Ukraine Extension Scheme Visa: Ukrainian Police Certificate

Does the Ukraine Permission Extension need a Ukrainian police certificate? Which documents prove identity, when to apply, and what to do without a passport.

Does a Ukraine Permission Extension application need a Ukrainian police certificate?

Short answer: no. The Home Office guidance for the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme does not list a Ukrainian police certificate among the documents you must submit. A UPE application turns on two things: proving who you are, and showing that you hold permission under one of the Ukraine Schemes that qualifies you to extend. A criminal record check from Ukraine is not part of that standard document set.

Keep the wider picture in proportion, though. Police certificates do matter on other UK routes and for other countries. The UK office that issues police certificates for visa and immigration purposes is ACRO, the Association of Chief Police Officers Criminal Record Office. ACRO certificates are required for visas to countries including Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Cayman Islands, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA. So while your UPE application will not ask for one, knowing how to obtain a Ukrainian certificate from the UK is still useful, because a future application, British or foreign, may ask for it.

One caveat applies to every UKVI route: caseworkers can request additional information in individual cases. If UK Visas and Immigration asks you for a document you do not hold, respond promptly with an explanation instead of leaving the request unanswered.

Where a criminal record certificate is actually mandatory on UK routes

There is one UK visa category where a foreign criminal record certificate is a hard requirement, and it is worth knowing about because some Ukraine Scheme holders move into work routes later. Applicants for Tier 2 (General) visas in the health, education and social care sectors must provide a criminal record certificate from every country where they lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years, counted from age 18, with the UK itself excluded. For most Ukrainian applicants that country is Ukraine, which means a Ukrainian police certificate becomes mandatory at that point.

The consequence of not providing it is spelled out in the same guidance: without the certificate, or a satisfactory explanation for why it cannot be obtained, the visa application will be refused. In other words, on those routes an unobtainable certificate does not sink the application by itself, but silence about it does. The habit of explaining gaps in documents, covered below, is exactly what saves such cases.

Another certificate from the same office is worth a passing mention: the International Child Protection Certificate, which is also issued by ACRO. It is used by employers recruiting people to work with children, not by UKVI, so it is irrelevant to a UPE application but relevant to job hunting in education or childcare.

What a Ukrainian police certificate is and who issues it

A Ukrainian police certificate, known in Ukraine as a dovidka pro nesudymist, confirms whether you have a criminal record in Ukrainian registries. It is issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine at vul. Bohomoltsia 10 in Kyiv and through regional MIA service centres. From the UK, the practical route is to submit a request through a Ukrainian consulate, since the certificate is tied to Ukrainian state registries rather than to any UK body. Processing details change, so confirm the current procedure directly with the consulate before you plan anything around it.

A detail that surprises many applicants: criminal record certificates can include information from beyond the issuing country’s own registries. For example, the criminal records office at the Vienna state police department adds data from the registries of other EU countries to Austrian certificates. The practical lesson travels well: a certificate issued in one country may cover more than that country’s own records, so read what the document actually states before relying on it, and check whether the requesting authority expects coverage of additional countries.

If you cannot get a certificate at all

Some applicants genuinely cannot obtain Ukrainian documents: their home region is under occupation, they lost access to Ukrainian registries, or their passport was destroyed. A workable approach looks like this:

• Situation: an applicant from an occupied area of Donetsk region, living in Scotland, is asked for a Ukrainian document she cannot obtain.

• Steps: she writes a short cover letter explaining exactly why the document is unavailable, attaches everything she does have (an old passport copy, her biometric residence permit, her eVisa record), and submits the application on time rather than waiting for a document that may never arrive.

• Result: the decision-maker assesses the application on the evidence provided, because an application submitted with an explanation is far stronger than a late application or no application at all.

The principle: do not let an unobtainable document push you past your application deadline. This holds on the UPE route, where the document is unlikely to be requested at all, and on routes like Tier 2, where the guidance explicitly accepts a satisfactory explanation in place of the certificate.

What the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme actually is

The Ukraine Permission Extension scheme is the Home Office route for people whose permission under the earlier Ukraine Schemes is running out. Those earlier routes are the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, better known as Homes for Ukraine, the Ukraine Family Scheme, and the original Ukraine Extension Scheme that opened in March 2022. UPE exists because those permissions were granted for fixed periods, and people across the UK now face the same question at the same time: how to stay legally.

UPE is not a new visa from scratch. It is an extension built on your existing status, which is why the evidence burden is lighter than for a fresh application. The Home Office already knows who you are; your job is to confirm your identity and your current permission, not to rebuild your case from zero.

When to apply: the 90-day window

Apply before your current permission expires. Applying after expiry creates the gap problems described further below. Mark the expiry date from your biometric residence permit or your eVisa record, then set a reminder three months ahead.

Families should treat the deadline as per-person, not per-household. Each family member, including each child, needs their own application submitted before their own permission runs out.

Proof of identity: passport, BRP, eVisa and the ID check app

Identity is the core of a UPE application. The Home Office accepts several documents, and which one you use depends on what you hold.

Two practical notes. First, check your UKVI account before you start: if your name, date of birth or passport details are wrong in the eVisa system, fix that before submitting an application on top of it. Second, the app route depends on a readable biometric passport chip. A damaged passport is a reason to book a VAC appointment, not a reason to struggle with the app.

Applying without a valid passport

A lapsed, lost or destroyed Ukrainian passport does not block a UPE application, but it changes the process. Without a valid passport, the UK Immigration: ID check app typically will not work, so your fallback is an identity check at a Visa Application Centre operated by TLS Contact, where staff verify you in person and take your biometrics.

Before that appointment, contact the Ukrainian consulate about getting a replacement passport or a temporary document, because a valid travel document will matter for any future trip. Bring your BRP if you have one, plus anything that ties the old passport to you, such as a copy or your eVisa record. The Home Office deals with applicants without valid passports regularly; the mistake to avoid is doing nothing and letting the permission expire while sorting the passport out.

Applying for children under 18

Every child needs a separate UPE application. For a child, identity evidence typically means the child’s Ukrainian passport if one has been issued, or a full birth certificate showing the parents, combined with the parents’ own documents. An adult must complete and submit the application on the child’s behalf, and consent from a parent or legal guardian is part of the process.

Children who cannot use the ID check app, which is most young children, attend a Visa Application Centre with a parent for their photo and fingerprints. Build in extra time for this: appointment availability at TLS Contact centres varies by city, and a family of four may not get four slots together.

Family members of Ukrainian nationals

The UPE scheme is not limited to Ukrainian citizens. A family member who holds permission under one of the Ukraine Schemes as the partner, parent or child of a Ukrainian national can apply in their own right. The evidence set adds one layer: proof that the relationship still exists and that the Ukrainian national holds or held permission under the schemes.

In practice that means a marriage or partnership certificate, or birth certificates for children, alongside the sponsor’s passport or BRP details. If the relationship has changed since the original application, for example through separation, the position becomes more complicated and it is worth speaking to a regulated adviser before submitting anything.

Travelling outside the UK before applying

Travel is fine while your current permission is valid and your passport allows re-entry. The danger zone opens at two points. First, do not travel close to expiry unless your return is certain, because a delayed flight can leave you landing after your permission has ended. Second, once a UPE application is pending, leaving the UK before a decision can seriously complicate both the application and your return, so the safe pattern is: travel first, apply second, stay put until the decision.

If an emergency trip becomes unavoidable after you have applied, get advice before booking rather than after.

Section 3C leave: your rights while you wait

Applying before your permission expires triggers section 3C leave. This is the legal mechanism that extends your current permission, on the same conditions, until the Home Office makes a decision on the new application. In plain terms: your right to work continues, your right to rent and study continues, and your access to NHS care continues on the same basis as under your current permission, which the Immigration Health Surcharge paid with that application covered.

Section 3C leave is why the 90-day window matters so much. It is also why you should keep evidence of having applied on time: your eVisa or a Home Office acknowledgment letter is what an employer or landlord will rely on while you wait.

How long UPE lasts: 18 and 24 months

A grant under the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme is not open-ended. Depending on your current route and circumstances, the Home Office grants either 18 or 24 months of further permission. Check which period applies to your case in the guidance before you apply, because it affects how far ahead you need to plan the next extension.

Treat the new expiry date the same way as the old one: a calendar reminder three months out, and no travel booked near the deadline.

Children born in the UK

A child born in the UK to parents on a Ukraine Scheme has no automatic immigration status. The child needs their own application, and the document set differs from an adult’s:

• Full UK birth certificate showing the parents’ names.

• The child’s Ukrainian passport if the consulate has issued one; if not, the birth certificate plus the parents’ identity documents.

• Parents’ current permission evidence, such as a BRP or their eVisa record in the UKVI account.

• A photo meeting UKVI standards for the child.

• Consent from a parent or legal guardian for the application to be made.

Register the birth promptly, because the birth certificate is the foundation for everything else, including any future Ukrainian passport for the child.

Evidence of living in the UK

UPE is an extension of an existing status, so the Home Office generally does not demand proof of continuous residence the way settlement routes do. Still, keep a light file: tenancy agreements, utility bills, a letter from a sponsor under Homes for Ukraine, school letters for children. If a caseworker raises a question about your circumstances, having these to hand turns a stressful request into a straightforward reply.

Biometrics: the app, the VAC and where UKVCAS fits

For most in-country UK applications, biometric enrolment happens through UKVCAS service points. For the UPE scheme, the Home Office directs applicants to the UK Immigration: ID check app or, where the app is not an option, to a Visa Application Centre run by TLS Contact. You may still see UKVCAS mentioned in general UKVI guidance for other routes; do not book a UKVCAS appointment for a UPE application unless the Home Office explicitly tells you to.

Whichever channel applies to you, the biometric step is what moves your application from “submitted” to “in process”, so do it promptly after submitting.

Applying before versus after expiry

The timing of your application changes your legal position more than anything else in this process. A gap in permission is fixable in some cases, but it creates problems with employers, landlords and banks that no one needs.

Getting advice you can trust

Immigration advice on UK applications is a regulated activity. If your case is anything beyond straightforward, use an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA), the body that replaced the OISC, and check the register on its website before paying anyone. Unregulated “consultants” are the single most common way applicants lose money in this process.

This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Apostilles for UK public documents are issued exclusively by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Legalisation Office; this site is not affiliated with any government body. Please consult a qualified professional before making decisions.

FAQ

Ukrainian nationals and their eligible family members who already hold permission under one of the Ukraine Schemes, such as Homes for Ukraine, the Ukraine Family Scheme or the Ukraine Extension Scheme, and whose current permission is coming to an end.

Apply before your current permission runs out, in good time. If you apply in time, section 3C leave keeps your existing rights active while the Home Office decides.

A biometric residence permit, your eVisa status in your UKVI account, or an in-person identity check at a Visa Application Centre operated by TLS Contact can be used when a valid Ukrainian passport is not available.

Yes. Family members who hold permission under one of the Ukraine Schemes as the family member of a Ukrainian national can apply to the UPE scheme on the same basis, with documents proving the relationship.

The Home Office does not publish a fixed decision timescale for the UPE scheme.

If you applied before your permission expired, section 3C leave preserves your existing conditions, including the right to work and study, until a decision is made on your UPE application.

Time on the temporary Ukraine Schemes does not automatically build qualifying time for settlement in the way work or family routes do. Check the current Home Office rules or speak to a regulated adviser before relying on any period as qualifying time.

Travelling before you apply is fine if your permission is still valid. Once a UPE application is pending, leaving the UK before a decision can put the application and your return at risk, so plan any trips before submitting.

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