of application.
What if you applied late?
DMS lists late application as a ground for refusing the ordinary photo-insertion service where a person applies more than one month after reaching 25 or 45 and does not provide the relevant court decision. In the ordinary case, the 1994-format passport must instead be exchanged for an ID card.
However, do not apply that rule mechanically to a deadline covered by the current martial-law protection. Resolution No. 1202 specifically preserves qualifying 1994-format booklets whose insertion deadline fell 30 days before 24 February 2022 or later and gives their holders 30 calendar days after martial law ends or is cancelled to insert the photograph or exchange the document.
Can you complete this procedure online or at a Ukrainian embassy?
No online submission route is provided for this service. DMS requires the applicant to submit the application personally.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that Ukrainian diplomatic missions abroad cannot issue a new or extend an existing Ukrainian internal passport, whether a booklet or ID card. The MFA also points Ukrainians abroad to the same martial-law validity rule for qualifying 1994-format booklets without the age-25 or age-45 photograph.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Trying to use this procedure for an ID card instead of a 1994-format passport booklet.
- Bringing only one photograph instead of the required two photographs.
- Using photographs that are not the required 3.5 x 4.5 cm size.
- Assuming the procedure can be completed entirely online when personal submission is required.
- Assuming every late photograph automatically makes the booklet invalid without first checking whether the special martial-law protection under Resolution No. 1202 applies.
- Failing to bring additional available identity documents when the passport was issued by a DMS unit that has ceased operating or temporarily cannot exercise its powers.
What happens after DMS approves the application?
The result is your Ukrainian citizen passport booklet returned with the new age-appropriate photograph inserted. DMS describes the validity period of the resulting passport as unlimited, while the holder remains subject to the applicable passport rules, including the separate photograph requirement when reaching the next relevant age.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to change the photo in my Ukrainian passport booklet when I turn 25?
Yes. Holders of the 1994-format Ukrainian passport booklet are required to add a new photograph at age 25. The same requirement applies again at age 45.
How many photos do I need for a Ukrainian passport booklet at age 25 or 45?
You need two photographs measuring 3.5 x 4.5 cm and showing your appearance at your current age.
How much does it cost to insert a new photo into a Ukrainian passport booklet?
The State Migration Service states that insertion of the age-25 or age-45 photograph is free of charge.
How long does the passport photo update take?
The normal processing period is within 5 days from application. If additional verification is required, the period may be extended by no more than 30 calendar days and the applicant must be informed in writing.
Can I update my Ukrainian passport booklet photo online?
No. The application must be submitted personally. DMS says an electronic-queue appointment is not required specifically for inserting the photo at age 25 or 45.
Is my passport booklet still valid if I turned 25 or 45 during martial law and did not add the photo?
If the deadline for inserting the photograph fell 30 days before 24 February 2022 or later, Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1202 provides that the qualifying booklet remains a document identifying the person and confirming Ukrainian citizenship. It must be updated or exchanged within 30 calendar days after martial law is terminated or cancelled.
What happens if I missed the normal one-month deadline?
Under the ordinary rule, DMS may refuse simple photograph insertion after the one-month deadline unless the applicable court-decision requirements are met, and the booklet is generally exchanged for an ID card. Cases protected by the special martial-law extension under Resolution No. 1202 must be treated according to that exception.
Can a Ukrainian embassy abroad insert the age-25 or age-45 photo into my internal passport?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that Ukrainian diplomatic missions abroad cannot issue a new or extend an existing Ukrainian internal passport. Ukrainians abroad with qualifying booklets are also covered by the special wartime validity rule in Resolution No. 1202.
Official sources
State Migration Service of Ukraine - Inserting photographs into a Ukrainian citizen passport at age 25 and 45Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine - Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1202 on migration documents during martial lawVerkhovna Rada of Ukraine - Ministry of Internal Affairs Order No. 456 on the temporary passport procedureVerkhovna Rada of Ukraine - Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 302 on Ukrainian citizen passportsPresident of Ukraine - Decree No. 596/2026 extending martial law from 2 August 2026Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine - Ukrainian internal passports and ID cards abroadRelated procedures
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