Recent changes
- Hague Access to Justice Convention 1980 entered into force for Ukraine
- Ukraine acceded to the Hague Access to Justice Convention 1980 (Law No. 4820-IX)
- Hague Judgments Convention 2019 entered into force for Albania and Montenegro
- Brazil: the treaty on mutual legal assistance in civil matters entered into force (MFA notice of 30.07.2025)
- Hague Judgments Convention 2019 entered into force for the United Kingdom
- The 1993 Minsk Convention and its 1997 Protocol ceased to apply to Ukraine (withdrawal under Law No. 2783-IX)
- Hague Judgments Convention 2019 entered into force for Ukraine and the EU
Whether a foreign judgment will be enforced in Ukraine, and whether a Ukrainian judgment will be recognised abroad, turns first on whether a treaty exists between Ukraine and the state concerned. Article 462 of the Code of Civil Procedure allows recognition and enforcement of a foreign judgment where this is provided for by an international treaty ratified by the Verkhovna Rada, or on the basis of reciprocity, which is presumed unless the contrary is proved. The treaty, however, settles more than the bare possibility: which judgments qualify, where and through whom the application is filed, whether documents need legalisation and in what language the authorities correspond.
This page collects every bilateral legal-assistance treaty in civil matters in force for Ukraine, the Soviet-era treaties that the Ministry of Justice applies by succession, and the multilateral conventions that serve as a channel for recognition and enforcement. For each treaty we give its scope, the articles on recognition of judgments, legalisation of documents and the channel of communication, taken from the Ukrainian text published by the Verkhovna Rada. Mutual assistance in criminal matters, extradition and transfer of sentenced persons are outside the scope of this page.
Finding the legal basis for recognition and enforcement
- Arbitral award — the 1958 New York Convention (multilateral conventions).
- Maintenance — the 2007 and 1973 Hague Conventions and the 1956 UN Convention; children (return, parental responsibility, custody) — the 1980 and 1996 Hague Conventions and the 1980 European Convention (ETS 105).
- Court judgment in a civil or commercial matter — first the bilateral treaty with the state where the judgment was given (Ukraine’s treaties in force, Soviet-era treaties).
- EU member state (except Denmark), United Kingdom, Uruguay, Albania, Montenegro, Andorra — also the 2019 Hague Judgments Convention, unless Article 2 excludes the matter; it operates in parallel with a bilateral treaty. A judgment of a court designated in an exclusive choice-of-court agreement — the 2005 Hague Convention.
- Neither treaty nor convention — reciprocity under Article 462 of the Code of Civil Procedure, which is presumed unless the contrary is proved.
Before relying on a treaty
- The 1993 Minsk Convention no longer applies. Its operation with Russia and Belarus was suspended on 27 December 2022, and on 29 December 2023 Ukraine withdrew from the Convention and its 1997 Protocol (Law No. 2783-IX). With Moldova, Georgia and Uzbekistan recognition continues under bilateral treaties. With Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan there is no bilateral civil-matters treaty; for maintenance, the 2007 Hague Convention applies with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. In our view, for other categories of judgments from these states only reciprocity under Article 462 of the Code remains.
- The 2019 Hague Judgments Convention has applied to Ukraine since 1 September 2023, simultaneously with the EU and 26 of its member states (Denmark does not participate), and with the United Kingdom since 1 July 2025. The Convention excludes family and succession matters, maintenance, insolvency, intellectual property and several other categories (Art. 2), and does not apply to arbitration. Where an EU state also has a bilateral treaty with Ukraine (Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czechia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus), both instruments operate in parallel; the Convention does not prevent the application of other treaties.
- The time limit for enforcement is three years from the date the judgment became final; for periodic payments, throughout the period of recovery, with arrears collected for the last three years (Art. 463 of the Code). The treaties set no time limits of their own; the treaty with Bulgaria expressly lists expiry of the time limit as a ground for refusal (Art. 21).
- Where to file depends on the treaty. Under the 1990s treaties with Lithuania, Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, Vietnam, Romania, Cuba and North Korea the application is lodged with the first-instance court that gave the judgment, which forwards it abroad. The treaties with Poland, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Czechia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Iran, Libya and Syria allow either route, while those with Greece, the UAE, India, Jordan and Morocco provide only for the applicant to file directly with the court of the enforcing state. Under the treaty with North Macedonia the application goes to the Ministry of Justice.
- Legalisation. Every treaty exempts from legalisation the documents transmitted under it, but the wording differs. The treaties with Poland, Moldova, Lithuania, Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, Uzbekistan, Czechia, Bulgaria, Romania and North Macedonia cover any official document; the Ministry of Justice reported in a 2010 letter that Vietnam, Greece, Iran, Cyprus, China, Slovakia, Slovenia, Türkiye, Hungary, Croatia and Finland accept without an apostille only documents sent through legal-assistance channels. The treaty with Brazil requires an apostille on documents attached to an application filed directly with the court (Art. 21). Outside these cases the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention applies.
- Arbitral awards follow a different instrument. The legal-assistance treaties deal with court judgments; arbitral awards are recognised under the 1958 New York Convention, to which the treaties with China, Vietnam, Greece, India and Morocco expressly refer. The treaty with Czechia separately covers awards of Ukrainian arbitration (treteiskyi) courts and Czech arbitral courts (Art. 52).
- Service and evidence. With most states, service of documents and taking of evidence run under the 1965 and 1970 Hague Conventions through the Ministry of Justice as Central Authority. Ukraine objects to postal service under Article 10 of the 1965 Convention and does not execute Letters of Request for pre-trial discovery (Art. 23 of the 1970 Convention).
- Three treaties appear not to be in force. The treaties with Cuba (2003), Senegal (2013) and Morocco (2019) have been ratified, but the Verkhovna Rada records show no date of entry into force and the Ministry of Justice does not list them by country. They are flagged in the table; in our view, they should not be relied on without confirmation from the Ministry.
Bilateral legal-assistance treaties in civil matters
Article numbers follow the Ukrainian texts of the treaties published by the Verkhovna Rada. All treaties extend to legal persons. Entry-into-force dates are taken from the document records; where a record differs from the treaty text or from the lists of the Ministry of Justice and the Prosecutor General’s Office, the cell says so.
- China
- Poland
- Lithuania
- Moldova
- Georgia
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Mongolia
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
- North Macedonia
- Türkiye
- Czechia
- Hungary
- Romania
- Greece
- Cuba
- North Korea (DPRK)
- Bulgaria
- Iran
- Cyprus
- Libya
- Syria
- United Arab Emirates
- India
- Brazil
- Jordan
- Morocco
- Senegal
| State | Treaty · ratification · entry into force | Scope | Recognition and enforcement | Documents · channel · language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | Treaty on Legal Assistance in Civil and Criminal Matters, 31.10.1992 05.02.1993 (Verkhovna Rada Resolution No. 2996-XII) · in force since 19.01.1994 date from the treaty text on zakon.rada and the GPO/Ministry lists; the zakon.rada card shows 20.12.1993 | civil (incl. commercial, business, family and labour) and criminal matters; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | court judgments and decisions of commercial (arbitrazh) courts, court-approved settlements, criminal judgments on damages — Art. 17; arbitral awards — under the New York Convention (Art. 22). Via the court that gave the judgment; directly — if the applicant resides in the enforcing state (Art. 18); refusal grounds — Art. 21 | Court and official documents accepted without legalisation (Art. 29). Central authorities: Ministry of Justice, Supreme Court, Prosecutor General’s Office — Art. 2. Own official language + certified translation into the other party’s language or English — Art. 7 |
| Poland | Treaty on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil and Criminal Matters, 24.05.1993 04.02.1994 (Verkhovna Rada Resolution No. 3941-XII) · in force since 14.08.1994 the GPO list gives 04.04.1994 | civil (incl. family and labour) and criminal matters; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | non-pecuniary judgments recognised without proceedings (Art. 48); civil judgments, criminal judgments on damages, pecuniary settlements — Art. 49; conditions — Art. 50. Directly to the enforcing state’s court or via the first-instance court (Art. 51); review limited to Arts. 50–51 conditions (Art. 52) | Official documents, copies and translations — no further authentication (Art. 15). Central authorities: Ministry of Justice and Prosecutor General’s Office ↔ Polish Ministry of Justice; direct court-to-court contact possible — Art. 3 (2011 ministerial agreements 616_151, 616_152). Requesting party’s language + translation into the requested party’s language, English or Russian — Art. 5 |
| Lithuania | Treaty on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters, 07.07.1993 17.12.1993 (Verkhovna Rada Resolution No. 3737-XII) · in force since 20.11.1994 the GPO list gives 19.12.1994 | civil, family and criminal matters; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | decisions of justice institutions in civil and family matters, criminal judgments on damages — Art. 42; decisions needing no enforcement recognised without proceedings; settlements — Art. 46. Via the first-instance court, which forwards it to the competent court (Art. 43); refusal grounds — Art. 45 | Documents of courts and officials — no further authentication (Art. 13). Central authorities: Ministries of Justice and Prosecutor General’s Offices of both parties — Art. 4. Requesting party’s language + certified translation into the other party’s language or Russian — Art. 5 |
| Moldova | Treaty on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil and Criminal Matters, 13.12.1993 10.11.1994 (Law No. 238/94-ВР) · in force since 24.02.1995 the Ministry’s chronological list gives 24.04.1995 | civil (incl. family and labour) and criminal matters; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | non-pecuniary judgments recognised without proceedings (Art. 47); civil judgments, criminal judgments on damages, pecuniary settlements — Art. 48; conditions — Art. 49. Directly to the enforcing state’s court or via the first-instance court (Art. 50); procedure — Art. 51 | Official documents, copies and translations — no further authentication (Art. 15). Central authorities: Ministry of Justice and Prosecutor General’s Office ↔ Moldovan Ministry of Justice and Prosecutor’s Office; direct contact possible — Art. 3. Requesting party’s language + translation into the requested party’s language, English or Russian — Art. 5 |
| Georgia | Treaty on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil and Criminal Matters, 09.01.1995 22.11.1995 (Law No. 451/95-ВР) · in force since 05.11.1996 the GPO list gives 05.12.1996 | civil (incl. family) and criminal matters; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | decisions of justice institutions in civil matters, criminal judgments on damages — Art. 40; guardianship and civil-registry decisions recognised without proceedings; settlements — Art. 44. Via the first-instance court (Art. 41); refusal grounds — Art. 43 | Documents, copies and translations — no further authentication (Art. 13). Ministry of Justice and Prosecutor General’s Office ↔ Georgian Ministry of Justice and Prosecutor’s Office — Art. 4. Requesting party’s language + certified translation into the other party’s language or Russian — Art. 5 |
| Estonia | Treaty on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil and Criminal Matters, 15.02.1995 22.11.1995 (Law No. 450/95-ВР) · in force since 17.05.1996 | civil (incl. family) and criminal matters; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | decisions of justice institutions in civil matters, criminal judgments on damages — Art. 40; guardianship and civil-registry decisions recognised without proceedings; settlements — Art. 44. Via the first-instance court (Art. 41); refusal grounds — Art. 43 | Documents, copies and translations — no further authentication (Art. 13). Ministry of Justice and Prosecutor General’s Office ↔ Estonian Ministry of Justice and State Prosecutor’s Office — Art. 4. Requesting party’s language + certified translation into the other party’s language or Russian — Art. 5 |
| Latvia | Treaty on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family, Labour and Criminal Matters, 23.05.1995 22.11.1995 (Law No. 452/95-ВР) · in force since 12.07.1996 | civil (incl. labour and housing), family and criminal matters; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | decisions of justice institutions in civil, family and labour matters, criminal judgments on damages — Art. 46; guardianship/registry decisions without proceedings; settlements — Art. 50. Via the first-instance court (Art. 47); refusal grounds — Art. 49 (incl. missing proof of a choice-of-court agreement) | Documents of officials — no further authentication (Art. 13). Ministries of Justice and Prosecutor General’s Offices of both parties — Art. 4. Requesting authority’s official language + translation into the executing party’s language or Russian — Art. 5 |
| Mongolia | Treaty on Legal Assistance in Civil and Criminal Matters, 27.06.1995 01.11.1996 (Law No. 471/96-ВР) · in force since 01.08.2002 | civil (incl. commercial, business, family and labour) and criminal matters; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | court decisions: judgments, rulings, orders, court-approved settlements, criminal judgments on damages — Art. 17; refusal grounds — Art. 21. Via the court that gave the judgment; directly — if the applicant resides in the enforcing state (Art. 18) | Court and official documents accepted without legalisation (Art. 45). Central authorities: Ministry of Justice, Supreme Court and Prosecutor General’s Office of each party — Art. 2. Central-authority correspondence with translation into the other party’s language or Russian; requests with certified translation into the requested party’s official language — Art. 7 |
| Uzbekistan | Treaty on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil and Family Matters, 19.02.1998 05.11.1998 (Law No. 238-XIV) · in force since 19.06.1999 | civil and family matters only; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | decisions of justice institutions in civil and family matters incl. settlements; criminal judgments on damages — Art. 52; recognition without proceedings — Art. 53; refusal — Art. 56. To the competent court of the enforcing state or via the first-instance court (Art. 54); translation into the requested party’s language or Russian | Documents of institutions and authorised persons — no special authentication (Art. 13). Ministry of Justice ↔ Ministry of Justice — Art. 5. Ukrainian, Uzbek, Russian; documents with translation into the requested party’s language or Russian — Art. 17 |
| Vietnam | Treaty on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil and Criminal Matters, 06.04.2000 02.11.2000 (Law No. 2080-III) · in force since 18.08.2002 the zakon.rada text header prints “18.02.2000”, a date before signature — an obvious misprint | civil (incl. commercial, labour and family) and criminal matters; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | civil court judgments, criminal judgments on damages — Art. 41; settlements — Art. 45; arbitral awards — under the New York Convention (Art. 46). Via the first-instance court (Art. 42); refusal grounds — Art. 44 | Documents, copies and translations — no further authentication (Art. 12). Civil matters — Ministry of Justice ↔ Vietnamese Ministry of Justice; criminal — prosecution services — Art. 4. Requesting party’s language + certified translation into the other party’s language, Russian or English — Art. 5 |
| North Macedonia | Treaty on Legal Assistance in Civil Matters, 10.04.2000 02.11.2000 (Law No. 2081-III) · in force since 20.06.2003 the zakon.rada text header gives ratification on 22.03.2001; Law No. 2081-III is dated 02.11.2000 | “civil” = civil, labour, family and commercial matters (Art. 2); legal persons covered — Art. 1 | civil judgments (incl. on costs), criminal judgments on damages; only judgments given after the treaty’s entry into force — Art. 45; refusal — Art. 47. Application is lodged with the Ministry of Justice of the enforcing state (Art. 46); decisions needing no enforcement recognised without proceedings (Art. 48) | Documents of justice institutions, copies and translations — no further authentication (Art. 12). Ministry of Justice ↔ Ministry of Justice — Art. 3. Requesting party’s language + certified translation into the other party’s language — Art. 5 |
| Türkiye | Agreement on Legal Assistance and Cooperation in Civil Matters, 23.11.2000 05.07.2001 (Law No. 2605-III) · in force since 02.05.2004 | civil matters; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | civil judgments, criminal judgments on damages; only judgments given after the agreement’s entry into force — Art. 35; conditions — Art. 36. Application to the courts of the enforcing state in the form its law requires (Art. 37); review limited to the agreement’s conditions (Art. 38) | Documents bearing an official seal and certified copies — exempt from legalisation (Art. 13). Central authorities: Ministry of Justice ↔ Turkish Ministry of Justice — Art. 2. Requesting party’s language + certified translation into the other party’s language or English — Art. 3 |
| Czechia | Treaty on Legal Assistance in Civil Matters (as amended by the 2007 Protocol), 28.05.2001 10.01.2002 (Law No. 2927-III) · in force since 18.11.2002 Protocol of 14.09.2007 (203_051): ratified by Law No. 318-VI of 04.06.2008, in force since 15.12.2008 — amended Arts. 1, 21, 33 and added Art. 33a (children, guardianship) | “civil” = civil, labour, family and commercial matters (Art. 1); legal persons, incl. third-state companies doing business in either party — Art. 1 | civil judgments, pecuniary and non-pecuniary (incl. on costs), criminal judgments on damages, awards of Ukrainian arbitration (treteiskyi) courts and Czech arbitral courts — Art. 52; refusal — Art. 54. Directly to the competent court or via the central authorities (Art. 53); decisions needing no enforcement recognised without proceedings (Art. 55) | Documents, signature certifications, copies and translations — no further authentication (Art. 18). Central authorities — the Ministries of Justice (Art. 1); direct contact between justice authorities possible — Art. 3. Requesting party’s language + official translation into the requested party’s language — Art. 4 |
| Hungary | Treaty on Legal Assistance in Civil Matters, 02.08.2001 10.01.2002 (Law No. 2926-III) · in force since 08.03.2002 | civil matters; legal persons covered (except Art. 3) — Art. 1 | pecuniary civil judgments (incl. settlements), criminal judgments on damages, costs/security orders — Art. 16; non-pecuniary judgments recognised; only judgments final after the treaty’s entry into force; conditions — Art. 17. Directly to the competent court or via the Ministries of Justice (Art. 18); review limited to treaty conditions (Art. 20) | Documents and translations of courts and competent authorities — no further authentication (Art. 22). Ministry of Justice ↔ Ministry of Justice — Art. 4. Requesting party’s language + translation into the other party’s language or English — Art. 5; for an application for recognition — a certified translation of the judgment into the requested party’s language (Art. 19(f)) |
| Romania | Treaty on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil Matters, 30.01.2002 07.09.2005 (Law No. 2822-IV) · in force since 30.10.2006 | civil (incl. family and commercial) matters; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | final decisions of justice institutions in civil matters (incl. on costs), criminal judgments on damages — Art. 40; guardianship/registry decisions without proceedings; settlements — Art. 44. Via the first-instance court (Art. 41); refusal grounds — Art. 43 | Documents of justice institutions, copies and translations — no further authentication (Art. 13). Ministry of Justice ↔ Ministry of Justice — Art. 4. Requesting party’s language + certified translation into the other party’s language; bilingual forms — Art. 5 |
| Greece | Agreement on Legal Assistance in Civil Matters, 02.07.2002 22.11.2002 (Law No. 244-IV) · in force since 27.01.2007 the zakon.rada text header prints “23.04.2001”, before signature — a misprint; the card and MFA notice give 27.01.2007 | “civil” = civil, family and commercial matters (Art. 1); legal persons covered — Art. 1 | civil judgments, criminal judgments on damages — Art. 20; personal-status decisions recognised without proceedings; arbitral awards — under the New York Convention (Art. 20(2)); settlements — Art. 24. Request lodged by the applicant directly with the competent court of the enforcing state (Art. 21); refusal — Art. 22 | Documents, copies and translations have the force of a document in the other party (Art. 14). Ministry of Justice ↔ Ministry of Justice — Art. 5. Requesting party’s language + certified translation into the other party’s language or English — Art. 6 |
| Cuba | Treaty on Legal Relations and Legal Assistance in Civil and Criminal Matters, 27.03.2003 10.12.2003 (Law No. 1368-IV) · entry into force not confirmed no entry-into-force date on the zakon.rada card; the GPO list gives 06.01.2004, the Ministry’s country list omits the treaty — status being verified | civil (incl. family) and criminal matters; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | decisions of justice institutions in civil matters, criminal judgments on damages — Art. 39; settlements — Art. 43. Via the first-instance court (Art. 40); refusal grounds — Art. 42 | Documents, copies and translations — no legalisation required (Art. 12). Ministries of Justice and Prosecutor General’s Offices of both parties — Art. 4. Requesting party’s language + certified translation into the other party’s language or Russian — Art. 5 |
| North Korea (DPRK) | Treaty on Legal Assistance in Civil and Criminal Matters, 13.10.2003 04.06.2004 (Law No. 1758-IV) · in force since 17.12.2004 | civil and criminal matters; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | civil court judgments, criminal judgments on damages — Art. 39; settlements — Art. 43. Via the first-instance court (Art. 40); refusal grounds — Art. 42 | Documents, copies and translations — no further authentication (Art. 12). Civil matters — Ministry of Justice ↔ Central Court of the DPRK — Art. 4. Requesting party’s language + certified translation into the other party’s language, Russian or English — Art. 5 |
| Bulgaria | Treaty on Legal Assistance in Civil Matters, 21.05.2004 22.09.2005 (Law No. 2911-IV) · in force since 29.12.2005 | “civil” = civil, labour, family and commercial matters (Art. 1); legal persons covered — Art. 1 | pecuniary and non-pecuniary civil judgments, settlements, costs orders, criminal judgments on the civil claim — Art. 19; refusal — Art. 21 (incl. expiry of the enforcement time limit). Directly to the competent court or via the central authorities (Art. 20); decisions needing no enforcement recognised without proceedings (Art. 22) | Documents, signature certifications, copies and translations — no special authentication (Art. 17). Central authorities — the Ministries of Justice (Arts. 1, 3). Requesting party’s language + certified translation into the requested party’s language — Art. 4 |
| Iran | Treaty on Legal Relations and Legal Assistance in Civil and Criminal Matters, 11.05.2004 07.09.2005 (Law No. 2823-IV) · in force since 31.08.2007 | civil and criminal matters; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | final court decisions in civil matters, criminal judgments on damages — Art. 22; decisions needing no enforcement recognised; refusal — Art. 26. To the court of the enforcing state or via the first-instance court (Art. 24); attachments — Art. 23 | Documents of justice institutions and officials — no further authentication (Art. 12). Ministry of Justice (enforcement, civil matters) ↔ the Judiciary of Iran; diplomatic channels allowed — Art. 4. Requesting party’s language + certified translation into the requested party’s official language or English — Art. 5 |
| Cyprus | Agreement on Legal Assistance in Civil Matters, 06.09.2004 22.09.2005 (Law No. 2910-IV) · in force since 18.03.2006 | civil, incl. family, matters; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | civil (incl. family) judgments, criminal judgments on damages, court-approved family settlements — Art. 20; conditions — Art. 21 (incl. jurisdiction under Art. 17). Directly to the enforcing state’s court or via the first-instance court (Art. 22); translation into the requested party’s language or English | Documents bearing an official seal and certified copies — exempt from legalisation (Art. 13). Ministry of Justice ↔ Cypriot Ministry of Justice and Public Order — Art. 2. Requesting party’s language + certified translation into the other party’s language or English — Art. 3 |
| Libya | Agreement on Legal Assistance in Civil and Criminal Matters, 08.04.2008 10.06.2009 (Law No. 1491-VI) · in force since 01.01.2010 the GPO list gives 12.07.2009 | civil and criminal matters; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | civil court judgments, criminal judgments on damages — Art. 22; conditions — Art. 23; settlements — Art. 26; recognition without proceedings — Art. 27. To the competent court of the enforcing state or via the first-instance court (Art. 24) | Documents transmitted by competent authorities under the agreement — exempt from legalisation (Art. 7). Civil matters — Ministry of Justice ↔ General People’s Committee for Justice; diplomatic channels allowed — Art. 3. Requesting party’s language + certified translation into the requested party’s language or English — Art. 8 |
| Syria | Treaty on Legal Relations and Mutual Legal Assistance in Civil and Criminal Matters, 09.10.2008 18.11.2009 (Law No. 1730-VI) · in force since 30.01.2011 | civil and criminal matters; legal persons covered — Arts. 1–2 | civil judgments, criminal judgments on damages — Art. 22; conditions — Art. 23; settlements — Art. 25. To the court of the enforcing state or via the first-instance court (Art. 24) | Documents bearing an official seal and certified copies — exempt from legalisation (Art. 8). Civil matters — Ministry of Justice ↔ Syrian Ministry of Justice; diplomatic channels allowed — Art. 4. Translation of attachments into the other party’s language or English (Art. 24) |
| United Arab Emirates | Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters, 26.11.2012 19.06.2013 (Law No. 337-VII) · in force since 20.02.2014 the Ministry’s country list omits this treaty (lists only the criminal and extradition ones) | civil, commercial and family matters; legal persons covered — Arts. 1, 19 | judgments in civil, commercial and family matters, settlements, criminal judgments on damages — Art. 19; grounds for non-recognition — Art. 20; jurisdiction — Art. 18. Directly by the party to the competent court of the requested state (Art. 22); partial enforcement possible (Art. 21) | Official documents are signed and sealed, the request is confirmed by the central authority (Art. 5); no separate legalisation exemption. Ministry of Justice ↔ UAE Ministry of Justice, communicating through diplomatic channels — Art. 4. Translation into the requested party’s official language or English — Art. 5 |
| India | Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters, 10.12.2012 05.11.2013 (Law No. 672-VII) · in force since 19.08.2017 MFA notice of 28.08.2017 No. 72/14-612/1-2051 | civil and commercial matters; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | civil and commercial judgments, criminal judgments on monetary payments — Art. 15; conditions set by the requested party’s law (Art. 16); settlements — Art. 18; arbitral awards — under the New York Convention (Art. 19). To the court of competent jurisdiction of the requested state (Art. 17); partial enforcement possible | Documents bearing an official seal and certified copies — exempt from legalisation (Art. 13). Ministry of Justice ↔ Indian Ministry of Law and Justice — Art. 2. Requesting party’s language + certified translation into the requested party’s language or English — Art. 3 |
| Brazil | Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil Matters, 02.08.2018 14.01.2020 (Law No. 452-IX) · in force since 27.08.2025 MFA notice of 30.07.2025 No. 72/14-612/1-90237; the zakon.rada text header prints “23.01.2025” | civil matters covering civil, commercial and administrative cases, and criminal judgments on the civil claim — Art. 1; legal persons covered — Art. 3 | civil judgments, criminal judgments on the civil claim — Art. 19; conditions — Art. 20; settlements — Art. 22. Applicant files with the competent court of the enforcing state; also via the central authorities or diplomatic channels (Art. 21) | Documents transmitted by the central authorities — exempt from legalisation (Art. 16); documents attached to an application filed directly with the court need an apostille (Art. 21(5)). Ministry of Justice ↔ Brazilian Ministry of Justice, directly; the central authorities correspond in English — Arts. 4–5. Requesting party’s language + translation into the requested party’s official language — Art. 5 |
| Jordan | Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Civil Matters, 27.11.2019 02.09.2020 (Law No. 861-IX) · in force since 14.05.2021 zakon.rada holds only a scanned copy; articles verified against the English text of the scan | civil and commercial matters, incl. recognition of judgments and civil compensation under criminal judgments — Art. 5; legal persons covered — Art. 1 | final judgments in civil and commercial matters, criminal judgments awarding civil compensation — Art. 14; conditions — Art. 15; settlements — Art. 17. Applicant files with the competent court of the requested state (Art. 16) | Documents transmitted by the central authorities — exempt from diplomatic or consular legalisation (Art. 12). Ministry of Justice ↔ Jordanian Ministry of Justice, directly or through diplomatic channels — Art. 2. Requesting party’s language + translation into the requested party’s official language; central authorities may correspond in English — Art. 3 |
| Morocco | Treaty on Legal Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters, 21.10.2019 02.09.2020 (Law No. 856-IX) · entry into force not confirmed no entry-into-force date on the zakon.rada card; the Ministry’s country list omits the treaty — probably not yet in force | civil and commercial matters; legal persons covered — Art. 2 | civil and commercial judgments, criminal judgments on the civil claim; excludes administrative cases and interim measures (except maintenance) — Art. 19; conditions — Art. 20; arbitral awards — under the New York Convention (Art. 23). Directly by the interested person to the competent court (Art. 21); documents — Art. 22 | Documents transmitted by competent authorities under the treaty — exempt from legalisation (Art. 5). Ministry of Justice ↔ Moroccan Ministry of Justice, directly; diplomatic channels not excluded — Art. 6. Requesting party’s language + translation into the requested party’s language or French — Art. 11 |
| Senegal | Treaty on Legal Assistance in Civil and Criminal Matters, 17.06.2013 02.09.2015 (Law No. 661-VIII) · entry into force not confirmed no entry-into-force date on the zakon.rada card; the Ministry’s country list omits the treaty — probably not yet in force | civil and criminal matters; legal persons covered — Art. 2 | civil judgments incl. criminal judgments on the civil claim; excludes interim and protective measures (except maintenance) — Art. 22; conditions — Art. 23. Directly to the competent court or via the central authorities (Art. 24); documents — Art. 25 | Documents transmitted by competent authorities under the treaty — exempt from legalisation (Art. 5). Court requests — Ministry of Justice ↔ Senegalese Ministry of Justice, directly — Art. 6. Requesting party’s language + certified translation into the requested party’s language — Art. 19 |
Soviet-era treaties applied by succession
The Ministry of Justice’s country-by-country list names seven USSR treaties that Ukraine applies by succession. Their texts are not published by the Verkhovna Rada (except the treaty with Czechoslovakia), so the recognition articles are not given here. The official publication of each text is given under the treaty title: the United Nations Treaty Series (UNTS) and, for Austria, Finland and Czechoslovakia, also their official gazettes. The 1979 USSR–Italy Convention on legal assistance in civil matters, mentioned in the literature, does not appear in the Ministry’s current list.
| State | Treaty | Basis of application | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | USSR–Austria Agreement on Questions of Civil Procedure, 1970 Official publication: BGBl. Nr. 112/1972 | Ministry of Justice country list: succession under the 1991 Law on Succession of Ukraine and the 1978 Vienna Convention | text not published on zakon.rada; Austria announced continued application of the agreement with Ukraine (BGBl. Nr. 291/1996), and the Austrian RIS database records it for Ukraine from 24.08.1991 |
| Albania | USSR–Albania Treaty on Legal Assistance in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters, 1958 Official publication: UNTS, vol. 328, No. 4729 | Ministry of Justice country list: succession under the 1991 Law on Succession of Ukraine and the 1978 Vienna Convention | text not published on zakon.rada |
| Algeria | USSR–Algeria Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance, 1982 Official publication: UNTS, vol. 1365, No. 23040 | Ministry of Justice country list: succession under the 1991 Law on Succession of Ukraine and the 1978 Vienna Convention | text not published on zakon.rada |
| Yemen | USSR–Yemen Treaty on Legal Assistance in Civil and Criminal Matters, 1985 Official publication: UNTS, vol. 1509, No. 26060 | Ministry of Justice country list: succession under the 1991 Law on Succession of Ukraine and the 1978 Vienna Convention | text not published on zakon.rada |
| Finland | USSR–Finland Treaty on Legal Protection and Legal Assistance in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters, 1978 Official publication: UNTS, vol. 1241, No. 20176; SopS 47/1980 and 48/1980 | Ministry of Justice country list: succession under the 1991 Law on Succession of Ukraine and the 1978 Vienna Convention | text not published on zakon.rada; the Finnish treaty database Finlex keeps a separate record of the treaty with Ukraine (47-7/1980), status “in force” |
| Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina | USSR–Yugoslavia Treaty on Legal Assistance in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters, 1962 Official publication: UNTS, vol. 471, No. 6833 | Ministry of Justice country list: succession under the 1991 Law on Succession of Ukraine and the 1978 Vienna Convention | applied to Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the basis of the Ministry of Justice country list; zakon.rada holds no separate succession instrument for this treaty with any of them. The Ministry’s 2010 letter (No. 26-26/291) also named Croatia and Slovenia; the 2026 country list does not. Presidential Decree No. 786/2019 set up a delegation to negotiate a new treaty with Bosnia and Herzegovina on legal assistance in civil matters |
| Slovakia | USSR–Czechoslovakia Treaty on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters, 1982 Official publication: UNTS, vol. 1337, No. 22431; Zb. 95/1983 | Ministry of Justice country list: succession under the 1991 Law on Succession of Ukraine and the 1978 Vienna Convention | in force between Ukraine and Slovakia, as confirmed by the intergovernmental Protocol on bilateral treaty relations that entered into force on 03.03.2000 (Slovak MFA notice No. 382/2002 Z. z., item 18). The zakon.rada card marks the treaty “no longer in force” from 28.05.2001 — the signing date of the Czech treaty, whose Art. 61 terminates the 1982 treaty only between Ukraine and Czechia. Text: scope — civil, labour, family, criminal (Art. 1); channels — Ministry of Justice/prosecution (Art. 3); documents without further authentication (Art. 11); non-pecuniary judgments without proceedings (Art. 53), pecuniary judgments and settlements — Art. 54; application via the first-instance court or directly (Art. 55); refusal — Art. 60 |
Multilateral conventions in force for Ukraine
Dates are taken from the Verkhovna Rada records, the HCCH status tables and the United Nations Treaty Collection. Council of Europe conventions in criminal matters are outside the scope of this page.
| Instrument | For Ukraine | Central Authority · reservations | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hague Convention on Civil Procedure, 1954 | by succession; HCCH: in force for Ukraine since 24.08.1991 (notification 10.06.1999) | declaration of 10.06.1999 (HCCH): judicial documents and letters of request of foreign authorities are forwarded for execution through diplomatic channels via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; consular service on nationals of the state the mission represents remains available under the last paragraph of Art. 6; declarations of 16.10.2015, 09.03.2022 and 08.12.2023 limit performance in temporarily occupied territories and areas of hostilities; HCCH lists Ukraine’s declarations under Arts. 1, 6, 9, 15 | no zakon.rada text located; status per the HCCH table |
| Hague Apostille Convention, 1961 | accession 10.01.2002 (Law No. 2933-III) · in force since 22.12.2003 | where a legal-assistance treaty waives authentication, no apostille is needed (Art. 3; Ministry of Justice letter No. 26-26/291 of 2010) | 130 Contracting Parties |
| Hague Service Convention, 1965 | accession 19.10.2000 (Law No. 2052-III) · in force since 01.12.2001 | Central Authority — Ministry of Justice; Ukraine objects to postal service under Art. 10; consular service only on nationals of the state of origin (Art. 8) | 84 Contracting Parties |
| Hague Evidence Convention, 1970 | accession 19.10.2000 (Law No. 2051-III) · in force since 01.04.2001 (HCCH; the zakon.rada card gives 21.07.2001 without explaining the difference) · the accession has effect only with states that have accepted it (Art. 39) — acceptances listed in the HCCH table | Central Authority — Ministry of Justice; Letters of Request in Ukrainian or with translation; no pre-trial discovery requests (Art. 23); Chapter II applied only as to Arts. 15, 20–22 | 69 Contracting Parties |
| Hague Maintenance Decisions Convention, 1973 | accession 14.09.2006 (Law No. 135-V) · in force since 01.08.2008 | reservation under Art. 26 (collateral and in-law maintenance); extended to authentic instruments (Art. 25) | 24 Contracting Parties |
| Hague Child Abduction Convention, 1980 | accession 11.01.2006 (Law No. 3303-IV) · in force since 01.09.2006 | Central Authority — Ministry of Justice | 103 Contracting Parties |
| Hague Access to Justice Convention, 1980 | accession 12.03.2026 (Law No. 4820-IX) · in force since 01.08.2026 (HCCH) | Central Authority — Ministry of Justice; applications in Ukrainian or with translation (Art. 7); reservations under Art. 28 | Ukraine’s most recent accession |
| Hague Child Protection Convention, 1996 | accession 14.09.2006 (Law No. 136-V) · in force since 01.02.2008 | Central Authority — National Social Service of Ukraine (Art. 29; Law No. 136-V as amended); reservation under Art. 55 on the child’s immovable property | 58 Contracting Parties |
| Hague Choice of Court Convention, 2005 | ratification 15.06.2021 (Law No. 1544-IX) · in force since 01.08.2023 | — | EU, Denmark, United Kingdom, Mexico, Singapore, Montenegro, Albania, Moldova, Switzerland, North Macedonia, Bahrain, Monaco |
| Hague Child Support Convention, 2007 | ratification 11.01.2013 (Law No. 26-VII) · in force since 01.11.2013 | Central Authority — Ministry of Justice; declarations under Arts. 2, 24, 25; reservation under Art. 30 (maintenance agreements) | parties include the EU, United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia |
| Hague Maintenance Protocol, 2007 | ratification 01.07.2022 (Law No. 2339-IX) · in force since 01.12.2022 | — | — |
| Hague Judgments Convention, 2019 | signed 04.03.2020 · ratification 01.07.2022 (Law No. 2342-IX) · in force since 01.09.2023 | no reservations (ratification law); declaration of 01.12.2023 (HCCH): the Convention applies throughout Ukraine except territories where hostilities are (were) conducted or temporarily occupied by Russia | in force between Ukraine and: the EU and its 26 member states (not Denmark) since 01.09.2023; Uruguay since 01.10.2024; the United Kingdom since 01.07.2025; Albania and Montenegro since 01.03.2026; Andorra since 01.06.2026 |
| UN Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance, 1956 | accession 20.07.2006 (Law No. 15-V) · instrument deposited 19.09.2006 (UNTC) · under Art. 14(2) in force from the thirtieth day after deposit, i.e. 19.10.2006 | transmitting and receiving agency — Ministry of Justice | the zakon.rada card gives no entry-into-force date for Ukraine; date per UNTC and Art. 14(2) |
| New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, 1958 | signed 29.12.1958 · ratified 10.10.1960 · in force since 08.01.1961 (UNTC) | reciprocity reservation: awards made in non-contracting states are recognised only to the extent of reciprocity | 172 parties; this convention, not the legal-assistance treaties, is the route for arbitral awards |
| European Convention on International Commercial Arbitration, 1961 | signed 21.04.1961 · ratified 18.03.1963 (decree of 25.01.1963) · in force since 07.01.1964 (UNTC) | — | 31 parties |
| European Convention on Information on Foreign Law, 1968 (ETS 062) | accession 14.07.1993 (Verkhovna Rada Resolution No. 3385-XII) · in force since 14.09.1994 | — | — |
| European Agreement on the Transmission of Applications for Legal Aid, 1977 (ETS 092) | ratification 07.06.2017 (Law No. 2088-VIII) · in force since 13.10.2017 | — | — |
| European Convention on Recognition and Enforcement of Decisions concerning Custody of Children, 1980 (ETS 105) | ratification 06.03.2008 (Law No. 135-VI) · in force since 01.11.2008 | — | — |
How we can help
We act for foreign judgment creditors in recognition and enforcement proceedings in Ukraine, for Ukrainian companies enforcing Ukrainian judgments abroad, and as Ukrainian counsel alongside the client’s lead firm: from identifying the applicable treaty to the application and the enforcement proceedings. See our Dispute Resolution practice page.
If you know of a treaty or a change that is not yet listed, let us know and we will update the page.
Related materials
This page is not legal advice. Information as of October 31, 2026; sources are the texts of the treaties and ratification laws published by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the HCCH and UNTC status tables and the Ministry of Justice’s country list of treaties.