In December 2020, the dream of our beneficiary Mr. Mykhailo finally came true – he received a passport of a citizen of Ukraine.

For 2.5 years, lawyers of the Right to Protection worked actively to help Mykhailo obtain a passport. The process was quite a complicated one: court hearings, legal inquiries, cooperation with the State Migration Service of Ukraine and the Registry Office. But the end result was totally worth it!

Mykhailo was born in the Belarus SSR, where he received a passport at the age of 16. In 1988, the man permanently moved to the Ukrainian SSR to the city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, where he lived and worked all his life.

Although our beneficiary was employed, the fact of permanent residence on the territory of Ukraine as of August 24, 1991 was difficult to prove in court. The SMSU representative insisted on questioning at least one witness who could confirm the man’s residence in Ukraine.  Fortunately, such a witness was found and agreed to come to court.  In result, the court established legal fact of Mykhailo’s residence on the territory of Ukraine as of August 24, 1991.

But then another problem emerged – COVID-19 quarantine. Due to the restrictions imposed, Mykhailo could not obtain proof of citizenship for 9 months: in early 2020, the man applied to the Bakhmut City Department of the State Migration Service for a certificate of registration as a citizen of Ukraine and received it only in September.

With the certificate, the man was finally able to apply to the SMSU for a passport, but faced difficulties due to the lack of appropriate conditions for people with disabilities. On December 2 monitor of the Right to Protection CF accompanied Mykhailo and helped him to receive a passport.

It is probably unnecessary to remind that a passport is the most important document in the life of any person. But for Mr. Mykhailo that’s a vital document. Without a passport, he could not receive medical help and a pension, despite the fact of having 20 years of work experience. Finally, Mr. Mykhailo will feel what it is like to be a citizen and have equal opportunities and rights as all the other people!