Overseas Ukrainians gain access to cost-free legal support from August 1

Ukrainians in Spain can now tap into the benefits of the Convention on International Access to Justice

According to Embajada de Ucrania en el Reino de España: A major international legal instrument has taken effect for Ukraine as of August 1, 2026: the Hague Convention on International Access to Justice, concluded on October 25, 1980, within the framework of the Hague Conference on Private International Law. This development matters because cross-border legal proceedings often involve significant expenses and bureaucratic hurdles, and it gives Ukrainian citizens a clearer path to justice while abroad.

Ukrainian citizens living in Spain now have access to several important options:

• receiving free legal aid to take part in court proceedings;
• sending requests through the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine to the competent authority in Spain;
• obtaining copies of court rulings or documents from public registers.

The convention also enables individuals to start enforcement of decisions on recovering legal costs in another country and extends procedural safeguards to witnesses and experts involved in the process.

Twenty-eight states are party to this convention, including Spain, Poland, France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Sweden, and others. To file a request, Ukrainians should take several practical steps. First, they must determine the country where the case will be handled; information about the relevant authorities is available on the official HCCH website (www.hcch.net). Next, they need to fill out the application form and prepare documents that substantiate both the case’s circumstances and their financial situation. These documents must be submitted in the language of the receiving state or accompanied by a translation, in line with the convention’s requirements.

After that, the application should be sent to Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice electronically at [email protected] and in paper form to 13 Horodetskoho Street, Kyiv, 01001. The ministry will check whether the submission is complete, help arrange a translation if needed, and forward the materials to the competent authority of the receiving state. That authority will then review the application and inform the applicant of the outcome. Notably, documents do not require legalization under this procedure, and the transmission, receipt, and processing of applications are all free of charge.

The Convention on International Access to Justice represents a major step toward safeguarding the legal rights of Ukrainians who live outside the country.

Source: unknown author

It opens up new pathways for citizens to protect their rights, which can be especially useful in international legal disputes or when Ukrainians encounter legal difficulties in their host countries. Raising awareness of these options and ensuring access to the necessary resources will be essential for Ukrainians to make the most of their rights.