2013. The authorities have not yet implemented a statelessness determination procedure hence there
were no changes in the number of registered stateless people (some 5,800 out of the estimated 35,875
stateless). This estimate is considered to be significantly lower than the actual stateless population in
Ukraine. The census, which was expected to provide updated data on statelessness, has been postponed.
In Ukraine, migrants and members of the Roma ethnic minority and people lacking birth registration are
at heightened risk of statelessness and may face discrimination. An estimated 65,000 babies born in NGCA
lack Ukrainian-issued birth certificates and may be at risk of statelessness. This number rose 30% in 2020
because of the prolonged closure of the EECPs which prevented parents from entering GCA to register
their babies."
UNHCR, Ukraine – Stateless persons in Ukraine, 2020
"Undocumented people do not receive attention from the authorities. Because they lack documentation,
they cannot benefit from the services provided by the state-run free legal system and heavily rely on
UNHCR’s legal assistance, which remains limited in scope. Stateless people and people with undetermined
nationality usually come from vulnerable and marginalized groups, such as Roma, homeless people,
migrants, and people released from penitentiaries. The existing procedures to obtain documents are timeconsuming and costly, involving payment of administrative fines for irregular stay in Ukraine or of consular
fees when a person has links to several countries, as well as court fees. In 2020, the assistance provided
by UNHCR to people with undetermined nationality was complicated by the fact that the Government of
Ukraine adopted restrictive measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, including strict
quarantine; Government services were not available for several months and court hearings were also
significantly delayed. Compared to other Ukrainian citizens, IDPs and residents of non-governmentcontrolled areas (NGCA) and Crimea face numerous extra requirements and barriers in obtaining or
renewing their identification documents. When applying for issuing or renewal of their passport, they
must undergo additional verification of their data in available electronic or paper archives."
UNHCR, Ukraine – 2020 plan – Population trends, 2020
"Other groups at risk include migrants from Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries,
homeless people, Roma, and people released from penitentiaries. There are many obstacles for
individuals who lack documentation to approach the authorities and obtain recognition of their
statelessness."
UNHCR, Ukraine – 2018 year-end report – Population trends, 2018
"Migrants and ethnic minorities, such as the Roma, are at heightened risk of statelessness because they
may face discrimination, lack birth registration or other identity documents, and/or have ties to multiple
post-Soviet countries."
UNHCR, Ukraine – Stateless persons in Ukraine, 2018
"As of 31 December 2018, 5,650 stateless persons were legally residing in Ukraine. In addition, studies
have revealed that there is a significant number of people with undetermined nationality, mainly people
from the Roma minority, homeless people, migrants and people released without documents from
penitentiaries."
International Crisis Group (ICG) (Ukraine), “Nobody Wants Us”: The Alienated Civilians of Eastern
Ukraine, 1 October 2018
“Where Zakarpattya is concerned, Kyiv’s separatism fears revolve around the oblast’s roughly 150,000
ethnic Hungarians. Zakarpattian Hungarians were a major driver of the 1991 referendum, for which
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