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In the modern world, divorces are becoming an increasingly frequent occurrence, but this does not make them any less painful or complex. In Kyiv, as in other major cities, the divorce process can be tense and emotionally draining. However, with the professional assistance of qualified lawyers, this process can be made significantly easier.

Turning to a lawyer in cases of dissolution of marriage becomes critically important when one of the spouses opposes the divorce decision. However, even with mutual consent to a split, expert support from a lawyer remains a necessity. The variety of issues that need to be resolved—such as the division of jointly acquired property or determining the residence of children—requires a professional approach. By seeking help from a specialist in a timely manner, you can avoid rights violations and save both time and nerves.

Why It Is Important to Consult a Divorce Lawyer

A divorce lawyer is not only your representative in court, but also an expert who will help you understand all aspects of the divorce process. Knowing your rights and obligations is a key moment in divorce proceedings. In addition, the lawyer will help you draw up all the necessary documents and represent your interests before your spouse and the court.

Situations Where Consulting a Divorce Lawyer Is Unavoidable:

• Lack of knowledge and experience required to achieve the desired outcome.
• Intense emotional pressure that prevents acting adequately and analysing the situation.
• Inability to step away from work, business, business trips, and childcare.
• Evasion by one of the spouses from participating in court hearings or their residing in another geographic region.
• Risk of losing real estate or a vehicle during property division.
• Presence of joint loans, mortgages, or debts.
• Disputes regarding the conditions of upbringing and the child’s place of residence.

Any of these circumstances can lead to the loss of property, nervous strain, and psychological trauma for the child. Naturally, economising on legal services in such cases is hardly justified.

What Services a Divorce Lawyer Offers

The “Riyako & Partners” law firm offers a wide range of services in the field of family law, including:

• Consultations and preparation of documentation for divorce.
• Representation of the client’s interests in court.
• Development of an individual action plan in complex cases (for example, when one of the spouses is abroad).
• Assistance in standard divorce procedures to save the client’s time and effort.

What Types of Marriage Dissolution Exist?

• Divorce via the Civil Status Acts Registration Office (RACS): This option is suitable if the spouses have no common children under 18 and there is a mutual agreement to divorce.
• Divorce through the court: Necessary in cases where there are common children or when property division is required.

Important to Know

Kyiv, the centre of many social and legal processes, including divorces, records thousands of marriage dissolutions every year. This circumstance places a certain emphasis on the importance of the professionalism of lawyers specialising in divorce proceedings. Our company, possessing significant practical experience, provides a number of useful tips for those facing this difficult situation.

Online Divorce Filing: Convenience and Efficiency

With the development of technology, it has become possible to submit a divorce application online via the official service https://dracs.minjust.gov.ua

. This process is intended for couples who are eligible to divorce through RACS. However, visiting a RACS branch is necessary for the final registration of the divorce.

Separate Resolution of Property and Family Issues

Family lawyers strongly recommend not mixing the divorce procedure with resolving issues concerning property division, child custody, and maintenance. These issues should be resolved separately, which will help avoid unnecessary complications and achieve a fairer result.

Before starting the divorce process, it is important to determine key aspects, such as property division. This will help your lawyer develop the most effective strategy and ensure the protection of your interests.

How a Divorce Lawyer Can Help During the Divorce Process:

• Ensures the completion of the divorce even if one of the spouses disagrees or evades participation in court.
• Assists with maintenance and property division matters.
• Provides support in the event of a divorce involving a foreign citizen.
• Protects the rights and interests of children during the divorce process.
• Helps invalidate a prenuptial agreement.

Advantages of Contacting a Professional Lawyer:

• Protection of the client’s interests.
• Preparation of all necessary documents for the divorce.
• Assistance in reaching a reconciliation between the parties, based on the principle that a bad peace is better than a good war.
• Reduction of emotional and time stress, as the lawyer takes over court attendance and spares the client from unpleasant meetings.
• Comprehensive case management from the moment of filing the claim to the enforcement of the court decision.
• Affordable cost of services and flexible pricing policy.

Execution of Legal Services:

Upon concluding a legal services agreement, the lawyer assumes full control over all necessary actions for the dissolution of marriage through the court. The lawyer regularly updates the client on the progress of the work. The client only needs to visit the office once to sign the agreement, after which all work is carried out without their direct participation.

Cost of Divorce Lawyer Services:

A divorce lawyer’s fee for services includes qualifications, experience, the scope and complexity of the case, and the estimated time to protect the client’s interests. For the convenience of clients, a price list for services is provided. Depending on the circumstances, the lawyer may offer various payment options:

• A fixed amount paid as a lump sum.
• A fixed amount for out-of-court work plus payment for each court hearing.
• Payment for each individual service (e.g., preparing a request, drafting a claim, participating in a hearing, etc.).

Summary of the Importance of Legal Assistance in Divorce:

Thus, turning to a divorce lawyer in Kyiv is not only an important measure, but often a necessary one. This is especially true in situations involving complexities related to property division, determining the living arrangements and upbringing of children, as well as cases involving loans and other financial obligations. A professional lawyer will not only help protect the client’s rights and interests, but will also ease the entire process, minimising emotional and time strain.

Conclusion:

It is important to understand that the services of a divorce lawyer are not just a formality, but a vital element in the marriage dissolution process, especially in complex and disputed cases. Qualified legal support can significantly simplify and speed up the divorce procedure while ensuring the protection of the rights and interests of all parties. Ultimately, choosing professional legal assistance is a decision that can save not only time and funds, but also the client’s emotional resources.

The subsidy programme began in the 1990s and has been helping families for more than 25 years and remains a major protection against increases in housing and utility prices and payments. Families can apply for a subsidy in Ukraine if their utility bill exceeds a certain amount that they need to pay. It is calculated differently for everyone and depends on income:

• First the average monthly income has to be calculated;
• This income is divided by the number of persons living in the house/apartment. This is how you can determine the average income per person per month;
• It is then divided by the minimum that one can live on in a month;
• The total is divided by 2 and multiplied by 20%;

This is how you find out the percentage of your average monthly income and the mandatory payment.

Subsidies 2021: What changes to the rules?

From the beginning of May, the 2021 subsidy is given differently. An important rule is that the 2021 subsidy will only be paid in cash. Such changes allow you to dispose of the remaining money after the payments have been made. According to the government’s decision, families who received the housing benefit last year and this year will receive it for the next period without an application from the citizen, i.e. it is automatically reassigned. But not all households are included in this decision. Families will not receive the subsidy if:

• The subsidy was not a cash grant;
• The subsidy was granted without persons registered in the dwelling;

Also under the new rules, those who are not eligible for the subsidy will lose their entitlement:

• Have bought any vehicle or house whose value exceeds 50 thousand UAH;
• Saved funds of any currency in a bank with interest of more than 100 thousand UAH;
• Acquired and sold any currency in the amount exceeding UAH 50 thousand during the year prior to submitting the application for subsidy;
• Were abroad for more than 59 days and declared no income;
• Failed to pay utility bills or alimony payments for several months;
• There was an illegally received subsidy in the previous year, after which the funds have not been repaid;
• Have several new cars in their possession;
• Have a car that is less than 5 years old;
• Have not worked, studied or have no income;
• Own a large flat or house;

The State Social Inspectorate regularly monitors and verifies the accuracy of all information submitted for the assignment of the subsidy.
The subsidy is checked by the social inspectors who follow up:

• Accuracy and completeness of information on property and material status;
• The verification of personal files of persons;
• Payments and assignments of social assistance;
• Measures to recover state social assistance funds paid in excess;

The Chief State Social Inspector verifies the subsidy with additional rights, namely:

• A check on the individual’s living conditions to determine the family’s background to the application. This is done at the discretion of the head of the relevant social welfare body;
• Checking the information on the place of residence of all family members;
• Visiting places where family members work.

Actions carried out during the verification of the beneficiary are lawful. However, according to Article 30 of the Constitution of Ukraine and Article 13 of the CPC, there are three prohibitions:

1. No unlawful entry into a person’s home is allowed;
2. No unlawful examination is allowed;
3. No unlawful search except by a reasoned decision of a court.

The decision on whether or not to apply for the subsidy is made within 10 days. If a person does not agree with the refusal or the amount of the subsidy, he or she will have to double-check and clarify the information to correct the error. This information has 30 days to be clarified and can only be prolonged if the applicant is ill.

It is often the case that people may be deceived by telling them that the pensioner’s subsidy will be taken away if they become employed. However, the subsidy for pensioners can be based on wages and pensions. If a pensioner has stopped working or retired, he or she needs to apply to the social security office within a month with a declaration, and the aid will be transferred taking into account only one income – the pension.

Applying for a subsidy: how to do it and where to apply?

The subsidy 2021 is granted to people who present a passport or other proof of nationality. You can apply at the social welfare office in the place where you are registered. It is best if the application is submitted with all the necessary documents, i.e:

• Declaration of expenditure and income;
• Certificate of income;
• A repetition of the no-obligation agreement (if any);
• Rental agreement (if you have one);

What income you have to declare

• Wages after you have paid all taxes;
• Pension;
• Scholarship;
• State social cash payment for people declared legally unemployed;
• Money transfers abroad;

The percentage of income does not include payments such as

1. Help when a child is born;
2. Support when a child is adopted;
3. Support for women with the title of “Heroine Mother” of Ukraine;
4. Social support for orphans;
5. Assistance for children who have been granted guardianship;
6. Child support received; Support for children;
7. Support from charitable organisations;
8. Amounts paid to an employee to compensate for damages incurred during the period of employment;

Also income is not taken into account:

1. Alimony paid, if documented;
2. The amount for travel vouchers received free of charge;
3. Payments to persons working in the commission on polling day;
4. Funds received for their role in anti-terrorist operations;

The forms and declarations you need to fill in are available free of charge and are provided when a citizen applies directly to the subsidy office. You can also find the forms on the website of the Ministry of Social Affairs. If you are older, your grandchildren or children may help you. Once you have filled in all the forms and documents, you can submit them by mail to the address of your local social security office. The address can be found on the website of the Ministry of Social Policy. You can also hand them in person to an official of the local council of the local community or to the Administrative Services Centre. They will forward the documents to the right place for you within a few days.

If you are a community resident, then you need to contact

• Headmen;
• The body that coordinates the work of the village head’s team;
• Community Protection Unit;
• Centre for the provision of administrative services of the territorial society;
• The social defence body of the district state administration;

You can apply for a subsidy online in several ways:

1. Delivery of important documents by e-mail
2. Using an electronic digital signature; if not, then you have to register on the website of the Ministry of Social Policy;
3. Use BankID identification;

In order to apply for a subsidy online, you must:

1. On the Ministry of Social Policy resource, find the link to go to;
2. Register by mail, electronic signature or BankID, at your discretion;
3. Fill in the necessary data and enter the bank where you will receive the subsidy;
4. Fill in the form and be sure to check that your details are correct, then submit.

The notification, which will include the amount of the subsidy, or possibly a refusal, will come a couple of weeks later.

All people who are legally present and residing in Ukraine are eligible for the subsidy. Subsidies in Ukraine can be applied for:

• The person registered in the house;
• Unregistered person living in the house renting it (documents confirming that the person lives at this address must be attached to the application);
• Children under 18 years of age and without parental care;
• An incapacitated person of working age who has been granted guardianship.

In the event of the death of the beneficiary, the subsidy is paid to one family member. This is done upon written request. The deadline is three months.

The subsidy is calculated on the basis of the number of people living in the household who pay for utilities. It also includes persons who are in the service, but their income is not taken into account. This is determined from the first month that the subsidy is applied for.

If the number of family members who are registered and living in the building is less than the number of registered and living in the building, the subsidy is calculated on the basis of the number of registered and living in the building. This is done according to the commission’s decision. In order to prove that the registered family members do not live in the house, certificates must be provided. This can be documents that prove that the person is elsewhere due to work, study, medical treatment, etc.

It is compulsory for recipients of the subsidy to give notice of any changes in the family, namely

• Changes in the number of people living in the accommodation;
• Changes in social status, including marriage and its termination;
• Changes in the conditions of communal services;
• Changes in the costs of managing the block of flats;
• One person in the family has bought a house, a flat, a vehicle, land, and expenses for services other than medical ones have occurred;

This must be done within one month of the start of the change.

Since the beginning of May, the accrual of the subsidy for incapacitated people who are unable to work has been made for overtime housing. This category of persons includes:

1. Persons under 18 years of age;
2. Ukrainian citizens receiving old-age, disability or seniority pensions;
3. Persons receiving assistance from the state. These may be adults and children who have a childhood disability, temporary assistance for a non-working person who has reached the general retirement age but has not become eligible for a pension payment.

It has also become known that from the beginning of October, the amount of the 2021 subsidy may differ in different regions of Ukraine. The reason for this could be a lockdown or a region moving into the red zone where strong quarantine restrictions will apply. As a result of a new wave of coronavirus, people in the red zone will automatically receive quarantine surcharges and support from the government.

With all of the above in mind, the recipients of the subsidy should not withhold any information that could affect the granting and amount of the subsidy. Because subsidy checks are carried out on a regular basis and this will all become known very quickly, the budget will have to be refunded as a result. We recommend that you contact the social welfare office at your place of registration, discuss all the nuances and choose the best solution for yourself.