Under what conditions can men leave Ukraine?

Rules and exceptions

Host: Tatiana Troshchinskaya

Guest: Marta Zmysla

Guest — Marta Zmysla consultant of the JurFem Analytical Ukrainian Women Lawyers Association.

Marta Zmysla: In addition to the imposing martial law President Zelensky issued a decree on general mobilization. This decree means that male citizens of Ukraine, ages eighteen to sixty, cannot to leave the country for until marshal law is lifted.  But there are exceptions to this rule.

Under what circumstances can men, between the ages of eighteen and sixty, leave Ukraine during the war?

1. Those who have been determined, by the military medical commission, to be unfit to serve in the military. An individual’s military ID card must indicate that the military medical commission has found him unfit for military service. If the certificate states that either the individual is unfit for service during peacetime or that the individual is limitedly fit during war time, that individual has the right to leave the country. 
2. Men who have more than three children under the age of 18. Birth certificates must be presented, and they must show that the man is the father of each child. 
3. Single men who are raising a child under the age of 18. Court documents must be presented showing that the court revoked the mother’s parental rights, or documents showing that the mother is missing or deceased (a death certificate). Divorce and documents showing that the child’s main residency is with the father does not qualify as grounds to leave the country. 
4. Men who have a child, under the age of 18, with a disability. Requires a certificate or paperwork showing the child’s disability. 
5. Men who support adult children with disabilities. Also requires a certificate or paperwork showing the disability and the father’s role as the main provider. 
6. Men who are caregivers for anyone above the age of 80 or for individuals who are mobile impaired. Social security will issue decisions regarding care. 
7. Those who are adoptive parents, guardians, caregivers, foster parents. This must be verified and approved by guardianship authorities. 
8. Those who have family members who have been killed or have gone missing as a result of anti-terrorist operations. The Department of Social Policy makes this decision. 

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