Pryncyp

Military service in Ukraine by foreigners is primarily regulated by the Law of Ukraine “On Military Duty and Military Service” of 25 March 1992 No. 2232-XII, and the Regulations on Military Service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine by Foreigners and Stateless Persons, approved by Presidential Decree of 10 June 2016 No. 248/2016.

Foreigners may volunteer to serve under contract in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), the State Special Transport Service (SSTS), or the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU).

You should apply to the Centre for Recruiting Foreigners and Stateless Persons, recruitment centres, administrative service centres, employment centres, the territorial recruitment and social support centre at your place of residence or temporary stay, or directly to the military unit where you wish to serve under contract.

You should complete an online application form, which will be reviewed by the International Legion and forwarded to military units. These forms are also available on the official websites of some units and on their social media pages. After submitting the form, a representative from the unit will contact you to arrange an interview. Upon arrival in Ukraine, a recruiter will guide you through all necessary administrative procedures.

Foreigners are recruited mainly by AFU units, the NGU, and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (GUR MOU). These structures include specialised units where most personnel are foreigners – for example, the International Legion of the AFU and the International Legion of the GUR MOU.

Key conditions for joining military service include: lawful stay in Ukraine, no criminal record, and having a passport or a stateless person’s identity document.

With the assistance of the unit’s recruiter, foreign military personnel apply for a tax ID. This requires a notarised Ukrainian translation of the foreign passport. At this stage, the military personnel bear all costs. If they have already stayed in Ukraine for more than 90 days without a residence permit, the tax ID will be refused. In such cases, the tax ID is issued later, after the contract is signed, which legitimises the foreigner’s stay in Ukraine.

After obtaining the tax ID, military personnel should visit a bank with the new document and their original passport to open an account and receive a Ukrainian bank card for salary payments. Recruiters usually organise groups of 7–9 new military personnel to complete this process together.

Practical note: bank cards may be blocked if a foreigner does not register a Ukrainian phone number – for example, when exceeding the transfer limit for remittances abroad (e.g., to family members). Unblocking is only possible by answering a call from the bank or visiting a branch in person. Both options may be difficult during active combat.

At territorial recruitment centres (TRCs), foreigners undergo the military medical examination (MME) on general terms. It usually takes place in Kyiv or regional capitals.

After passing the examination, new foreign recruits receive a Ukrainian-language military ID card. This is the primary document confirming the status of military personnel. The military registration document is not translated into the recruit’s language.

If, however, a foreigner joins the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU), registration is carried out not at the TRCs but directly within the NGU units. In this case, they receive not a military ID card but an NGU certificate. The practice of undergoing military medical examination also differs: in some cases, it is conducted in hospitals of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (which supervises the NGU), while other units send their recruits to TRCs for the medical examination.

A military personnel file is compiled for each new recruit. It includes:

After selection, recruits are assigned to military units. There, their physical fitness is tested, and a contract for the relevant type of military service is drawn up.