In the spring of 2027, a significant event will occur in the lives of the Ukrainian diaspora in Germany: hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian citizens who arrived in the FRG in the first months of the full-scale war will officially reach the five-year mark of continuous legal residence. Under the reformed German Citizenship Act (Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz, StAG), the five-year residency period opens the right to obtain a German passport while retaining Ukrainian citizenship.
However, behind this outwardly attractive prospect lie serious legal contradictions, disputes over the validity of paragraph 24, the risk of overloading German authorities, and practical difficulties with document processing.
We will examine the key legal aspects of naturalization, current rules for traveling with passports, and important warnings from law enforcement agencies regarding personal data protection.
Citizenship under § 24: Is there a direct right to a German passport?
Approximately 1.3 million Ukrainians currently reside in Germany. According to the Federal Statistical Office and the Berlin Immigration Office (LEA Berlin), over a third of employable refugees already have permanent jobs, pay contributions to pension and social insurance funds, and possess German language skills at level B1 or higher.
Nevertheless, experts in migration law point to a key regulatory obstacle.
A fork in the road for applicants by 2027:
- Option A (direct application with § 24 AufenthG): Risk of legal disputes and rejections in several federal states due to the temporary nature of humanitarian status.
- Option B (transition to a work visa § 18a/b or Blaue Karte): A 100% legally guaranteed right to naturalization upon meeting the 5-year residency requirement, confirming income, and B1 language proficiency.
As Jan Schneider, head of research at the Expert Council on Integration and Migration (SVR), notes, direct naturalization solely based on the humanitarian status of temporary protection (§ 24 AufenthG) is interpreted ambiguously in most federal states.
- In districts like Leer (Lower Saxony) and Stormarn, migration departments are already expanding their staff and preparing to accept applications from Ukrainians with paragraph 24.
- At the same time, the authorities in Flensburg, Uelzen, and several Bavarian cities maintain a strict stance: temporary protection is considered a temporary stay (Aufenthaltsgestattung/vorübergehend), which formally excludes naturalization until a permanent status is obtained.
Key legal advice from experts: To reliably protect your right to a passport and not depend on the outcome of legal disputes, Ukrainians are advised to change their status from § 24 to a work or skilled worker visa now – § 18a (for specialists with vocational training), § 18b / Blaue Karte EU (for specialists with higher education), or apply for a permanent residence permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis).
Risk of Agency Overload: Warning from the Association of German Cities
The Association of German Cities (Deutscher Städtetag) expresses serious concern that migration authorities (Einbürgerungsbehörden) will be paralyzed by a wave of hundreds of thousands of applications in the spring of 2027.
The relevant committee emphasizes that the processing times for naturalization cases in large metropolises (Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt) already range from 12 to 24 months. The additional influx of applicants from Ukraine could further extend these timelines. The only way to avoid years of waiting is to prepare all supporting certificates and apostilles in advance.
Documents and Passports: Transit, Validity, and Border Crossing Rules
Alongside integration issues, many Ukrainians face the problem of expiring passports.
1. Returning to Ukraine with an expired passport
In accordance with Article 33 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a citizen of Ukraine cannot be restricted in their right to enter their own country under any circumstances. The State Border Guard Service (SBGS) will allow you to enter Ukrainian territory without hindrance, even with an expired passport or a certificate of return. However, it will be impossible to leave again with such a document.
2. Transit through European countries
- Moldova: Remains the most lenient and convenient land transit corridor for returning to Ukraine with expired or domestic documents.
- Schengen Area: Requires the passport to be valid for at least 3 months after the intended departure date from the EU. Passengers with expiring documents are not allowed on airline flights even at the check-in stage.
- Extended Passports (with handwritten consular stamps): Most EU countries and airlines will refuse to recognize extended passports as valid travel documents in 2026. For international travel, a new biometric passport must be obtained through the Ukrainian embassy or foreign branches of the State Enterprise “Document.”
Summary Table of Rules for Travel Documents
| Document Status | Entry into Ukraine | Travel within Schengen | Boarding an Airplane | Solution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passport Expired | Allowed (one-way) | Prohibited | Refusal of boarding | Land transit via Moldova / Obtain a new passport |
| Passport Extended with Stamp | Allowed | High risk of refusal | Refusal in 90% of cases | Replace with a biometric passport |
| Validity Less Than 3 Months Remaining | Allowed | Allowed with a residence permit | Possible airline refusal | Obtain a new passport at the State Enterprise “Document” |
| Biometric Passport | Free | Free | Without restrictions | Standard procedure |
Caution, Scammers: Ministry of Justice Warns of Fake Apostille Registry
To legalize Ukrainian documents in Germany (diplomas, birth certificates, marriage certificates for registry offices and citizenship authorities), an apostille stamp is required.
On August 28, 2026, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine and the Cyber Incident Response Team issued an official warning: a fraudulent website imitating the official Electronic Apostille Registry has been discovered.
Important Cybersecurity Warning: Official state online services of Ukraine exclusively use the domain zone
.gov.ua. Any third-party websites in the domains.com,.org,.in.uaoffering to check or issue apostilles are phishing sites and are created for unauthorized collection of personal data!
Security Rules from the Ministry of Justice:
- Verify the authenticity of apostilles exclusively through the official portal on the state domain
.gov.ua; - Never enter passport data, certificate numbers, or tax identification numbers on third-party resources;
- Do not trust dubious online intermediaries promising “urgent apostille within 24 hours without personal appearance.”
Border Statistics: Decrease in Illegal Crossings
According to fresh data from the Opendatabot platform, in the first half of 2026, the State Border Guard Service drew up 7,523 protocols for illegal border crossings (about 1,250 per month) – this is a third less than in the same period last year.
The peak in violations remained in 2024 (26.9 thousand protocols), after which the trend has steadily declined. At the same time, judicial practice indicates a strict legal approach: in 43% of cases, courts close cases due to lack of corpus delicti, emphasizing the importance of proper evidence.
Ukrainian’s Roadmap to 2027: 5 Steps to Stability
- B1/B2 Language Certificate: Enroll in courses and pass the Goethe-Zertifikat, telc, or DTZ exam. Naturalization is impossible without a language certificate.
- Employment and Financial Independence: Ensure a stable work income that excludes the need for Bürgergeld payments from the Jobcenter.
- Change from Paragraph 24 to a Work Visa: Apply to the Ausländerbehörde for a skilled worker residence permit (§ 18a/b, § 19c, or Blue Card).
- Legalization of Basic Documents: Order duplicate birth and marriage certificates with apostilles from official bodies in advance and obtain their certified translation (vereidigter Übersetzer) in Germany.
- Monitor Passport Validity: If your passport has less than a year remaining, obtain a new biometric document without waiting for critical dates.
Information Sources
- Visit Ukraine: German Citizenship for Ukrainians: When Refugees Can Apply
- Visit Ukraine: How to Return to Ukraine with an Expired Passport: List of Transit Countries
- Yurydychna Gazeta: Fake Electronic Apostille Registry Website Discovered: Ministry of Justice Warns of Danger
- Yurydychna Gazeta: Opendatabot: Number of Protocols for Illegal Border Crossing Decreased by One Third
- Bundesministerium der Justiz: Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz (StAG)