How do you translate a Ukrainian divorce certificate or court decision for USCIS?

Certificate or court decision

Ukraine ends a marriage in one of two ways, and each leaves a different document (Family Code, Articles 105⁠–⁠115 (opens in a new tab)):

• At the civil registry office. A couple without children can file a joint application, and the office records the divorce one month later if the application isn’t withdrawn. One spouse can file alone if the other has been declared missing or legally incapable. This divorce is confirmed by a divorce certificate (svidotstvo pro rozirvannia shliubu).
• In court. Couples with children go to court, and so does a spouse who files a claim alone. The document that proves the divorce is the court decision (rishennia sudu) that has entered into force.

The marriage ends on the day the registry office records the divorce, or on the day the court decision enters into force. The State Department adds that since July 27, 2010, the certificate is issued only to couples without minor children or when one spouse is missing or incapable; otherwise a court decision takes its place (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)).

What the translation includes

We translate the document in full, as USCIS requires (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)).

• The certificate: the husband’s and wife’s full names, the number and date of the record in the divorce register, the surnames each took after the divorce, the registry office, the person it was issued to, the date of issue, the seal, the signature, the series and number and a “Duplicate” mark if there is one.
• The court decision: the court, the case number, the parties, the ruling, the judge’s signature, the seal and the note of the date it entered into force. A decision runs several pages and is priced by the page.

Surnames after the divorce

A spouse who took a new surname at the marriage may keep it after the divorce or go back to the premarital one (Family Code, Article 113 (opens in a new tab)). The certificate states the surname each spouse has from then on. We spell names as in your passport or by Ukraine’s official transliteration (Resolution No. 55 of 2010 (opens in a new tab)), and the spelling stays the same across your order.

Where the translation goes

• USCIS: for Form I-⁠130, documents showing that each earlier marriage legally ended, with a full English translation (Form I-⁠130 instructions (opens in a new tab)). What USCIS accepts
• NVC and US consulates: the evidence that every prior marriage ended is a final divorce decree, a death certificate or annulment papers (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). The Department of State doesn’t ask for a translation of a divorce certificate or court decision in Ukrainian if you are applying for your visa in Ukraine. What NVC accepts
• Immigration court: a typed certification with the translator’s address and phone. What the court accepts

Our Ukrainian documents are translated and certified by a native Ukrainian speaker. What to file in your case is for you or your attorney to decide.