On May 30, 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 620, which established the Procedure for Taking Exams on the Fundamentals of the Constitution of Ukraine and the History of Ukraine. This article provides updated information on the exams for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship.
It should be noted that the adoption of this regulatory act does not mean the immediate start of the exams; this decision is foundational. A number of orders and regulations will be adopted in the future, which will clearly regulate the examination process at each stage.
Registration for the exams on the Fundamentals of the Constitution of Ukraine and the History of Ukraine will be conducted through an electronic cabinet that each foreigner applying for citizenship must register. Through this electronic cabinet, applications for the exams will be submitted, and foreigners will be able to choose a convenient place to take the exams from a list of available institutions. Within 5 working days, the date, time, and place of the exams will be appointed.
Taking the exams is paid and amounts to three times the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons (in 2024 – 9084 UAH).
How the Exams on the Fundamentals of the Constitution of Ukraine and the History of Ukraine Will Be Conducted
The exam process will be recorded on video to ensure transparency. The video recording will be stored for 5 years. The exam will be in the form of a test, with test tasks in Ukrainian.
The exams include completing 45 test tasks (20 on the Fundamentals of the Constitution of Ukraine and 25 on the History of Ukraine). The test database contains 350 questions, and each foreigner will automatically receive an individual set of tasks. The entire database will be available in advance on the website of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. The time allocated for completing the tasks is 45 minutes for each of the two blocks.
The exams are considered passed if the person correctly completes 15 test tasks on the Fundamentals of the Constitution of Ukraine and 20 test tasks on the History of Ukraine. Based on the exam results, the foreigner will receive a certificate that is valid indefinitely.
If the applicant fails the exams or one of them, they can retake the exams or the one they failed an unlimited number of times, but not more than once every four months.
The cost of retaking one subject is 1.5 times the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons (in 2024 – 4542 UAH).
Foreigners who apply for citizenship (naturalization) under Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine “On Citizenship of Ukraine” must pass exams on the Fundamentals of the Constitution of Ukraine, the History of Ukraine, and proficiency in the state language.
Deferred Exams
The following individuals have a two-year deferral from the moment of obtaining citizenship to take the exams:
- Persons who have outstanding merits before Ukraine, whose admission to Ukrainian citizenship is in the state interest of Ukraine.
- Persons who, in accordance with Ukrainian law, are serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service, or the National Guard of Ukraine.
- Foreigners who have obtained a temporary residence permit based on providing instructional assistance, participating in combat missions, or resisting armed aggression by the Russian Federation (part 20 of Article 4 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Persons”).
If you have Ukrainian ancestry, you may be eligible for citizenship through a simplified procedure without taking exams. More details are available in our article.
The Residence Law Firm team is happy to assist you with document preparation and will support you in the process of obtaining citizenship!
