Belarusian Woman in Ukraine Got Her Passport Expired — She Had To Go To Court

That's how the case ended.

A citizen of Belarus has been living in Ukraine since 2008, she has a permanent residence permit, which was valid until 2033. She married a Ukrainian back in 1999 and the family has two children. The Belarusian woman works on a crane in one of the Ukrainian companies.

In August 2023, the Belarusian's passport expired. In December, the migration service of the Dnipropetrovsk region wrote her an administrative card and a fine of 3,400 hryvnias (80 euros). According to the migration service, a Belarusian woman violates the law if she lives on the territory of Ukraine without a valid passport, Radio Liberty reports.

The Belarusian has filed a lawsuit against the migration service. She stated that due to martial law and hostilities, she does not have the physical ability to go to Belarus and exchange her passport. The woman stressed that she did not violate the law, since her residence permit is valid for another nine years.

The representative of the migration service in court stated that at first the Belarusian was fined for damaging the document on permanent residence — before they were issued in paper form, not plastic. The migration service officers also claimed that they warned the Belarusian about the need to exchange her passport, but she ignored this requirement, according to them.

However, the court sided with the citizen of Belarus. The decision states that the woman lives in Ukraine legally, since her permanent residence permit is valid. The court considers that the rule on the validity of documents applies specifically to permanent residence, and not to the national passport of a foreigner.

The decision also notes that due to the war and the actual absence of relations between Ukraine and Belarus, the woman does not have the physical ability to make a new passport. The court canceled the administrative procedure and the Belarusian woman's fine.