Recently, there has been active discussion on social media regarding the possible refusal to cross the state border due to citizens having laminated birth certificates for their children. In this regard, the Central Interregional Administration of the Ministry of Justice emphasizes: current legislation in Ukraine does not contain any prohibition on the use of laminated documents.
This is reported by Finway
Requirements for documents and their validity
If a document is undamaged, contains all necessary details, and allows for verification of its authenticity, it is considered valid for use—regardless of whether it is laminated or not. It is not mandatory to obtain a non-laminated birth certificate again, and no state institution has the right to demand this from citizens.
“Ukrainian legislation does not impose a ban on the use of laminated documents”.
Citizens are advised not to trust unverified information and to seek clarification from official institutions if questions arise.
Restrictions on laminated documents
Despite the fact that laminated documents are considered valid, there are certain restrictions on their use. In particular, it is impossible to:
- place an apostille stamp;
- make necessary marks if needed;
- make corrections;
- add to or change information.
The Ministry of Justice emphasizes that to legalize a document (apostille), particularly for use abroad, it is necessary to provide a non-laminated original. In other cases, laminated documents can be used without fear of their acceptance by state authorities, including for crossing the border.
However, specialists advise, if possible, not to laminate official documents to avoid complications in the future.
It is also worth noting that starting from May 2025, the fee for an apostille—a special stamp that confirms the authenticity of an official document for use abroad—will be 610 hryvnias.