Children, citizenship, and dual citizenship

This page is for Turkish citizens whose child was born in Ukraine and for families with a Ukrainian spouse. It explains registering the birth in Ukraine, registering the child in the Turkish civil registry, identity card and passport procedures, Ukrainian citizenship, and the dual-citizenship rules of both countries. The rules for leaving Ukraine with the child are at the end of the page.

• Parents must register the birth at the civil registry office (ДРАЦС) without delay, no later than within one month. Failure to comply with this obligation is subject to legal sanctions.
• Place of application: the civil registry office, the authorized unit of the local administration, or the administrative services center (ЦНАП).
• The procedure is free of charge and is completed in one day. At the end, a birth certificate (свідоцтво про народження) is issued.
• The birth certificate can be collected at the office that registered the birth, the healthcare facility where the application was submitted, or the ЦНАП.
• Required documents:
  • birth registration application
  • the parents' passports (a passport for a foreign parent)
  • document from the healthcare facility showing the birth
  • marriage certificate if the marriage was registered in a foreign country
  • certified Ukrainian translations of documents in a foreign language
• If one parent submits the application and the parents have different surnames, the other parent's notarized consent to the child's surname is required.

• A child born in Türkiye or abroad within a marriage to a Turkish citizen mother or father is a Turkish citizen.
• A child born outside marriage to a Turkish citizen mother and a foreign father is a Turkish citizen.
• A child born outside marriage to a Turkish citizen father and a foreign mother acquires Turkish citizenship if parentage is established.
• A child born within marriage takes the father's surname. A child born within marriage to a Turkish citizen mother and a foreign father is registered in the household where the mother's registration is recorded, with the father's surname.

• The birth of a child born abroad must be reported to the diplomatic mission within 60 days.
• The report may be made by a parent, guardian, or trustee; if none of these is available, by a grandparent, adult sibling, or person caring for the child.
• For children born within marriage, the application may be submitted by mail. For children born outside marriage, an appointment is required and the application must be made in person.
• If the birth certificate is local in nature, the application may be submitted only to the mission responsible for the region where the birth occurred (see U5.2 for the Kyiv and Odesa service areas).
• If the marriage was performed before a foreign authority but has not yet been registered, the marriage must be registered first (see U5.2).
• The child's name is written using Turkish letters, with no more than three given names and without symbols such as hyphens or periods.
• Documents required for a birth within marriage:
  • the original and a photocopy of the birth certificate issued by the foreign authority and containing the names of the mother and father
  • the mother's and father's Turkish Republic identity cards (and foreign identity documents, if any) and photocopies
  • the international family booklet or marriage certificate issued by the foreign authority, if available
  • if the child has also acquired Ukrainian citizenship, the original and a photocopy of the document proving this (for registration of multiple citizenship)
• For a birth outside marriage, a document showing the mother's marital status and the father's acknowledgment document are also required. If acknowledgment was not made before the local authority, an acknowledgment deed may be drawn up at the mission; this requires an in-person application.
• Fees listed by the Embassy in Kyiv:
  • if the 60-day period is exceeded, a late fee of 20 euros
  • certification fee for the translation of the paternity acknowledgment deed: 16 euros
• If you cannot report the birth to the consulate, you may also report it to a civil registry office in Türkiye with the original local birth certificate and its Turkish translation.

• Identity card (TCKK): an application based on birth must be made in person by appointment.
  • Fee: card fee 5 euros, postal fee 3 euros
  • Biometric photograph, 50 × 60 mm, with a white background
  • Children under 15 do not have a photograph on their card. At your request, or if the card will be used as a travel document, it may be issued with a photograph.
  • If a divorced parent applies, a court decision showing custody is required.
• Passport: the application must be made in person by appointment.
  • If the legal representative is not applying, a consent form is required.
  • No passport fee is charged for a student who submits a current document showing enrollment in a school, including preschool, in the country of residence (Fees Law, Art. 85/h). The booklet fee of 27 euros and postal fee of 11 euros must still be paid.
  • Depending on the validity period, the passport fee ranges from 17 euros (up to 6 months) to 67 euros (more than 3 years), excluding the booklet and postal fees.

• A child who has at least one Ukrainian citizen parent at the time of birth is a Ukrainian citizen from birth (Art. 7 of the Ukrainian Citizenship Law, for persons born after March 1, 2001).
• If both parents are Turkish citizens, the child becomes a Turkish citizen by birth. The other birth-based citizenship cases in the law concern situations in which the child does not acquire the citizenship of another country. In other words, being born in Ukraine alone does not grant a Turkish citizen child Ukrainian citizenship.
• Formalizing citizenship by birth is carried out at a unit of the State Migration Service (ДМС):
  • one parent or the legal representative submits the application
  • a child over 14 must submit an application
  • documents issued by foreign authorities must be legalized (apostilled) and accompanied by notarized Ukrainian translations
• Fee: there is no fee for acquiring citizenship. The “certificate of registration of a person as a citizen of Ukraine” (довідка про реєстрацію особи громадянином України) costs 137.75 hryvnias.
• Time limit: according to the State Migration Service website, the application is examined within 20 business days.
• A child born as a foreign citizen may acquire Ukrainian citizenship through a separate application if one parent is a Ukrainian citizen. The written consent of a child aged 14–18 is required.

• Türkiye permits multiple citizenship. When a person who acquires a foreign citizenship submits the relevant documents and it is established that they are the same person in the records, a “multiple citizenship” note is entered in the civil registry.
• If the child also acquired Ukrainian citizenship by birth, registration of multiple citizenship may be completed together with the birth registration application.
• For minors, the report is made by a parent or guardian to the diplomatic mission abroad.
• The application must be made in person or through a special power of attorney; applications by mail are not accepted.
• Required documents (for the child):
  • the mother's and father's Turkish Republic identity cards; the foreign parent's passport
  • document showing the child's Ukrainian citizenship (identity card, passport, or citizenship certificate). If the document does not contain the parents' names, the birth certificate.
• If the information on the foreign identity document differs from the civil registry records, the procedure will not be completed; a Turkish court decision establishing that the person is the same individual is required.
• The list of the Embassy in Kyiv shows a postal fee of 4 euros for this procedure.

• Article 10-1 of the Ukrainian Citizenship Law allows citizens of certain countries to acquire Ukrainian citizenship through a simplified procedure without renouncing their previous citizenship. These persons only submit a “declaration recognizing oneself as a citizen of Ukraine.”
• The list was established by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1412 of November 5, 2025, and amended by Resolutions No. 589 of May 8, 2026, and No. 826 of June 24, 2026.
• The list published by the State Migration Service on July 24, 2026 includes EU countries, the United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, the United States, Canada, and Moldova. Türkiye is not on the list.
• The general procedure for citizens of countries not on the list:
  • persons who undertake to renounce their foreign citizenship receive a temporary citizenship certificate valid for no more than 2 years
  • a Ukrainian passport is issued after the foreign citizenship ends or after a declaration of renunciation of foreign citizenship is submitted
• Ask the State Migration Service about the status in Ukraine of children who acquire two citizenships by birth and the obligations that may arise upon reaching adulthood. Consult a lawyer in complex cases.

• Ukrainian citizen children leave Ukraine with Ukraine's foreign passport (or a diplomatic or service passport). A valid child's travel document or registration in a parent's passport may also be used. Child travel documents have not been issued since April 1, 2015.
• If a Ukrainian citizen child under 16 leaves with one parent, the other parent's notarized consent is required. The consent must state the country of destination and the duration of stay.
• If the other parent is a foreigner (and is recorded on the birth certificate) and is not at the border crossing, consent is not required. There are also other exceptions, such as a death certificate or termination of custody.
• For custody and taking the child away without authorization, see U5.4.

• Civil registry office (ДРАЦС) or ЦНАП — birth registration
• State Migration Service of Ukraine (ДМС) — Ukrainian citizenship procedures · Web: dmsu.gov.ua
• Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Kyiv — birth registration, identity cards, passports, multiple citizenship
  • Address: Panasa Myrnoho Sok. No: 22, 01011 Kyiv
  • Telephone: +380 44 281 07 50 (consular services on weekdays 14:30–17:30) · Emergency: +380 63 211 47 65
  • Email: embassy.kiev@mfa.gov.tr
• Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye in Odesa
  • Address: Leontovycha Sok. 5, 65014 Odesa
  • Telephone: +380 48 722 79 11, +380 48 722 79 39, +380 48 720 72 00 · Emergency: +380 93 711 00 24, +380 93 711 00 26
• Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Call Center (24/7): +90 312 292 29 29

• Failing to register the birth in Ukraine within one month.
• Failing to report the birth to the Turkish diplomatic mission within 60 days and having to pay a late fee.
• Requesting birth registration without completing marriage registration.
• Failing to report the child's Ukrainian citizenship to the Turkish civil registry. This may cause problems later in marriage, divorce, and inheritance procedures.
• Trying to leave Ukraine with a Ukrainian citizen child using a Turkish passport.
• Assuming that Türkiye's permission for multiple citizenship means that Ukraine also permits it.

• Will my child born in Ukraine become a Ukrainian citizen? Yes, if one of the parents is a Ukrainian citizen. If both parents are Turkish citizens, the child becomes a Turkish citizen.
• Can I register the birth by mail? Yes, for a child born within marriage. For a birth outside marriage, the application must be made in person.
• What name can I give the child? Up to three given names, using Turkish letters and without symbols or abbreviations.
• Is birth registration in Ukraine subject to a fee? No. It is free and completed in one day.
• If I obtain Ukrainian citizenship, will I lose my Turkish citizenship? Not from Türkiye's perspective. Ukraine generally requires Turkish citizens to undertake or declare that they will renounce their previous citizenship; consult the State Migration Service and a lawyer for details.
• My spouse is Turkish and I am Ukrainian. Can I leave with the child without my spouse's permission? Under Ukraine's border rule, if the other parent is a foreigner and is recorded on the birth certificate, notarized consent is not required. For the legal consequences of taking the child away without authorization, see U5.4.

• Diia – Birth registration (No. 00030)
• Diia – Ukrainian citizenship by birth (No. 01547)
• Diia – Ukrainian citizenship through a parent (No. 01542)
• Birth registration petition, within marriage (Word)
• Birth registration petition, outside marriage (Word)
• Multiple citizenship registration application form (Word)
• Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Kyiv – Consular services
• Consular appointment system
• State Migration Service of Ukraine – Citizenship
• State Border Guard Service of Ukraine – Children's departure