A Kharkiv resident applied for assistance in childbirth while she was abroad

Publication date: December 17, 2023

A mother who gave birth abroad because of the war has the right to receive financial support from our state. Oleksandra Shcherbyna, a lawyer with the Bila Tserkva-based NGO Legal Unity, explains the stages and conditions for obtaining such benefits based on a successful case from her practice.

Maria turned to the NGO Legal Unity for help online. She said the war had forced her to leave her home in Kharkiv and move abroad. At the time of the appeal, the woman was in the last month of her pregnancy and wondered whether she would be entitled to financial support from the state if she gave birth abroad.

The organization’s attorney, Oleksandra Shcherbyna, advised Maria and assisted her remotely for several months at every stage of the application process. Having given birth to a child, the woman is receiving financial assistance from Ukraine.

Lawyer’s explanation

Stages of receiving state financial assistance for childbirth when the mother is abroad:

І. Registering the fact of the child’s birth outside Ukraine. In some countries, the child’s birth certificate is automatically sent to the appropriate authorities. The following documents are required (if available):

– Passports of husband and wife

– Marriage certificate;

– Birth certificate issued by the hospital.

ІІ. After receiving a foreign birth certificate, you must apply for a Ukrainian birth certificate at the Ukrainian Consulate in your country of residence by submitting the following documents:

– Ukrainian and foreign passports

– Identification code

– Marriage certificate;

– Foreign standard birth certificate of the child.

ІІІ. Once the Consulate has provided you with a Ukrainian birth certificate for your child, you can get help in two ways:

1. Through the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine website, you need an electronic key to create your page and send a package of documents. The website contains all the information about the father, mother, and child, as well as the payment method: by card or to the postal address of the place of registration.
2. To receive state assistance for the birth of a child abroad, one of the parents can send an application and the necessary documents by mail to the social security authority of the residence. It is also required to open a bank account for social payments.

The application deadline is 12 months after the birth*.

Important note! Either the father or the mother of the child can apply for assistance.

*Read also: Protecting the interests of the child is a higher priority than meeting deadlines

The material was created with the support of the international charity platform GlobalGiving and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. The publication’s content is solely the responsibility of the Legal Development Network.

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