Foreign Ministry launches new service for Ukrainians abroad: will simplify document processing

From now on, Ukrainians abroad can apply for notarial actions online via the e-Consul system. Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga said that the innovation provides for the automation of the notarial procedure.

Previously, the execution of a power of attorney or other document required several personal visits to the consulate, submitting paper documents, agreeing on the text and paying the fee through the post office or bank. In case of mistakes or lack of documents, citizens had to return to the consulate repeatedly.

Now all the necessary steps can be completed remotely: send an application via e-Consul, attach documents and a power of attorney template. The system processes the data, forms the document and notifies about its readiness. After that it is enough to sign up in the electronic queue, come to the consulate to sign and receive the ready document.

The new system is already operating in Ukrainian embassies and consulates in Australia, Asia, Africa, South America and a number of European cities, including Milan, Hamburg and Gdansk.

According to Sibiga, digital notarisation not only simplifies the process for citizens, but also reduces the burden on diplomatic staff. If the pilot stage is successfully completed, the Foreign Ministry plans to extend the system to all Ukrainian representative offices abroad.