Certified Translation from Ukraine for the UK

Who This Page Is For

If you are in the UK and holding a Ukrainian document that a UK authority has asked you to submit in English, this page covers you. That includes Ukrainian nationals on the Homes for Ukraine visa scheme applying for the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (UPES), Ukrainians switching into the Skilled Worker, Family, or Student routes, professionals seeking UK GMC / NMC / GDC registration, and Ukrainian children in UK schools needing translations for admissions or SEND assessments.

It also covers UK residents who are not Ukrainian but hold a Ukrainian document: spouses of Ukrainian nationals, adopters of Ukrainian-born children, executors handling Ukrainian estates, and UK employers evidencing overseas work history or professional qualifications for their staff.

Ukrainian Documents We Translate for UK Use

The document set below covers 95%+ of what UK authorities actually ask for. If yours is not listed, WhatsApp us a photo and we will confirm feasibility and price the same day.

Civil Registry (DRACS / RAGS — ДРАЦС / РАГС)

• Свідоцтво про народження (birth certificate). UKVI accepts full-form Ukrainian birth certificates for Homes for Ukraine, UPES, Family, and Skilled Worker routes. Post-2016 certificates carry a machine-readable number; older certificates need us to describe the record-book reference.
• Свідоцтво про шлюб (marriage certificate). Spouse and Family visa routes rely on this. If the marriage happened before 1991 and the certificate is a Soviet-era USSR / Ukrainian SSR document, we translate both the front and any registrar's marginal notes.
• Свідоцтво про розірвання шлюбу (divorce certificate) or court divorce ruling (рішення суду про розірвання шлюбу). Both are separately issued in Ukraine and both may be needed depending on whether the divorce was administrative (through RAGS) or judicial (through court).
• Свідоцтво про смерть (death certificate). Used in UK probate, pensions, insurance, and estate matters where a Ukrainian-issued death record is the anchor document.
• Довідка про сімейний стан (Certificate of Marital Status, or Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage). Required by UK register offices when a Ukrainian national is marrying in the UK.
• Свідоцтво про зміну імені (Change of Name Certificate). Common where a Ukrainian applicant took a UK-friendly transliteration and needs to link the two names for UKVI, HMRC, or the DVLA.

Diia Digital Documents (Дія)

Ukraine's Diia (Дія) app is the state-run digital ID and government-services platform. Since 2020, it has been issuing digital equivalents of key documents. UK authorities increasingly accept Diia PDFs as source documents, and every Diia export we translate keeps the QR verification metadata in the translation.

• Digital ID card (е-паспорт) and digital foreign passport (закордонний е-паспорт). The verification QR links to id.gov.ua and confirms authenticity.
• Digital driving licence (е-посвідчення водія). Sometimes requested by UK employers for driver roles and by insurers before DVLA exchange.
• Digital birth certificate (е-свідоцтво про народження). Post-2021 issuance, exports as a signed PDF.
• Digital marriage certificate (е-свідоцтво про шлюб). Same as the paper original in Ukrainian law and increasingly accepted by UKVI.
• Digital tax number (РНОКПП / ІПН). Sometimes requested for UK skilled worker sponsorship right-to-work evidence.
• Digital vaccination certificate. Used for UK healthcare-worker registration and some school admissions.

Passports and Identity Documents

• Паспорт громадянина України (internal ID passport, older book format).
• ID-картка (internal ID card, post-2016 biometric format).
• Закордонний паспорт (foreign / international passport). Bio-page translation is used to link the Ukrainian source spelling of names to the UK-side documentation, especially when there is a divergence between the Cyrillic name and the Latin transliteration.

Criminal Record

• Довідка про несудимість (Certificate of Non-Conviction). Issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (МВС) or via Diia. Common for UK Skilled Worker sponsorship in specific SOC codes (healthcare, teaching, senior care), for regulated professional registration (GMC, NMC, GDC), and for some UK settlement routes.

Education (атестат, диплом, додаток)

• Атестат про повну загальну середню освіту (secondary school leaving certificate). UK universities match atestat to A-level equivalence via UK ENIC.
• Свідоцтво про базову загальну середню освіту (basic secondary school certificate). Sometimes required for GCSE-equivalent evidence.
• Диплом бакалавра / магістра / спеціаліста (Bachelor / Master / Specialist diploma). Post-2015 diplomas follow the Bologna two-cycle structure; older Specialist diplomas require careful comparability framing for ENIC.
• Додаток до диплома (Diploma Supplement, EU Diploma Supplement format for post-2015 issuances). Most UK universities and ENIC prefer to see the supplement alongside the diploma.
• Залікова книжка / академічна довідка (grade book / academic transcript). Required for postgraduate admission and for regulated professional registration (medicine, dentistry, engineering, teaching).
• Диплом кандидата наук / доктора наук / PhD. Post-2016 Ukrainian PhD diplomas are directly comparable to UK doctorate. Older Kandidat Nauk / Doktor Nauk require ENIC guidance.

Courts, Notary, Legal

• Рішення суду (court decision). Case number (номер справи), issuing court, and date the decision entered into force (набрання законної сили) are all translated verbatim.
• Постанова / ухвала суду (court order / ruling).
• Нотаріальне посвідчення (notarial deed), including powers of attorney, inheritance declarations, and property documents.
• Виписка з Єдиного державного реєстру юридичних осіб (extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, ЄДРПОУ), for UK-side commercial or legal proceedings involving a Ukrainian company.

Medical Records

• Виписка з історії хвороби (hospital discharge summary).
• Медична карта (medical record card).
• Результати аналізів (laboratory results, including imaging and pathology reports).
• Довідка від лікаря (medical certificate) for insurance, fitness-to-work, NHS second-opinion contexts, or GMC registration.
• Карта щеплень (vaccination record), for school admissions and NHS records.

Military and Mobilisation

• Військовий квиток (military ID book). Some UK settlement and Family route evidence sets include this for men aged 18 to 60.
• Довідка з військкомату (military commissariat certificate). Occasionally requested by UK employers verifying exemption or discharge status.

Employment and Financial

• Трудова книжка (work-record book, pre-2021 paper format). Post-2021 electronic work records are exported from the Pension Fund of Ukraine portal and translated in the same certified format.
• Довідка з місця роботи (employer reference / statement of employment).
• Довідка про доходи / форма 2-ПДФО (income statement). Required for UK Family and Skilled Worker financial-evidence bundles.
• Виписка з банківського рахунку (bank statement).

Apostille and Legalisation: The Actual Chain

Ukraine's apostille chain has one wrinkle that trips up UK applicants: three different ministries issue apostilles depending on the document type. Once you know which authority handles which document, the flow is straightforward.

Which Ukrainian authority apostilles what

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (МЗС України). Apostilles civil-registry documents from DRACS / RAGS (birth, marriage, divorce, death, name change), notarial deeds, and general public documents.
• Ministry of Justice (Мін'юст). Apostilles court decisions, court orders, court certificates, and documents issued directly by state registrars.
• Ministry of Education and Science (МОН). Apostilles education documents (atestat, dyplom, dodatok, transcripts, PhD diplomas) after pre-authentication by the issuing educational institution and confirmation of the qualification in the state education register.

Case 1: Ukrainian civil-registry document, UKVI destination

UKVI (Home Office) generally does not require an apostille on the Ukrainian original for Homes for Ukraine, UPES, Family, and most Skilled Worker cases. A UK-side certified translation with UKVI Para 39B Statement of Accuracy is sufficient. This covers the majority of live Ukrainian-national applications in 2025 and 2026.

Case 2: Ukrainian document, UK court or regulated professional body

UK courts, DBS overseas checks, and regulated bodies (SRA, GMC, NMC, GDC, teaching regulators) may ask for a legalised original. The chain is: obtain the Ukrainian document, have the correct Ukrainian ministry apostille it under the 1961 Hague Convention, then translate the apostilled document (the apostille itself is translated as part of the certification) in the UK to UKVI Para 39B format. No further UK legalisation is needed because Ukraine-UK is Hague-recognised.

Case 3: Ukrainian educational document, UK university or ENIC recognition

Education documents follow the longest chain because they need pre-authentication:

1. The issuing institution (school, university) confirms the qualification and stamps the diploma / supplement.
2. The Ministry of Education and Science verifies the qualification against the state register (EDBO for post-2010 issuances).
3. MOS Ukraine issues the Hague apostille on the authenticated document.
4. The UK-side certified translation is produced, covering both the diploma / supplement and the apostille.
5. The translated set goes to UK ENIC for a Statement of Comparability (matching Ukrainian qualifications to UK degree levels).

Not every UK university requires all five steps. Bachelor and Master graduates applying for standard postgraduate admission usually need at least the ENIC statement plus the translated diploma and supplement. Full apostille is more common for regulated professional registration (medicine, dentistry, nursing, teaching, engineering).

Case 4: Diia digital document

Diia PDF documents carry a QR code linking to the state verification portal. UKVI accepts Diia PDFs directly with a UK-side certified translation. UK universities and ENIC increasingly accept Diia documents but occasionally still request a paper duplicate from DRACS or MOS. If ENIC or a UK university rejects your Diia document, request a paper duplicate through Diia or the nearest Ukrainian consulate; the paper duplicate carries the same legal weight as the original.

Case 5: Documents from occupied territories

Documents issued by Ukrainian authorities in territories currently under Russian occupation (Crimea, Sevastopol, parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson) before the date of occupation remain valid and are treated as standard Ukrainian documents. Documents issued by Russian-installed administrations after occupation are not recognised by Ukraine, by the UK, or by the wider international community. If you need a Ukrainian-side reissue, DRACS offices in government-controlled Ukraine will issue duplicates to displaced citizens; the request can be made through Diia or the consulate.

Which UK Authorities Accept What

The acceptance matrix below summarises how the main UK receiving bodies treat certified translations of Ukrainian documents. Always check with the specific caseworker or admissions officer, but the pattern below is what applies to 95%+ of live applications.

Authority	Certified translation	Apostille required	Diia PDF accepted
UKVI (Home Office) — Homes for Ukraine, UPES, Family, Skilled Worker	Required, Para 39B format	No (generally)	Yes
General Register Office — marriage in UK register office	Required for Certificate of No Impediment	Some register offices ask	Case-by-case
UK universities (ENIC-fed admission)	Required alongside originals	Common request	Increasingly yes
UK ENIC (Statement of Comparability)	Required for non-English education documents	Usually required	Case-by-case
NHS Trusts, GMC, NMC, GDC (registration)	Required for medical, dental, nursing evidence	Yes (on original)	No (paper originals expected)
UK courts (family, civil)	Required for any non-English evidence	Common on original	Case-by-case
DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service)	Required on overseas criminal-record check	Sometimes on the original	Yes for Diia довідка
UK employers (Right to Work, sponsor duties)	Required for non-English supporting evidence	Rarely	Yes
HMRC (tax residency, foreign income)	Required for foreign evidence	Not required	Yes
UK banks (KYC, source of funds)	Required for foreign supporting evidence	Bank-specific	Bank-specific

UK Visa Routes Where Ukrainian Documents Come Up Most

Homes for Ukraine (Sponsorship Scheme)

Launched 18 March 2022 for Ukrainian nationals fleeing the war, with UK sponsors providing accommodation. The evidence bundle is passport bio-page, Ukrainian ID or birth certificate as identity anchor, family relationship documents where children or partners are included, and any prior visa or residence documents from third countries. UKVI accepts Diia PDFs and paper Ukrainian originals with a UK-side certified translation. No apostille is required for the initial application.

Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (UPES)

Opened February 2024. UPES gives Ukrainian nationals already on Homes for Ukraine, the Ukraine Family Scheme, or the Ukraine Extension Scheme an 18-month extension of stay. Evidence is largely the same as the original grant: passport, identity documents, family relationship documents. New children born in the UK need a UK birth certificate (in English by default, no translation needed) but any Ukrainian-side family evidence added since the last grant needs certified translation.

Ukraine Family Scheme (Closed to New Applicants Feb 2024, Existing Cases Continuing)

Closed to new entrants on 19 February 2024 but existing grants continue to their expiry. Ongoing case management (child birth registrations, marriage certificates, change of family circumstance) needs certified translations of new Ukrainian documents added to the file.

Ukraine Extension Scheme (Concluded May 2024)

The original three-year Ukraine Extension Scheme concluded on 16 May 2024 and was replaced by UPES. Holders whose original three-year leave has not expired need certified translations for any new evidence added to the file, and to transfer into UPES when their three-year leave nears expiry.

Skilled Worker Visa (Switch from Ukraine Schemes)

Ukrainian nationals switching from Homes for Ukraine or UPES into Skilled Worker need Ukrainian education documents (atestat, dyplom, dodatok, transcript) translated for the sponsor's assessment of RQF Level 6 and English-language exemption evidence. Employer reference letters and work-record books support the work-history bundle. Ukrainian довідка про несудимість is required for sponsorship in healthcare, teaching, and senior care roles.

Student Visa (Sponsored Study)

Atestat for undergraduate applicants, dyplom and dodatok for postgraduate applicants. UK ENIC Statement of Comparability is required by most universities. English-language exemption evidence, where the Ukrainian qualification was in English or where the applicant holds an IELTS-substitute qualification, needs certified translation. Ukrainian financial evidence (bank statements, parental income statements) is often part of the maintenance-fund evidence.

ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain)

Ukrainian nationals moving from UPES or another Ukraine route to ILR need translated evidence of continuous residence, absences from the UK, and any Ukrainian-side family or property documents added during the qualifying period. Ukrainian криміналий record certificate for the 5-year lookback if UKVI questions absences.

British Citizenship

Ukrainian birth certificate for the applicant, plus (where children are being naturalised alongside a parent) birth certificates for each child. Marriage certificate if applying under the spouse route. Referee documents, where the referee is Ukraine-based, need certified translation of their supporting identification.

Pricing

How to Order (Our Process)

Four steps from upload to certified translation delivered.

Client Reviews from Ukrainian-UK Document Work

Frequently Asked Questions

Related UK Guidance

• Ukrainian Translation UK — service overview
• UKVI Certified Translation — Para 39B format
• Certified Translation Cost UK — full pricing
• Sworn vs Certified Translation — which one for the UK
• Birth Certificate Translation UK
• Marriage Certificate Translation UK
• Criminal Record Translation UK
• Diploma and Degree Translation UK
• Divorce Decree Translation UK
• Spouse Visa Translation
• Skilled Worker Visa Translation
• Student Visa Translation
• ILR Translation
• British Citizenship Translation