Criminal record certificate

Ukraine’s police certificate is issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and ordered online — through Diia or the ministry’s "single window" portal: the electronic extract, with its QR code and digital seal, is generated within minutes, while a paper copy is produced separately. Administrative service centres do not issue it, so being turned away at one reflects the current rule rather than a malfunction. For applicants already abroad there are two further routes: the consular one (print the electronic extract, receive a certificate in consular form) and a representative in Ukraine acting under a notarised power of attorney.

From there the countries diverge, and that is what the guides in this section are built around. No apostille is required for US consular processing, and none for IRCC; but an employer, a university or a state licensing board may want a legalised document — in which case documents issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs are apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the extract can now be ordered together with its apostille through Diia. Validity differs too: since 2021 the State Department treats the certificate as valid for two years, while IRCC wants one no older than six months for your current country of residence.

What holds everywhere: the whole document is translated — letterhead, issuing authority, service notes, seal, digital signature details; the name follows the international passport exactly; and the extract itself is ordered in the full rather than the shortened version, listing every surname you have ever used. Send a scan and we will tell you which certification format your recipient expects, with a quote within 15 minutes.