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Regstration with the Ukrainian Consulate
This HOW-TO is intended as advice (without any liability) for a Ukrainian national married to British
national and resident in UK.
Ukrainian citizens should register with their consulate as resident in UK
once they have "12 months leave to remain" from the the IND. For a spouse,
that is as soon as they feel like it after they arrive.
Registration is simply to avoid possible problems with Ukrainian passport
control on exiting Ukraine after returning for a visit. Although fiancee visas are
now multiple entry, they function more like a visitor's visa at that stage. Until "12 months leave
to remain" is granted, one could argue that the person isn't yet settled in UK, and problems with
Ukrainian passport control are much less likely.
The Ukrainian consulate register Ukrainians resident in UK for the
duration of their UK "leave to remain" and no longer. They will want to
see your Ukrainian marriage certificate or a legalised (but not
translated) British marriage certificate, and your and possibly your husband's
passport. They will want photocopies of the marriage certificate, and the important pages
of the passport. They used to require a letter written in Ukrainian (not
Russian) but now they have a special form.
Registering as permanently resident in UK with the Ukrainians is a
complicated matter. They want a host of documents including
permission for you to live abroad from both your parents
(notarised, four copies all notarised!), permission from ex-employer (notarised).
It takes at least six months and costs £60. We're still waiting. Many people consider
this is not worth the effort since the consulate will continue to register
for one year at a time with much less hassle.
Here's how to legalise your marriage certificate (only if it's British).
It doesn't need to be translated.
Send to:
The Legalisation Office,
with a cheque or postal order (better) for £12 per document, and a
covering letter saying what country the document should be legalised for.
It takes 14 days or so, or you could go there in person, and they'll do it while you wait!
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