Ukrainians will be able to create their own family coat of arms: what the law entails

Several draft laws regarding amendments to the Civil Code of Ukraine aimed at updating its text have been presented in the Verkhovna Rada. One of these draft laws opens up the opportunity for citizens of Ukraine to create their own family coat of arms. This information was disclosed by 'Judicial and Legal Newspaper', citing 'Glavkom'.

The Parliament adopted the draft law No. 14056 (first book) in the first reading on October 22, 2025, with an extension of the preparation period, and on November 5, 2025, draft law No. 14057 from September 21, 2025 (second book) was adopted. According to Article 294-7 of the second book of the Civil Code, individuals will have the ability to create, use, and protect a personal family coat of arms for the identification of themselves or their belonging to a certain lineage.

'A personal family coat of arms may contain graphic images, color schemes, symbols, mottos, and other heraldic elements, but must not contain symbols whose manufacture, distribution, and public use are prohibited by law in Ukraine.' - stated in the draft law.

The right to use a personal coat of arms can only be granted with the consent of the individual, and the family coat of arms can only be used with consideration of the rights of family members and cultural heritage. Furthermore, the coat of arms can be registered as a trademark or as part of intellectual property according to current legislation.

Exceptions to the rules

The draft law considers exceptions when the specified provisions do not apply to family coats of arms that:

• are part of state or local symbolism;
• are used for ensuring national security;
• are significant for preserving cultural heritage;
• are applied in the interests of justice.

The draft law also stipulates that legal entities will also have the right to a coat of arms, which will be regarded as part of their corporate identity or territorial community.

The draft laws have been submitted to update the Civil Code of Ukraine, allowing citizens to create their own family coats of arms for identifying themselves and their belonging to a family. The implementation of these changes involves consideration of cultural heritage and individuals' rights to their own coat of arms.