Civil Registry (RACS) Certificates and Documents for Use Abroad: A Complete 2026 Guide

Civil registry (RACS) certificates and documents for use abroad are among the most common requests we receive at our bureau. A birth certificate for family reunification, a marriage certificate to process documents in a new country, a divorce extract to remarry abroad — no foreign institution will accept an application without correctly issued civil status records. In this article, we explain which RACS documents you may need, how to order them, when an apostille is required, why the translation must be done correctly the first time, and which part of this work you can hand over to specialists so you don’t have to deal with the bureaucracy yourself.

Which RACS documents are most often needed abroad

Ukraine’s civil registry authorities (RACS, known in Ukrainian as ДРАЦС) issue documents confirming key life events. The ones most frequently requested abroad are:

• birth certificate — for enrolling children in school, family reunification, citizenship applications;
• marriage certificate — for changing your surname, applying for a family visa, registering a marriage in another country;
• divorce certificate — for remarrying or confirming marital status;
• certificate of name change;
• death certificate — for inheritance proceedings or pension payments;
• extract from the State Register of Civil Status Acts of Citizens (ДРАЦС) — current information about the event as of the request date.

Certificate or extract: understanding the difference

This question often confuses clients, so let’s clarify it right away. A certificate is a paper document issued at the moment the event itself was registered — birth, marriage, divorce, and so on. An extract is a current excerpt from the electronic register that reflects all updates made to the record as of the issue date, including later amendments. Some foreign institutions, particularly in Europe, only accept a new-format certificate or an extract, not an old Soviet-style document with lamination — an apostille cannot be affixed to a laminated document. If your certificate is laminated or was issued a long time ago, you first need to obtain a duplicate before it can be apostilled.

How to order RACS documents in 2026

There are currently several ways to obtain the document you need:

• online through the Diia app — available to users aged 14 and older with a verified taxpayer number and a digital passport in the app. This allows you to order duplicate certificates and extracts covering birth, marriage, divorce, and name changes;
• in person at a civil registry office or a local administrative service centre (CNAP) at your place of residence or where the event was registered;
• through a trusted representative in Ukraine — with a notarized power of attorney, if you are abroad and don’t have access to digital services;
• through a Ukrainian consulate or embassy abroad — a convenient option for those who have left Ukraine and cannot visit civil registry offices in person.

Before contacting a consulate, it’s worth checking whether the required information is already available in the digital register through Diia, since this significantly speeds up the process.

Can a translation bureau handle this for you

Yes, a translation bureau can support or fully take over this process, with one exception. The Diia service is tied to the client’s personal BankID or Diia digital signature, so only the account holder can submit a request through the app. In this case, the bureau helps remotely: advising on exactly how to fill in the request, checking the data for accuracy, and making sure the document meets the requirements of the destination country.

For all other methods, the bureau can act as your representative: with a notarized power of attorney, a specialist submits the application at a civil registry office or CNAP in person, without you having to be in Ukraine; the bureau drafts the power of attorney text and advises on how to have it notarized at a consulate if you’re abroad; it also coordinates the request with an embassy if the document needs to be obtained specifically through a diplomatic mission. Once the document is received, the bureau immediately moves on to the next stages — apostille and translation — without additional back-and-forth, which shortens the overall processing time.

Apostille on RACS documents: what changed in 2026

As of 1 February 2026, an updated apostille procedure approved by Ministry of Justice Order No. 3177/5 has come into effect in Ukraine. It operates through the Electronic Apostille Register, allowing every apostille issued to be verified online using its registration number, date, and a QR code. The fee is 670 UAH for individuals, and processing takes up to three working days from the day after the application is registered.

Another important update: as of 2 March 2026, applications for apostilling RACS documents can be submitted directly at civil registry offices and state notary offices — meaning a duplicate certificate and its apostille can now be obtained in a single location, without separate visits to regional Ministry of Justice offices. Integration of private notaries into this system is ongoing, so it’s worth checking the current list of participating institutions before applying. If you hand this off to a translation bureau, specialists keep track of which office currently offers the fastest, most cost-effective route and file the application on your behalf under a power of attorney.

The apostille on RACS documents (birth, marriage, divorce, death, and name-change certificates) is affixed by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine — this sets them apart from, for example, medical certificates, which are legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or educational documents, handled by the Ministry of Education.

It’s important to understand that an apostille is only valid for countries that have joined the 1961 Hague Convention (Ukraine has been a member since 22 December 2003). If the document is intended for a country outside the convention — for example, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or Kuwait — consular legalization through Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the relevant embassy is required instead of an apostille.

Translating RACS documents for use abroad

An apostilled document is only half the journey. Most foreign institutions require an official translation — either notarized in Ukraine or produced by a sworn translator directly in the country where it will be submitted (Germany, Austria, and Poland, for instance, often insist on a locally sworn translation). The order of steps matters here: the original document is apostilled first, and only then translated, with the translation also covering the text of the apostille itself. Some countries require a double apostille: one on the original document and a second on the notarized translation, confirming the authenticity of the notary’s signature and seal.

It’s worth checking in advance exactly which form of certification a particular institution abroad will accept, since requirements can vary even within the same country depending on the receiving authority. A bureau that regularly works with a given destination country usually already knows these requirements and prepares the translation in the correct format from the start, avoiding unnecessary rework.

Common mistakes that lead to documents being rejected

In practice, most rejections stem not from the document itself but from the order in which it was processed:

• attempting to apostille an old, laminated certificate — a new duplicate is required instead;
• translating a document before it was apostilled, without including the text of the apostille stamp;
• using the wrong type of translation certification — notarized instead of sworn, or vice versa;
• confusing a certificate with an extract when the institution requires a specific type of document;
• submitting a certificate that has expired (relevant for criminal record certificates, which are often requested alongside RACS documents).

Most of these mistakes can be avoided by handing the whole process to specialists who know the exact sequence of steps for a specific country and institution, sparing you the risk of a resubmission caused by a formal error.

How much time to allow for the process

Given all the stages involved — obtaining a duplicate, apostilling, translating, and shipping — we recommend allowing at least 30 to 45 days before your submission deadline abroad. If you plan to apply through a consulate, allow extra time, since requests for documents from Ukraine take longer to process and embassy appointment slots aren’t always immediately available. A bureau that manages the entire process end to end often shortens the overall timeline by coordinating document retrieval, apostille, and translation in parallel rather than handling them as separate sequential steps.

How we can help

Translate Innova translation bureau supports the entire process: from ordering a duplicate certificate or extract from the civil registry (under a power of attorney, or in an advisory capacity where personal Diia access is required) to apostilling and providing a notarized or sworn translation that meets the requirements of a specific country and institution. We stay current with the 2026 procedures, work entirely remotely, and assist clients who are abroad and unable to visit Ukrainian authorities in person — from drafting a power of attorney through to delivering the final translation.

If you need civil registry (RACS) certificates and documents for use abroad, get in touch by submitting a request or requesting a callback, and we’ll advise on the best course of action for your specific situation.