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Veteran Status for foreign nationals: rights and granting procedure

Foreign nationals and stateless persons who have served side by side with Ukrainians in the ranks of the Defence Forces have the same right to recognition of their contribution as Ukrainian citizens. Ukraine guarantees equal access to obtaining Veteran Status for all service members, irrespective of citizenship.

Are foreign nationals eligible to obtain Veteran Status?

Ukrainian law makes no distinction based on citizenship when it comes to granting Veteran Status. A foreign national or stateless person who serves under contract in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service, or other lawful military formations and has directly participated in combat operations has the right to Veteran Status and the relevant social guarantees.

Accordingly, Veteran Status is granted to foreign nationals and stateless persons who:

1.     are officially performing military service under contract within military units;

2.     performed combat (service-related) tasks in areas of military (combat) operations or in temporarily occupied territories during participation in activities necessary to ensure the defense of Ukraine, the security of the civilian population, and the protection of state interests in connection with the military aggression of the russian federation;

Regulatory framework

The legal framework applicable to foreign nationals is the same as that for Ukrainian citizens, taking into account the provisions governing military service by foreign nationals:

  • The Law of Ukraine ‘On the Status of War Veterans and Guarantees of Their Social Protection’ (establishes equal rights to obtaining Vetran Status for all those who participated in combat operations).
  • The Law of Ukraine ‘On Military Duty and Military Service’ (regulates the contractual military service of foreign nationals).
  • Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Resolution No. 719 of 18 June 2025 (the primary regulatory act approving the Procedure for Granting Veteran Status to Foreign Nationals and Stateless Persons).

Procedure for obtaining Veteran Status

Foreign service members are subject to the same procedures as Ukrainian citizens. The primary requirement is the presence of documents confirming the performance of combat tasks.

There are currently two ways to obtain Veteran Status: automatically or through dedicated commissions.

Under the automatic procedure, authorized officials of the military unit are required, within five days from the commencement of a combat mission, to enter information on the performance of combat tasks into the Unified State Register of War Veterans. Under this pathway, Veteran Status is granted automatically.

The alternative pathway: where Veteran Status cannot be granted automatically using the Unified State Register of War Veterans, the commander of the military unit submits the necessary documentation to the Interagency Commission for consideration (via the Ministry of Veterans Affairs). The Interagency Commission reviews the documents within 30 days and takes the relevant decision.

A foreign national is also entitled to independently compile the required documents and submit them for review by the Interagency Commission (via the Ministry of Veterans Affairs) or through Administrative Service Centers (for specific categories).

Required documents

If the military unit submits the documents for review by the Interagency Commission, the package must include:

  • a copy of the passport accompanied by a certified translation into Ukrainian;
  • a copy of the document confirming registration in the State Register of Individual Taxpayers;
  • the original Form No. 6 certificate issued under the Procedure approved by Resolution No. 413;

If the applicant submits the documents independently to the Interagency Commission, the package must include:

  • a copy of the passport accompanied by a certified translation into Ukrainian;
  • a copy of the document confirming registration in the State Register of Individual Taxpayers;
  • the original Form No. 6 certificate issued under the Procedure approved by Resolution No. 413;
  • a full extract from the information and analytical system ‘Criminal Prosecution and Criminal Record Registry’, generated via the Unified State Web Portal of Electronic Services.

Important considerations

For the purposes of submitting an application and issuing the Veteran Status ID card, information from a foreign national's passport (or a document certifying the identity of a stateless person) and the military ID is used. It is essential that the transliteration of the given name and surname in military documents correspond to the passport (or its official translation).

Veteran Status constitutes a significant basis for the subsequent issuance of an immigration permit to Ukraine or for acquiring Ukrainian citizenship under a simplified procedure after completion of the contract.

If documents are submitted independently and include materials in a foreign language (for example, personal documents), they must be accompanied by a certified translation into Ukrainian. In practice, most service-related documents (orders, certificates) are issued in Ukrainian by military units.

The procedure for obtaining Veteran Status for a foreign volunteer service member serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine does not differ from that applicable to Ukrainian citizens. Service and combat experience are the sole criteria for granting the status.

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