As of: July 2026. Sources: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS), Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 57 (as amended), Art. 313 of the Civil Code of Ukraine, Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1031 (August 2025). Rules under martial law change — always check dpsu.gov.ua before traveling [1].
Under martial law, the rules for a child leaving Ukraine are simplified compared to pre-war rules. In most ordinary situations — a mother or father traveling with a child, or a grandmother or grandfather with a grandchild — notarized consent from the other parent is not required. Notarized documents or guardianship-authority approval are still required in a few cases: travel with non-relatives, and certain other legal exceptions. Separately, there is a complication for a male companion aged 23–60: he must confirm a legal basis for leaving Ukraine. On the EU side, since 12 October 2025 the EES system (biometric registration) has been in effect, which does not cancel visa-free travel.
These rules are based on Art. 313 of the Civil Code of Ukraine, which grants children age 16 and older the right to travel abroad independently [6][7].
For the child:
For the accompanying adult:
If notarized consent is required (travel with non-relatives): a notarized statement from one or both parents specifying the destination country, exact travel dates, and the full name of the accompanying person; an alternative is a statement from one parent certified by a guardianship authority [10][4][5].
Either parent may file a notarized objection statement with the SBGS against the child's departure. If such a document is in the system, the child will be denied border crossing regardless of who is accompanying them and what documents they have. Before traveling, it is worth confirming that no such ban is in place [11][12].
Even outside martial law, consent from the other parent is not required if [13][2]:
This is the highest-risk section in terms of accuracy: the rules have changed repeatedly since 2022 and continue to be updated. Always check official sources.
Since 24 February 2022, men aged 18–60 have been barred from leaving Ukraine under martial law. This directly affects fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, and male guardians who wish to accompany a child [14][15].
Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1031 took effect on 28 August 2025: men aged 18–22 inclusive gained the right to cross the border in both directions during martial law. They must carry a foreign passport and a military registration document (paper or electronic, indicating the VIN code). The departure ban now effectively applies to men aged 23–60 [16][17][18].
For a male companion aged 23–60, border guards separately check whether he belongs to an approved exemption category. The main categories are [8][19][14]:
In practice: if a father aged 23–60 is taking the child, he needs both the child's documents (birth certificate, etc.) and his own documents proving a legal basis for departure. Missing either set of documents = denial at the border. This is the most common surprise for families [19][8].
Ukraine's visa-free regime with the EU/Schengen Area remains in effect. Ukrainian citizens (including children) may stay in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days within any 180-day period without a visa. Holders of temporary protection status are not subject to the 90-day limit and are not registered in EES [21][22][23].
Poland completed full EES rollout at all border crossings on 15 February 2026. The first crossings with EES from 12 October 2025 were: Shehyni ↔ Medyka (Poland), Solotvyno ↔ Sighetu Marmației (Romania), and Luzhanka ↔ Beregsurány (Hungary) [24][25][26].
Poland (Schengen, full EES since 15 Feb 2026): biometric passport, birth certificate. Live queues: Krakivets, Rava-Ruska, Smilnytsia [25].
Slovakia (Schengen, EES phased in): biometric passport, birth certificate. Live queues: Uzhhorod, Maly Bereznyi.
Hungary (Schengen; EES at Luzhanka since October 2025): biometric passport, birth certificate. Live queues: Luzhanka, Chop (Tysa) [26].
Romania (EU, partial Schengen; EES at Solotvyno since October 2025): biometric passport, birth certificate. Live queues: Solotvyno, Porubne [26].
Moldova (not EU, no EES): birth certificate, domestic document or passport; 90 days. Live queues: Mamalyha, Mohyliv-Podilskyi.
Ukrainian citizens — women, children, and men with valid grounds for departure — enter Ukraine without restrictions from the EU side. The martial-law ban applies only to leaving Ukraine, not to entry. Men aged 18–22 who left legally may freely return and leave again under Resolution No. 1031 [28][14].
Even when Ukrainian law does not require the other parent's consent, destination countries and foreign institutions often do require it. We recommend obtaining the absent parent's notarized consent if [8]: the child is traveling for an extended period or for study; one parent is abroad and cannot be present at the border; the child is enrolling in a foreign school or receiving medical treatment; the documents will be needed for foreign procedures.
Consent without a named country or with an unclear validity period may be rejected by border guards or foreign authorities [4].
Consent is issued by any state or private notary in Ukraine; processing takes from about 30 minutes to 1 business day. Required: the parent's passport and taxpayer ID (RNOKPP), the child's birth certificate or passport, and the accompanying person's passport (if not a relative). Abroad, consent can be obtained at a Ukrainian embassy or consulate [10].
Children aged 16 and older may cross the border independently under Art. 313(3) of the Civil Code of Ukraine, without parental consent. Only a biometric foreign passport is required. A martial-law nuance for 16-year-old boys: after turning 16, a boy acquires conscript status and must register with the Territorial Recruitment Center (TCC) and obtain a registration certificate by age 17; however, at the border, 16–17-year-olds are not required to show additional TCC documents [29][7].
A child with a severe disability or incurable condition may be accompanied by a male guardian (father aged 23–60) if he has a medical advisory commission (MAC) document with the child's diagnosis and the need for accompaniment [19].
No, if the child is traveling with one parent, a grandmother/grandfather, an adult sibling, or a stepparent — consent is not required; documents confirming the family relationship are sufficient. Consent from both parents is required only when the child is accompanied by a non-relative (coach, teacher, acquaintance).
Mandatory: the child's biometric foreign passport and birth certificate. The accompanying person needs their own passport and documents confirming the family relationship. For travel with a non-relative, notarized parental consent is additionally required.
Yes. Under martial law, a grandmother or grandfather may take a grandchild abroad without notarized parental consent, provided they have documents confirming the family relationship (a chain of birth certificates).
From age 16 — under Art. 313 of the Civil Code of Ukraine, a child may travel abroad independently with a biometric foreign passport, without parental consent.
Only if he belongs to an approved exemption category (father of 3+ children, single father, accompanying a seriously ill child or a person with a disability, etc.) and has the corresponding documents. In that case he needs both the child's documents and his own documents proving a legal basis for departure.
Notarized consent from both parents specifying the country, travel dates, and the accompanying person's name, OR a written statement from one parent certified by a guardianship authority.
EES is the EU's biometric entry/exit system, in effect since 12 October 2025. For children aged 12 and older, a photo and fingerprints are collected; children under 12 have only a photo taken. EES does not cancel visa-free travel, but the first registration takes more time.
Yes, laminated originals are generally accepted, but border guards may additionally verify the document's authenticity if doubts arise. It is better to have a non-laminated original or a duplicate.
