Religious marriage ceremony “not recognized by the state” in Ukraine?

[frodolives 7]

“According to the Family Code of Ukraine, marriage is a family union of a woman and a man registered at a state civil registration office. A religious marriage ceremony does not result in an official marriage recognizedby the state. ... Getting married in Ukraine can take from several weeks to several months.”

I will be staying with my boyfriend for several months this fall. He was supposed to come visit my family in December, but given the circumstances with Covid and the embassies, we aren’t sure that’ll happen if they don’t open in time. We thought of the possibility of marrying while I’m over there (Russia), but in my last post I got some information saying that the process might be complicated there. We were thinking of going to the Ukraine to get married (because they’re also accepting American travelers now). But the paragraph above concerns me. We are both Catholic and want to get married in church. If we do that, does that mean our marriage is not recognized? Would it cause issues for the spouse visa? I’m confused lol and any clarification would be great. Thanks! 

 

[gregcrs2 1,778]

A church marriage ceremony in Ukraine does not substitute an official registration of marriage.  If you want a church wedding ceremony, you can have that separately.  But a church ceremony alone is not recognized as a legal marriage.   

[frodolives 7]

8 minutes ago, gregcrs2 said:

A church marriage ceremony in Ukraine does not substitute an official registration of marriage.  If you want a church wedding ceremony, you can have that separately.  But a church ceremony alone is not recognized as a legal marriage.   

Thank you for responding! That’s good to know. It says I would need some type of legal status in order to do so...would a passport stamp as a visitor be enough or would I need a visa?

[gregcrs2 1,778]

6 minutes ago, frodolives said:

Thank you for responding! That’s good to know. It says I would need some type of legal status in order to do so...would a passport stamp as a visitor be enough or would I need a visa?

US citizens do not need a visa so you would have legal status for 90 days.  When they stamp your passport, that starts your first day of legal status.

[frodolives 7]

13 minutes ago, gregcrs2 said:

US citizens do not need a visa so you would have legal status for 90 days.  When they stamp your passport, that starts your first day of legal status.

Wonderful. Thanks for clearing this up for me

[pushbrk 12,893]

Lot's of stories about USC's failing to actually accomplish a legal marriage in many of the FSU countries including Ukraine.  That's why we mostly see fiancee visas from FSU countries.  Do your research with the US Consulate but more importantly, the local authorities.

 

Also, if you already had a religious ceremony, forget about a fiancee visa.  You're too married for a fiancee visa and not married enough for a spouse visa.  Yes, REALLY!

Edited August 2, 2020 by pushbrk

[Myroslava 21]

11 hours ago, frodolives said:

“According to the Family Code of Ukraine, marriage is a family union of a woman and a man registered at a state civil registration office. A religious marriage ceremony does not result in an official marriage recognizedby the state. ... Getting married in Ukraine can take from several weeks to several months.”

I will be staying with my boyfriend for several months this fall. He was supposed to come visit my family in December, but given the circumstances with Covid and the embassies, we aren’t sure that’ll happen if they don’t open in time. We thought of the possibility of marrying while I’m over there (Russia), but in my last post I got some information saying that the process might be complicated there. We were thinking of going to the Ukraine to get married (because they’re also accepting American travelers now). But the paragraph above concerns me. We are both Catholic and want to get married in church. If we do that, does that mean our marriage is not recognized? Would it cause issues for the spouse visa? I’m confused lol and any clarification would be great. Thanks! 

 

It's possible to get married in Ukraine very fast but requires some preparations. Since 2016 there is a special option here that allows to get marriage certificate within a day. It's for citizens. If foreigners are included it takes several days or weeks. You need to pay about 200$ taxes for this service. In our case, we applied on Tuesday and paper work was ready on Thursday. Everything need to be translated into Ukrainian and the foreigners should proove they are staying in Ukraine legally. 

[millefleur 5,046]

**Moved from IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures to RUB forum; topic is country specific to Ukraine**

[frodolives 7]

On 8/2/2020 at 7:43 AM, pushbrk said:

Lot's of stories about USC's failing to actually accomplish a legal marriage in many of the FSU countries including Ukraine.  That's why we mostly see fiancee visas from FSU countries.  Do your research with the US Consulate but more importantly, the local authorities.

 

Also, if you already had a religious ceremony, forget about a fiancee visa.  You're too married for a fiancee visa and not married enough for a spouse visa.  Yes, REALLY!

Thank you for responding. Is this done through the embassy, or just through the local authorities? I’m concerned the embassy won’t be open by then. Lol

[pushbrk 12,893]

3 hours ago, frodolives said:

Thank you for responding. Is this done through the embassy, or just through the local authorities? I’m concerned the embassy won’t be open by then. Lol

I don't understand the question.  Is WHAT done.....?

[frodolives 7]

5 hours ago, pushbrk said:

I don't understand the question.  Is WHAT done.....?

Sorry for the confusion. I mean if we do decide to marry abroad, is the paperwork filed at the embassy? Or do we do it at another local government office?

[pushbrk 12,893]

5 minutes ago, frodolives said:

Sorry for the confusion. I mean if we do decide to marry abroad, is the paperwork filed at the embassy? Or do we do it at another local government office?

Which country?  See instructions for Ukraine at this link.

 

https://ua.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/marriage/#:~:text=Both parties applying for marriage,and Notary Service of Ukraine .

[SteveInBostonI130 3,454]

Hi,

 

I am not sure getting married in Ukraine to your Russian boyfiend is the best option.  There are a lot of steps to the ZAGs process (old soviet name, I forget the new terminology).  With no one being a Ukrainian citizen will complicate matters.  Your boyfriend can probably navigate through the process, but remember that all documentation and official interaction will be in Ukrainian, not Russian.  It's a similar sounding but separate language.

 

The ZAGs process for Russia includes a mandatory 30 day wait, I believe, but it would still be easier to handle it there than in Ukraine.  You would need to apply for a tourist visa to go to Russia (get a 3 yr multi-entry version).  While you get that going, your boyfriend can start the registry of marriage process there.

 

If you are trying to meet in a 3rd country to get married, I believe there are other countries where it would be easier than Ukraine.