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Payments to families of fallen foreign service members in Ukraine

Updated: November 2026
 
Foreigners who served under contract in Ukraine’s Defence Forces have the same social guarantees as Ukrainian service members. If such a service member is killed, their family is entitled to a one-time payment of UAH 15 million. Families, however, usually live abroad, do not know the Ukrainian procedure and cannot travel. And without a Ukrainian tax number, an account with a state bank and properly prepared documents, the payment will not be awarded.
 
Who is entitled
Entitlement is set by the Law of Ukraine “On Social and Legal Protection of Service Members and Their Families” (in Ukrainian) and Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 168 (in Ukrainian). Foreigners and stateless persons who lawfully served under contract in the Armed Forces, the State Special Transport Service or the National Guard have the same rights as Ukrainian citizens.
 
The payment may be received by:
  • children, including adopted children and those born after the father’s death;
  • the spouse;
  • parents, unless deprived of parental rights;
  • grandchildren whose parents have died;
  • a person who lived with the service member as a family without marriage, but only with a final court judgment confirming this.
If the service member left an instruction on how the payment should be divided, it is followed. Otherwise, the amount is shared equally among all eligible persons. Citizens of Russia and Belarus, persons permanently residing there, and those convicted of high treason or collaboration are not eligible.
 
Amount and payment schedule
The total payment is UAH 15 million, but it is not paid in one sum. One fifth (UAH 3 million) is transferred immediately after the award. The rest is paid monthly: over 80 months for families of service members killed on or after 1 September 2025, and over 40 months for those killed earlier.
 
The application must be filed within three years of the date of death stated in the death certificate.
 
What to do before filing
Tax number. Each relative claiming the payment needs a Ukrainian taxpayer identification number. It is obtained without travelling, through a representative under a power of attorney.
 
Account with a state bank. The payment is transferred only to an account with a Ukrainian state-owned bank. In our experience, such an account can be opened without the relative travelling to Ukraine or visiting the bank, under an apostilled power of attorney for a representative. We have already opened such an account with Ukrgasbank.
 
Power of attorney and documents from abroad. Documents are filed in Ukraine. The simplest route is to grant a power of attorney to a Ukrainian lawyer in the country of residence, with an apostille or consular legalisation. All foreign documents are translated into Ukrainian with a certified translation. If a relative waives their share while abroad, the waiver is certified at a Ukrainian consulate.
 
Documents
  • the application in the prescribed form;
  • the applicant’s passport and a certified copy;
  • the death certificate;
  • the military medical commission’s opinion linking the death to service and a certificate on the circumstances of death;
  • proof of family relationship: a marriage certificate, the birth certificate of the child or of the deceased and, where needed, extracts from foreign registers;
  • consent to the processing of personal data;
  • a copy of the deceased’s tax number;
  • details of the account with a Ukrainian state bank (IBAN).
Some documents are prepared by the military unit: the service member’s instruction on the payment, the order removing them from the unit’s rolls and an extract from the personnel file on family composition. For families of foreigners, this stage is where delays occur most often, as family details in the personnel file may be incomplete and names may be misspelled in transliteration.
 
Review procedure
The application is filed with the district territorial recruitment and social support centre. It checks the documents and forwards them to the regional centre, from where the file goes to the Ministry of Defence, and the final decision is made by the Ministry of Defence commission. Once budget funds are allocated, the money is transferred to the applicant’s account. Each stage has its own deadline in business days, but in practice the overall timing depends on the completeness of the documents and the queue.
 
What comes next
The payment is credited in hryvnia to a Ukrainian account. Under martial law, transfers abroad are restricted by NBU Board Resolution No. 18 (in Ukrainian), so how and when to transfer the money should be planned in advance. Family members of fallen foreign service members are also entitled to an immigration permit outside the quota if they decide to live in Ukraine.
 
Our services
  • assessing entitlement and identifying the eligible relatives;
  • obtaining tax numbers for relatives without them travelling;
  • opening an account with a state bank under a power of attorney;
  • preparing powers of attorney and arranging apostille, legalisation and translations;
  • collecting documents from the military unit and filing the application with the recruitment centre;
  • support during review by the Ministry of Defence;
  • challenging a refusal before an administrative court;
  • advice on payments to families of the fallen (in Ukrainian) and transferring funds abroad.