Ukrainian vital records

Ukrainian vital records play an important part in research within Ukrainian genealogy. These records for births, marriages, divorces and deaths help detail the lives of relatives and ancestors.

Birth records in metric books, 1886.

Thanks to laws requiring the creation and maintenance of vital records, those studying their Ukrainian genealogy have books of vital records to complete their research. The laws for required maintenance of vital records varied by religion: Baptists, 1879; Evangelical Lutherans, 1764; Jews, 1835; Muslims, 1828 and 1832; Orthodox, 1722; Roman Catholics, 1826, for the areas of Ukraine that were in the Russian Empire.

For the area of western Ukraine that once was under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire as Galicia, the law for recording vital records was adopted earlier than the Russian Empire. In 1784, the Austrian government required clergy to use standardized registers that had a columnar format to record births, marriages and deaths.

Even though laws were adopted for particular religions to record births, marriages and deaths in certain years, documenting of these life events did occur before adoption of these laws. Religious records, known as metrical records, hold the key to unlocking ancestral narratives, detailing names, dates, and familial connections. They are stored across State Archives and Civil Registry Offices, serving as pillars of genealogical exploration.

For much of the time these records have been used to chronicle the important life events, churches, synagogues and mosques have been responsible to document and maintain vital records in areas that are now in current day Ukraine. In the 1920s, Ukrainian registry offices took over theses responsibilities due to the communist government shutting down and destroying churches.

Last Chance
Holiday DNA Sale

Ends Dec 15

Research your ancestors on MyHeritage

Search

Types of vital records in Ukraine

Birth Records

Upon a child's birth, it's mandatory to register the event within a specific timeframe at the local civil registration office (RAGS). The parents or legal guardians are responsible for registering the birth. Birth records contain vital details such as the child's name, date and place of birth, parents' names, their residence, and sometimes additional information like occupation. Birth records serve as fundamental legal documents required for various administrative procedures, including obtaining identification documents, accessing education, healthcare, and social services.

Marriage Records

Marriage in Ukraine involves a civil registration process, and records are maintained by the civil registry office. Marriage records contain information about the couple, the date and place of marriage, and particulars of witnesses. These records serve as proof of marriage and are necessary for any official administrative or legal procedures involving the couple.

Ukrainian death certificate.

Divorce Records

Divorces in Ukraine are also registered with the civil registry office. Divorce records contain details about the divorcing spouses, the date and place of divorce, and any additional relevant information. These records act as proof of the legal dissolution of a marriage, required for various administrative purposes.

Death Records

Deaths are recorded at the local civil registry office upon occurrence. Death records encompass details such as the deceased person's name, date and place of death, cause of death, and particulars of the informant. These records are crucial for legal purposes, inheritance, and settling affairs of the deceased.

Search historical records on MyHeritage

Jewish vital records in Ukraine

This book from a Kyiv synagogue details births from 1867.

The requirements involving the recording of Jewish records varied in the areas previously in the Russian and the Austrian-Hungarian empires.

In 1835, the duties of rabbis in the Russian Empire were required to provide authorities in the gubernias with metrical books in Hebrew and Russian. The records of the metrical books from the rabbis were required to document the services for circumcisions, “naming of infants,” marriages, divorces and deaths each year, based on laws from 1835. Some Jewish records will be found only in Russian. Meanwhile, in Galicia, synagogues maintained their registers of births, marriages and deaths under the supervision of the Catholic Church, beginning in 1789. However, it is more common for these Jewish records to be found in archives for the period of the 1830s and later.

Important Historic Fact: Austrian law required Jews to receive surnames starting in 1805, making genealogy research easier on Jewish ancestors.

History of vital records in Ukraine

Pre-Soviet Era

Before the Soviet Union, the territory of modern Ukraine was divided among different empires, including the Russian Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Each had its own administrative systems for recording vital events such as births, marriages, and deaths. In many cases, vital events were recorded by religious institutions, particularly the Orthodox Church. Church records often served as the primary source of vital information.

Soviet Union Era (20th Century)

USSR birth certificate.

With the establishment of the Soviet Union, a standardized system of vital records was introduced across its territories, including Ukraine. The Soviet authorities centralized the registration process, making it a state-controlled function. Civil registry offices were established in each locality, responsible for recording and maintaining vital events of the population. Vital records became an integral part of the state apparatus, providing necessary information for government planning, social services, and administrative purposes.

Post-Soviet Era (1991 - Present)

Ukraine gained independence in 1991 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The country underwent administrative reforms, including changes to its vital records system. The civil registration system remained intact, continuing to document births, marriages, divorces, and deaths. Efforts were made to modernize record-keeping methods, introducing digitalization and improving accessibility to records for citizens and administrative bodies. Ukraine has implemented laws governing the registration and maintenance of vital records, ensuring their accuracy and accessibility to the public.

How to find vital records in Ukraine

Understanding the divisions of Ukraine will help narrow down locations to find vital records. Thorough research is needed on the communities where relatives and ancestors lived to find vital records. Ukraine is divided into regions called oblasts (known as provinces in historic times), which are divided into smaller areas called raions. The 118 larger cities of Ukraine also are divided into raions (districts or neighborhoods). Over the years the national and regional borders have changed, in addition to names of regions, neighborhoods and communities.

In contemporary Ukraine, the maintenance and storage of vital records have evolved. Since the Soviet era, civil registry offices have continued to be the custodians of these records. Each civil registration office, located within local administrative districts or municipalities, maintains archives of vital records. These archives house birth certificates, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, and death certificates, documenting the life events of individuals within their respective jurisdictions. Vital records archives are primarily housed within the civil registry offices known as "ZAGS" (ZAGS - Zivilnyi Stan Hromadyanstva, or Civil State Registration Office). Each administrative district or municipality has its own ZAGS office responsible for maintaining and preserving vital records within its jurisdiction.

Understanding the divisions within Ukraine is an important part of finding vital records.

Additionally, historical archives and state repositories might also store older or historical vital records. These could include regional or national archives, where historical documents, including older birth, marriage, death records, and related administrative records, might be kept for reference, research, or preservation purposes. The specific locations and archives where vital records are kept can vary based on administrative divisions, regional practices, and historical preservation efforts. Civil registry offices (ZAGS) primarily manage current and recent vital records of the last 75 years, while historical archives might store older or archival materials for research and reference purposes.

Important Hint: Not all villages and communities had churches, mosques and synagogues so research is needed on the area surrounding ancestral villages to determine the correct place of worship.

Vital records from Ukrainian archives

Typically, vital records that are at least 75 years old can be found at the regional and city branches of the state archives, in addition to the central state historical archives in Kyiv and Lviv.

Thanks to the efforts of different genealogical societies and organizations, many digitized vital records are being posted on Ukrainian archives' websites. The archives that are posting their digitized records online will offer links to those records in their news section or under e-archives. Some of these archives are posting links to these records on their Facebook pages. MyHeritage also has a variety of Ukrainian vital records available pertaining to Jewish communities from Sub-Carpathia and Bessarabia. as well as Christian Orthodox communities.

In addition to records being posted online, two databases for vital records are available in the Kyiv Region. The website for the city of Kyiv state archives has a database of indexed births for the years 1919-1936. The State Archives of Kyiv Region has been updating its searchable database of almost 400,000 birth, marriage, divorce and death records from 1919-1945, making it the largest searchable database of vital records from Ukrainian archives.

The 75-year privacy rule for vital records

By law, registry offices must pass on vital records after they have reached the age of 75 years, however in some situations it has not been possible to follow this law. Some archives do not have enough space to store the records and the Russo-Ukrainian War has limited the transfer of these records to archives.

A book of birth, marriage, divorce and death records becomes public record after 75 years unless a book contains at least one record that is less than 75 years old. Once all records in a book are at least 75 years old, the book is eligible to be transferred from the registry office to archives. If the registry office possesses a record that is at least 75 years old, any Ukrainian citizen can obtain a copy of the record. If an interested party doesn't have a Ukrainian citizen who can obtain the record from the registry office, that person must contact the nearest Consult General of Ukraine or Ukrainian Embassy office to request the record, which could incur a fee. Records that are less than 75 years old can be released to another person only when the people documented in the records give written permission.

Important Hint: The vital records that were once in Ukraine and are now maintained by Polish archives only become public record after 100 years.

Search for vital records in Ukraine

See also

• Ukraine
• Vital records

Explore more about Ukrainian vital records

• Ukraine, Odessa Birth Records from JewishGen record collection at MyHeritage
• Sub-Carpathia, Jewish Birth Records from JewishGen record collection at MyHeritage
• Ukraine, World War II Casualties at MyHeritage
• Ukraine, Births and Baptisms, 1784-1879 record collection at MyHeritage
• Bessarabia, Jewish Births from JewishGen record collection at MyHeritage
• Ukraine, Kyiv Orthodox Consistory Church Book Duplicates, 1840-1845 record collection at MyHeritage
• Vital Records: How to Find Birth, Marriage & Death Records on the MyHeritage Knowledge Base
• Beginning Ukrainian Genealogy at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
• Scans of Alex Krakovsky- He has posted more than 2 million Ukrainian archive record scans on Wikimedia. The database, updated on a regular basis, includes many vital records.
• Kyiv state archives, births for the years 1919-1936
• State Archives of Kyiv Oblast, birth, marriage, divorce and death records from 1919-1945
• Archives of the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center- More than 3.5 million scanned records from Ukrainian archives have been posted to the database, including vital records for people of various religious backgrounds.

References

Authors template (click twice to edit)