The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Politics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) has started reviewing applications for approval under Article 24 of the Law of Ukraine 'On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations'.
Source: DESS
“Clergymen, religious preachers, mentors, and other representatives of foreign organizations who are foreign citizens and temporarily reside in Ukraine may engage in preaching religious beliefs, performing religious rites, or other canonical activities only in those religious organizations at whose invitation they have arrived, and by official agreement with the state body that registered the Charter (Regulations) of the relevant religious organization.”
If you have any questions about the application procedure, please contact the coordinator of cooperation with religious communities Vyacheslav Gorshkov at the email address:
viacheslav.horshkov@dess.gov.ua.
DESS points out that:
An official letter requesting approval is sent by the religious organization that invites (not a foreign citizen, but a religious organization in Ukraine).
The institution that registered the Charter (Regulations) of the relevant religious organization should be contacted. So, if the organization's Charter was registered with a central executive authority, the approval shall be issued by the central administrative authority, the DESS. If the Charter was registered with the regional state administration (RSA), the RSA is to be contacted. This is also the case for the registration of the Charter in the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA).
The requirements for the content of the letter and accompanying documents, as well as the terms of consideration, remain unchanged.
How to send an official letter?
Send by mail to:
State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience,
15 Prorizna street
Kyiv, 01601
OR leave it in the mailbox at 15 Prorizna street in Kyiv (DESS correspondence box can be found to the left of the entrance – opposite the security guard post; with the respective notice on the box).
For the sake of convenience of the religious communities in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Ministry of Justice, the LCA and the MFA, DESS hopes to create in 2021 opportunities for obtaining approvals electronically in the format of personal accounts of religious organizations.