Problems of registration of acts of civil status of Ukrainians abroad who left during martial law in Ukraine

Abstract

Acts of civil status are actions and events that occur and initiate, change, supplement or terminate inextricably linked to an individual and the possibility of being a subject of civil rights and obligations.
 The State Register of Civil Status Acts must include the following information: birth; adoption; deprivation and restoration of parental rights; marriage registration; divorce; change of name; and death of an individual. The authorized bodies empowered to carry out state civil registration are the state civil registration authorities (central executive body in the field of state civil registration, state civil registration departments of the Main Department of Justice of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, main departments of justice in regions, cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol, district, district in cities, city (cities of regional significance), city and district departments of justice).
 A vital record is a state document issued by an authorized body to carry out state registration of civil status acts, which contains personal information about a person and confirms the fact of such an action or event.
 Over the past two years, the state has significantly simplified the state registration of civil status acts. In particular, it is now possible to submit an application for marriage registration through the Unified State Web Portal of Electronic Services (Diia Portal), and if one of the spouses is a military officer, state registration of marriage can be conducted by the civil registry offices without the personal participation of such a bride or groom, and state registration of civil status acts can be conducted in diplomatic missions.
 The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has provoked an unprecedented flow of Ukrainians who were forced to flee Ukraine abroad as a result of the fighting. According to the Ombudsman of Ukraine, as of 2022, 14.5 million Ukrainians have left the country. The exact figures are being investigated.
 However, many citizens abroad face problems with state registration of civil status acts in diplomatic missions, which makes it impossible for them to fully exercise their right.