In the fall of 2019, Yevhen came to Bakhmut to change a photo in his passport after reaching the age of 45 years. But the man had a stroke and was hospitalized.
The treatment lasted for a long time, and after discharge from the hospital Yevhen recovering for several more months. In result he missed the State Migration Service of Ukraine (SMSU) application deadline for a passport photo change. In addition, the man accidentally dropped his passport in water which resulted in it’s damage.
The SMSU refused to accept Yevhen’s application for pasting a photo into his passport, as the document had significant damage. Witnesses were needed to confirm the man’s identity. Employees of the Migration Service also informed him that it is necessary to apply for registration and issuance of a passport to the SMSU unit at the place of residence registration.
Yevhen had other identity documents, but he did not know that they could also be used for the procedure. As a result of the disease, it was difficult for the man to give clear explanations to the governmental body, which also affected the situation to some extent.
The man decided that he needed to go to the SMSU department at the place of his registration. Yevhen had no money for such a trip. His pension/social benefits card expired, and it was impossible to get a new one with invalid passport. All his pension remained on the card without the possibility of using the funds…
In January 2021, the man applied to the office of the Right to Protection CF. Lawyers Yevhen Fedorinov and Kateryna Demchenko accompanied the man to the SMSU. Employees of the service were offered to inspect other documents proving Yevhen’s identity together with his damaged passport. Our colleagues stressed that the changes in the legislation provide the possibility to apply for a passport to any department of the State Migration Service of Ukraine during quarantine. Therefore, the application for a passport was accepted.
On February 23, Yevhen received a new passport! Finally, the man will be able to reissue the card and use his pension funds!
UNHCR Ukraine – Aгентство ООН у справах біженців в Україні
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