Saving time, money and nerves: e-Consul rushes to help Ukrainians abroad
22 January 15:35
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiga announced a significant simplification of Ukrainians’ access to consular services abroad in 2025 due to the full implementation of the e-Consul system. This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.
Announcing such plans on Unity Day, the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry emphasized the importance of preserving the unity of the Ukrainian people both at home and abroad. This is what the full launch of the e-Consul system is supposed to serve.
What services will Ukrainians be able to access online
Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiga said that this includes automated notarial services in all Ukrainian diplomatic missions abroad.
“This means that in the e-Consul you will be able to choose the type of power of attorney or application you need, add information if necessary, and when you visit the consul, you will have a document ready for signing. This means saving time and effort,” the Minister said.
He also announced the launch of new digital services in the e-Consul system within six months, which will cover the most popular services. According to him, the experience of receiving public services for Ukrainians abroad will be similar in simplicity and accessibility to the experience of using Diia by citizens in Ukraine.
The Foreign Minister announced that in February, courier delivery of passports at an affordable price will be introduced in several countries in cooperation with Nova Poshta.
“You will no longer need to visit a diplomatic mission twice, look for a free slot in the e-queue and spend time and money on a second visit to get a ready passport. We filled in the necessary data in advance on the Diia portal, came in person once to submit biometrics, and after processing received a ready-made passport by mail,” the minister emphasized.
Andriy Sybiga also announced that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to start issuing driver’s licenses abroad in the spring.
And in the second half of 2025, according to the head of the diplomatic department, a comprehensive service for registering the birth of a child abroad should be launched, which will include state registration of birth, acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship by birth, registration in the State Register of Individuals – Taxpayers, and registration of the child in the Unified State Demographic Register.
The Minister emphasized that within the same period, Ukrainian diplomatic missions should be able to issue a tax number and an ID card.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine plans to introduce other new tools to simplify access to consular services, which will be announced this year.
As a reminder, on December 20, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine “On the Implementation of a Pilot Project on the Provision of Certain Public Services and Certain Consular Actions at the Request of Persons Outside Ukraine, Submitted by the Unified State Web Portal of Electronic Services and/or the e-Consul Information and Communication System.
The full implementation of the e-Consul system was named one of the main tasks of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine for 2025. The MFA’s priorities for this year also include strengthening military support, promoting Ukraine’s interests in the world and on the path to EU and NATO membership, and increasing the cost of war for Russia.
The project to modernize the MFA’s consular information systems was launched in November 2023.
In 2024, the MFA tested a digital platform behind closed doors: an updated electronic queue, electronic offices of the applicant and consul, automated pilot services in the field of notary, issuing certificates, etc. Last year, work also continued on connecting the system to state registers and information databases, which should reduce the operational time for providing citizens with MFA services by 30-80%, depending on the type of service.
As of August last year, there were about 7.5 million Ukrainian citizens abroad, most of whom left the country due to the Russian invasion.