Marry a Ukrainian woman in Ukraine
The marriage between the Ukrainian woman and her European husband is mainly the accession of two lives (often, two families) to create a new life and a new family together. It can be an enormous source of happiness and blessing for a mutual intimate love. However, it is always also a great challenge of mutual self-sacrifice for the good of the other spouse and for the good of the family. A marriage is really the adventure of life. The two people come from different cultures and speak different languages. Therefore, they have different ways to see, understand and feel. Marriage with a Ukrainian woman requires additional work with mutual respect and understanding. Learning the mutual culture and language (even just a few words) of both partners can help immensely to build and maintain mutual respect and understanding.
Marriage in Ukraine
Marriages in the Ukraine are usually recognized without problems in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The procedure is generally much simpler and quicker than marrying in Germany or Denmark, as no certificate of capacity to marry has been required for some time. But Peter Ahrends and his team will of course also be happy to assist you here in order to make the procedure easier for you. The registry office where the Ukrainian spouse with main residence is registered is responsible. But you can also marry at other registry offices regardless of your place of residence.
The German spouse needs the following documents to register the marriage in Ukraine:
a valid passport with a translation of the passport made in Ukraine certified by a Ukrainian notary public.
in the case of an existing marriage precedent, the original divorce decree (available from the competent district court), with apostille (available from the district court required for the district court district) with a translation made in Ukraine and certified by a Ukrainian notary.
The Ukrainian spouse needs the following documents to register the marriage in Ukraine:
Domestic passport
in the case of a premarital marriage: divorce decree or divorce certificate
The registration of the marriage can also be carried out in representation. A special power of attorney is required. It normally takes one month from the registration of the marriage to the marriage before the registry office. In exceptional cases a faster marriage is also possible.
Recently even marriages on one day are possible. The German fiancé therefore only has to arrive once for the marriage. The marriage can also be registered by us in any region of Ukraine. Also in Kiev, although here none of the fiancées is registered. This is especially practicable for Ukrainian fiancées who are registered in Eastern Ukraine or Crimea.
The presence of a Ukrainian interpreter with a university diploma is often required for the marriage date. Of course, we can also provide such an interpreter for you.
If the marriage is registered with the registry office, you will receive a corresponding marriage certificate. Then this document must be apostilled again in Ukraine. This procedure takes about one to five days. Ahrends+Schwarz GmbH in Kiev can take care of all this for you.
This marriage certificate must then be translated by an interpreter and translator sworn in at a German regional court in accordance with ISO 9:1995. Peter Ahrends and his team of experts will do this for you in the shortest possible time, as his law firm employs such interpreters and translators. Translations certified by Ukrainian notaries, however, are not accepted in German legal relations, as the swearing-in at the German Regional Court is missing. Attorney Ahrends guarantees the recognition of his certified translations by any German authority. However, translations certified by Ukrainian notaries are not valid in Germany. In case of doubt, you can find out which type of translation you need from the Schwarz+Ahrends lawyers.
Only now does the actual visa procedure begin.
- As a rule, the following documents are required to apply for a visa:
- An apostilled and translated marriage certificate (as described above);
- Proof of a successfully passed language examination at at least level A1 of the Goethe Institute. A valid language test can therefore only be taken in this institution. We will also be happy to advise you on all questions regarding the language test;
- A copy of the identity card of the German participant (front and back!);
- For foreigners living in Germany, a passport with residence title etc.;
four identical passport photos;
- Two completed and signed visa application forms. Application forms are available free of charge from us. We will also be happy to assist you in completing them;
- A passport valid for at least three months;
- an informal letter of invitation from the German fiancé;
- in the case of a foreign spouse who is resident in Germany, an additional formal declaration of commitment;
- in the case of a foreign spouse domiciled in Germany, an additional proof of income.
These are only the minimum requirements; the embassy often requires further documents, such as telephone bills, joint photos, etc., in order to be able to provide a statement of income. If all the documents mentioned under points 1-9 are available, the visa application can be submitted.
The Ukrainian fiancé must present himself personally at the embassy at counter 7-9 in the German Embassy in Kiev, Bohdana Chmelnizkoho 25, and submit the application. There a short conversation about the visa application will usually take place. An appointment with the embassy must be arranged in advance. This may take several weeks, depending on the workload at the embassy. If children are expected to move to Germany, the corresponding application for family reunification can also be made immediately. But it is also possible to apply for a visa at a later date. If all the required documents are available, it takes about four to eight weeks to process the visa application.
The fiancé, who lives in Europe, Australia, New Zealand or Canada, should also appear at the responsible immigration office on his own initiative. The embassy will now send the visa application to the responsible foreigners authority in Europe for processing. If the Aliens Department approves the visa application, it will inform the embassy accordingly. The embassy will then contact the Ukrainian fiancé and ask him to return to the embassy for the visa.
As already mentioned, this whole procedure usually takes between four and eight weeks, depending on the workload at the embassy, at the foreigners' offices, etc... First a national three-month visa is issued. (D-Visa) This entitles you to enter Europe.
After entering for example Germany, you go to the relevant immigration office, which then converts your visa into a permanent residence permit. This is usually valid for one year and can be extended without problems if required.
The law firm will of course be happy to advise you on the whole procedure described above. Due to its many years of experience in this field, the firm has a wealth of experience in dealing with the authorities involved. In about ten percent of the cases, visa applications for the subsequent immigration of spouses are rejected. This can have various causes.
The most frequent cause, however, is the suspicion of a fictitious marriage or the unsecured livelihood of a marriage with a foreigner living in Germany. (In the case of a German spouse, there is no income examination) In this case, an administrative action procedure at the Administrative Court in Berlin is the appropriate solution. Our attorneys and lawyers can also work for you in this field. However, a further explanation would lead too far here.
In addition, she can take care of all formalities for marriages in Ukraine, including document procurement and processing, registration of marriages as well as visa applications for spouses reunification/family reunification in a package, so that you practically have to worry about almost nothing. This is currently the simplest variant of marriage and family reunification to Germany. Source: Peter Ahrends of Ahrends+Schwarz GmbH, Kiev.
The common language is very important
It's not just another way to talk, it's another way to think and feel. It is necessary to involve both sides of the family in the couple's life: Language, culture, traditions, values etc.. Only in a common language can you fall in love.
Time is the key to a good marriage with a Ukrainian woman
Successful marriages have three qualities: Ability, compatibility and commitment. The couple must be mature enough and able to fulfill the responsibilities of marriage. The couple must be compatible: two people can love each other, but they cannot live together. A couple must be able to live and love together in every way, no matter what happens in life. In good times and bad, in Germany they say they can steal horses together. If you are willing to work hard on your relationship with a Ukrainian woman, if you are both patient and emotionally stable, you have the best chance to have a wonderful, loving and harmonious marriage.