Apostille on a Ukrainian divorce court decision for Ireland or the UK

In Ukraine a marriage is often dissolved by a court, and then the proof of divorce is the court decision itself. Abroad — in Ireland, the UK and other countries — this decision is usually requested with an apostille and an English translation: to register a new marriage, for an immigration or citizenship application, or to update your name. Here is how it works when you already live abroad and cannot come to Ukraine.

Which copy of the decision is apostilled

The apostille is placed on a copy of the decision issued by the court that handled the case, with the court’s seal and, as a rule, a note that the decision has entered into legal force. A photocopy, a scan or a printout from the court register will not do. Apostilles on court documents are issued by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.

If your copy is not suitable

Old copies, copies without the court seal or without the note on entry into force are often not accepted for an apostille. In that case we obtain a new court-certified copy of the decision for you — you do not need to travel to Ukraine for it. Send us a photo of the copy you have, and we will tell you whether it can be apostilled as it is.

How long it takes

• The apostille on a court decision itself takes about 2–3 working days — much faster than on civil registry certificates.
• Together with the English translation and international courier delivery, the whole job usually takes about two weeks.
• If a new court copy has to be obtained first, we give you the timing after checking your case.

The English translation

We translate the decision into English together with the apostille, all seals and notes, and spell names exactly as in your international passport. Requirements differ between authorities: some accept a translation certified by the translator, others ask for a notarised translation. Tell us where you are submitting the document, and we will prepare it in the right format. More about court decision translation.

Court decision or divorce certificate?

If your divorce was also registered with a civil registry office, a divorce certificate exists as well, and a duplicate divorce certificate can be obtained remotely. Which document you need depends on the authority you are submitting to — check this before ordering so you do not pay for an extra document.

How we help

• We check a photo of your copy and tell you whether it can be apostilled.
• If needed, we obtain a proper court-certified copy of the decision.
• We get the Ministry of Justice apostille.
• We translate the decision and the apostille into English.
• We send the documents by courier to Ireland, the UK or any other country.

You do not need to come to Ukraine. Send a photo of the court decision by email, WhatsApp or Telegram — we will tell you what is needed in your case and how long it will take. Contact us.