Exams for the acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship

Exams for the acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship are testing procedures that include three subjects: the fundamentals of the Constitution of Ukraine, the history of Ukraine, and proficiency in the Ukrainian language. The authorized institution responsible for administering the examinations on the fundamentals of the Constitution of Ukraine and the history of Ukraine is the Scientific and Methodological Center for Higher and Professional Pre-Higher Education, which began accepting the first foreign applicants seeking to acquire Ukrainian citizenship in February 2025. The Ukrainian language examination is administered by the National Commission on State Language Standards.

Which Categories of Foreigners Must Pass the Examinations to Acquire Ukrainian Citizenship

Passing the examinations is required for all categories of foreigners who wish to obtain Ukrainian citizenship through the naturalization procedure or by territorial origin. The examinations are a new requirement for all foreigners introduced on January 16, 2026, by the updated law, which allowed multiple citizenship.

The following categories of foreigners are not required to pass the examinations to acquire Ukrainian citizenship:

• those acquiring citizenship by birth
• as a result of restoration of citizenship
• as a result of adoption
• as a result of establishing guardianship or custody over a child
• as a result of establishing guardianship over a person recognized by a court as legally incapable
• in connection with one or both parents of a child being citizens of Ukraine
• as a result of recognition of paternity or maternity, or establishment of the fact of paternity or maternity

It should be noted that military personnel, persons who have special merits before Ukraine, or persons whose admission to Ukrainian citizenship is considered to be in the state interest of Ukraine are entitled to a two-year postponement from passing the examinations required to obtain citizenship.

Circumstances That Exempt from Passing the Examinations to Acquire Ukrainian Citizenship

The Law of Ukraine “On Citizenship”, as well as the Order of the Ministry of Health define a list of diseases and disorders that allow individuals to be exempt from the examinations required to obtain Ukrainian citizenship.

These include:

• disability related to visual, hearing, or speech impairments
• dementia in Alzheimer’s disease
• vascular dementia
• dementia associated with other diseases
• unspecified dementia
• organic amnestic syndrome not caused by alcohol or other psychoactive substances
• intellectual disability

How the Examinations for Acquiring Ukrainian Citizenship Are Conducted

The examination process for acquiring Ukrainian citizenship is divided into two parts:

1. Ukrainian language examination
   This exam can be taken in Kyiv, Lviv, or Kharkiv. As of 2026, the cost of the exam is 9,984 UAH.
2. Examinations on the fundamentals of the Constitution of Ukraine and the history of Ukraine
   These exams are conducted in Kyiv and are taken on the same day. As of 2026, the cost for both exams together is 9,984 UAH.

If the examinations are passed successfully, foreigners receive certificates that remain valid indefinitely.

How to Prepare for the Examinations to Acquire Ukrainian Citizenship

On the websites of both institutions you can find preparation materials and guides. For the Ukrainian language exam, it is important to have B1-level proficiency in four categories: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking.

To prepare effectively, applicants should actively practice the language:
consume Ukrainian-language content daily (such as news or films), correspond in Ukrainian, and communicate in Ukrainian in public places, for example with employees in cafés or banks.

Each of the four categories has equal weight in the exam — 25% each. To pass the exam successfully, a score between 70% and 100% must be achieved.

The examination on the fundamentals of the Constitution of Ukraine and the history of Ukraine is conducted in the form of multiple-choice tests. The Scientific and Methodological Center for Higher and Professional Pre-Higher Education has published both preparation guides explaining all topics and the actual test questions.

Examples of test questions:

1. How does the head of a city council assume office?

a) Elected by the territorial community of the city.
b) Appointed by the President of Ukraine.
c) Elected by the executive committee of the city council.
d) Appointed by the head of the local state administration.

2. Read the excerpt from the memoirs of Ukrainian Member of Parliament Volodymyr Filenko and determine the date of the event described:

“On that day we entered the Parliament wearing a blue-and-red badge of a People’s Deputy of the Ukrainian SSR on our lapels. When we left the Verkhovna Rada, we had a blue-and-yellow badge on our lapels.”

a) January 21, 1990
b) July 16, 1990
c) August 24, 1991
d) December 1, 1991

During the exam, a foreign applicant receives 45 automatically selected test questions:
20 on the Constitution and 25 on history.

To pass the exam successfully, it is necessary to provide correct answers to:

• 15 questions on the Constitution, and
• 20 questions on history.

If a foreign applicant does not score enough points for a successful result, they may retake the examinations every four months. The cost of a repeated attempt is 50% of the full exam fee (in 2026 — 4,992 UAH).

Conclusions

The examinations for acquiring Ukrainian citizenship are an important stage in the citizenship process, as they confirm knowledge of the Ukrainian language, history, and Constitution necessary for integration into Ukrainian society. The citizenship application process can be complex, and mistakes may lead to a loss of time, which is why seeking professional assistance is advisable.

Residence Law Firm provides full support throughout the process of obtaining Ukrainian citizenship, assisting at every stage — from collecting documents to submitting them. Contact us to make your path to Ukrainian citizenship simple and efficient.