Ukrainian uses the Cyrillic alphabet with 33 letters, several of which are unique to Ukrainian and absent from Russian Cyrillic. The letters ґ, є, і, and ї are distinctly Ukrainian, and their correct identification is essential for accurate translation and transliteration. Confusing Ukrainian and Russian Cyrillic characters is a common source of error in document translation, as the two scripts share many but not all letters, and identical-looking letters sometimes represent different sounds.
Transliteration of Ukrainian names into Latin script follows specific standards depending on the destination country and purpose. Ukraine's official romanization system was established by Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 55 of 2010, which provides the standard used in Ukrainian passports and official documents. However, immigration authorities in different countries may apply their own transliteration conventions, and many Ukrainian names have established legacy spellings from earlier transliteration systems or Russian-based romanization. DoVisa translators follow the destination country's preferred transliteration standard and note any discrepancies between the passport spelling and the document spelling, ensuring consistency across all translated documents in an application package.
Older Ukrainian documents, particularly those issued during the Soviet era, present additional challenges. Many were issued in Russian rather than Ukrainian, or in bilingual Russian-Ukrainian format. Some contain handwritten entries in cursive Cyrillic that require specialized reading skills. Soviet-era vital records often used different administrative terminology and institutional names that no longer exist in independent Ukraine. Our translators are experienced with documents spanning Ukraine's full modern history, from Soviet-era свідоцтва (certificates) to contemporary documents issued through the Diia digital governance platform.
