What important Ukrainian documents are subject to change after changing a surname? What threats does the untimely change of the documents bear?
By tradition of the soviet times many women in Ukraine change still their surname after getting marriage. But hardly anybody thinks about spending time and money for putting documents in order.
While, there are married couples keeping their premarital surnames because they do not wish to bother about changing the documents. Someone can be afraid of reissuing the documents in case of divorce.
Article 35 of the Family Code of Ukraine gives the right of choosing a surname, which can be exercised by any citizens getting married:
- to keep one’s surname;
- to take the husband’s/wife’s surname;
- to add the husband’s/wife’s surname to own surname.
If only a wife takes a double surname, she has to add her husband’s surname to her own and not the reverse.
For example, a resident of Chernivtsi Iryna Klymko decided after getting married to Valentyn Maslianchuk to take a double surname. For that reason her surname is Klymko-Maslianchuk.
If both want to have a double surname after getting married, they should agree which premarital surname will be the first.
The officer of the civil registry office has to clarify by registering the marriage which surnames the couple will take.
What documents are subject to change?
After changing a surname a number of important documents are subject to change. They are: a Ukrainian passport, a foreign passport, bank agreements and cards, insurance contracts, housing and communal service contracts. Also a will, a car registration and insurance for your surname are subject to change.
1. Changing a Ukrainian passport
Next after changing a surname, a passport of the citizen of Ukraine is subject to change. After registration of marriage a note that the passport is subject to change in a month after marriage registration is made by the officer of the civil registry office in the passport. If the term is defaulted, it will be considered an administrative violation. A penalty in an amount from 17 to 51 hryvnias can be imposed for such violation.
The following documents are required by the State Migration Service for changing a passport: an application for changing a passport, a valid passport, two photos 3.5×4.5 in size, a marriage certificate and its copy. If you change your passport after dissolution of marriage, you have to submit a divorce certificate or a divorce decree and pay a state duty in amount of 17 hryvnias. A new passport will be issued in a month.
2. A foreign passport
After changing the Ukrainian passport you should change your foreign passport. Without changing it is valid only a month from the date of changing the surname. In addition, the information about the invalidity of your old foreign passport after changing the surname is sent to the State Migration Service and the Interpol. The price for changing a foreign passport is equal to the price of producing a new one.
3. Fiscal authority
The State Fiscal Service of Ukraine should also be informed about changing a surname, because the appropriate changes are entered into the register of taxpayers (a taxpayer card is subject to change). A taxpayer identification number is the same, only a surname is changed. A new certificate will be issued in two weeks. An administrative penalty for failure to provide information about changing an identification code certificate is 85 hryvnias.
4. Bank agreements and cards
If you have any dealings with a bank, you should change your bank agreements and cards. That concerns all cards: payroll, credit, “for payment” cards. All dealings with a bank are strictly regularized and appropriately recorded in the agreement. For that reason it would be better to re-execute all the bank documents according to the new surname. It will secure an account holder against delay or denial of redemption of deposits (if any).
5. All agreements and registers
The changes should be made in all the agreements having been signed by you before, for example, insurance contracts, and housing and communal service contracts. The housing and communal service contract is not obligatorily subject to change. But if there is such opportunity it is worth to do that in order to avoid problems with providers of the services in future.
Be sure to inform about changing your surname in the department of the State Electoral Register at the place of your registration. Without making changes in the electoral register you will be absent in the electoral list and cannot vote.
Documents which are not subject to change
After changing a surname not all documents are subject to change. Some are valid. For proof of identity a person has to give a new passport and a document on the basis of which the surname was changed. These documents are as follows:
- educational documents: certificates of secondary and higher education, doctoral certificates, qualification upgrading certificates and so on;
- title deeds. For example, an apartment sale and purchase agreement is not subject to change;
- an employment record book. An appropriate amendment is made in it by the personal department.
A driver license is also not subject to change. When showing the documents relating to the vehicle you must to show the documents on the basis of which the surname was changed. If you decided to change your driver license, you medical certificate is also subject to change. But you do not need to resit an exam.
