Changing your last name, first name or patronymic in Ukraine: who has the right, how much does it cost and what documents are needed

In Ukraine, every citizen has the right to change their last name, first name or patronymic, if they comply with the requirements of the law. The service remains quite popular: in the first six months of 2026 alone, almost 4.9 thousand Ukrainians used it.

This was reported by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.

Who can change their name

Citizens who have reached the age of 16 can change their last name, first name or patronymic on their own.

Teenagers aged 14 to 16 can also exercise this right, but only with the written consent of their parents or legal representatives.

In most cases, the consent of both parents is required. At the same time, the law provides for exceptions. In particular, the consent of one of the parents is not required if he:

died;
was recognized as missing;
was recognized as incapacitated or with limited legal capacity;
was deprived of parental rights;
was excluded from the birth certificate of the child;
recorded by the father only upon the mother’s application.
Is it possible to change the name several times

The legislation does not establish restrictions on the number of changes in the surname, first name or patronymic. If necessary, a citizen can do this repeatedly.

You can submit an application to any department of the DRACS. During martial law, applications are accepted regardless of the applicant’s place of registration.

Ukrainians permanently residing abroad can apply for a name change through diplomatic missions or consular offices of Ukraine.

What documents must be submitted

To change personal data, you must prepare:

application;
photo;
birth certificate;
passport of a citizen of Ukraine;
receipt for payment of state duty;
documents on previous name changes (if available);
birth certificates of minor children (if available);
certificate of marriage or its dissolution (if available).

In some cases, it is also necessary to provide a notarized written undertaking by which the applicant confirms the accuracy of the information provided and is aware of the need to replace documents after changing personal data.

How much does a name change cost

The first change of surname, first name or patronymic costs 5.10 hryvnias of state duty.

For each subsequent change, 51 hryvnias must be paid. In addition, additional fees may be charged for certain administrative services of the DRACS.

For citizens of Ukraine who register a name change abroad, a consular fee is applied.

After receiving permission, the citizen must register the name change with the DRACS bodies within three months and obtain a new certificate.

After that, it is necessary to replace all documents containing personal data, in particular:

passport of a citizen of Ukraine;
international passport;
registration number of the taxpayer’s registration card (identification code);
other documents containing previous personal data.
When can they refuse

The DRACS bodies have the right to refuse to change the name if:

the applicant has an unexpired or unspent criminal record;
the person is on the international wanted list;
the submitted documents contain false information;
the documents are drawn up in violation of the requirements of the law;
criminal proceedings are ongoing against the applicant or he is under administrative supervision.

In case of refusal, the applicant is provided with a written decision indicating the reasons.