Child custody in Ukraine
In Ukraine both parents have equal rights and duties, and the child's residence after separation is set by agreement or the court.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
If the parents are married
Parents have equal rights and duties towards their children, and keep them after divorce.
If the parents are not married
A father whose paternity is established, by joint application or by a court, has the same rights as a married father.
The unmarried father, in one line: Both parents have it, married or not, once the father's paternity is established.
After a divorce or separation
Parents can agree where the child lives. If they cannot, the court decides in the child's interests, and the parent who lives apart keeps the right to contact and to take part in the upbringing.
What the child can say
From the age of ten the child's opinion must be taken into account, and a child of 14 can decide for themselves with which parent to live.
Moving house or moving abroad with the child
Moving a child abroad needs both parents' consent, or a court's permission.
If the parents live in different countries
Ukraine is a party to the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention, which lets a parent ask for a child wrongly taken to another country to be returned. It works only with countries that have accepted its accession, so check the other country on the treaty status table.
Understand the legal system first
Ukraine belongs to the Civil law family. Family law grows out of the legal tradition, so it helps to know how the system works.
Read the Ukraine legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Who owns what in a marriage in Ukraine? →
Divorce rate and trend in Ukraine →
Official sources
Take it further
The family and property rules of a European country in one PDF, with questions for a local lawyer.
Write down parenting time and responsibilities.
Permission for a child to travel with one parent or another adult.
Marriage, divorce, custody and support, step by step.
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TheLawToKnow Tools’s child custody guide is an educational overview of general rules. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the official source or a lawyer in the country. Report a mistake.
