How easy is it for Ukrainians living in Estonia to renew their passport? Do they have to go back to Ukraine to do this?

The Ukrainian Embassy is doing everything possible to provide Ukrainian citizens with international passports. According to current legislation, there are several options for obtaining new passport documents.

Firstly, this can be done at the Embassy in Tallinn. To do this, you need to make an appointment through the electronic queue system to visit the consul, submit the required documents, and within 2-3 months, you can receive a new passport.

Secondly, there is the option to contact one of the representative offices of the State Migration Service of Ukraine abroad, known as State Enterprise "Document". This option works faster since they have direct access to the Ministry of Internal Affairs' registries. The nearest representative offices are in Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic.

In both cases, men of conscription age, that is, from 18 to 60 years old, must provide proof that they are registered with the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center and have updated their military registration data.

Additionally, it is possible to extend the validity of the passport at the Embassy or obtain a return certificate. After this, citizens can return to Ukraine and renew their passport documents.

Do you know how many Ukrainians living in Estonia have an expired passport?

No, we currently do not have such information. When citizens contact the consular section, we do everything possible to help them obtain new passports, of course, within the framework of the current legislation.

Are you worried some people living in Estonia are avoiding going back to Ukraine to not serve in the military? Or is it preferable that Ukrainian refugees can extend their living permits here in Estonia even in a situation where it might be difficult to renew their passport?

Defending one's homeland with arms is a moral and constitutional duty of every conscripted citizen of Ukraine. Our task is to help them fulfill this duty.

As for issuing residence permits, I remember the first months of the war. Millions of Ukrainians found refuge in European Union countries under the Temporary Protection Directive. Many Ukrainians left their homes in haste, without international passports, sometimes without any documents at all. This did not prevent EU member states from regularizing their status and issuing residence permits. At that time, it was a very powerful gesture of humanitarian support.

However, the chaos and uncertainty of the first months have long since dissipated. We have been living in a full-scale war situation for two and a half years. This is sufficient time to get your documents in order. Of course, it is Estonia's competence to decide how to apply the EU Temporary Protection Directive and how to issue residence permits, but the Ukrainian side clearly prefers them to be issued based on valid passports.