On September 23, 2026, the Honorary Consulate of Ukraine officially opened in Katowice, Poland, and will be located at ul. Wita Stwosza 2.
According to the Consulate General of Ukraine in Kraków, the opening ceremony was attended by Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Poland; Oresta Starak, Ukraine’s Consul General in Kraków; Luiza Gananya, Ukraine’s Honorary Consul in Katowice; Silesian Voivode Marek Wujcik, Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship Wojciech Saluga, and Katowice Mayor Marcin Krupa.
The event was also attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, local government bodies, and the Ukrainian community.
Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Poland, stated that the opening of the Honorary Consulate is an important step in the development of cooperation between Ukraine and the Silesian Voivodeship.
“We expect that the Honorary Consulate will become a close partner to the Ukrainian community, support Ukrainian citizens, and at the same time contribute to the development of contacts between Ukraine and the Silesian Voivodeship,” Bodnar noted.
He also thanked Honorary Consul Luiz Ganani for his willingness to carry out this mission, and the authorities of the Silesian Voivodeship and the city of Katowice for their support of Ukraine.
The consulate is expected to promote the development of Ukrainian-Polish interregional cooperation, expand contacts with local authorities, businesses, and civil society organizations, and provide support to Ukrainians living in the Silesian Voivodeship.
The Silesian Voivodeship is one of Poland’s largest industrial and economic regions, and Katowice is its administrative center. The opening of the Ukrainian Honorary Consulate creates an additional platform for the development of regional, economic, cultural, and humanitarian ties between Ukraine and Poland.
The Ukrainian government has changed the procedure for verifying military registration documents when obtaining consular services abroad: men aged 18–60 are no longer required to specifically generate an electronic military registration document no earlier than 72 hours before visiting an embassy or consulate.
Now, to receive consular services, it is sufficient to present an electronic military registration document that is valid at the time of the visit to the diplomatic mission, according to the Consular Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. The new rules are already being implemented by Ukrainian diplomatic missions abroad.
The electronic military registration document, or e-MRD, is generated via the “Reserve+” mobile app and is used by the consul to verify a citizen’s military registration data.
Previously, men aged 18 to 60 were required to present an e-VOD—generated no earlier than 72 hours before visiting a diplomatic mission—when applying for virtually any consular service. The 72-hour requirement has now been abolished. The main condition is that the document must remain valid, and the personal data it contains must be up to date.
In what cases may the consulate refuse service
A consular service may be denied if the e-VOD is invalid or if verification reveals that the data needs to be updated, if the applicant has not presented a valid document at all, or if the document lacks confirmation that the personal data is current.
However, the requirement to present a military registration document does not apply to all consular services.
An e-VOD is not required when applying for an identity certificate to return to Ukraine. An exception also applies when performing consular services for children of Ukrainian citizens if the other parent is a foreign national or a stateless person, as well as for applications from Ukrainians who are under arrest, detained, or imprisoned abroad.
What Should Ukrainians Do If They Cannot Log In to “Reserve+”?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also announced additional simplifications for citizens abroad who are unable to log in to “Reserve+.”
In the near future, they plan to allow these citizens to update their military registration data through Ukrainian embassies and consulates. By the end of 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense, intends to introduce a mechanism for updating data through consular registration.
To do this, a citizen will need to register with the consulate if they have not already done so, or update their information at a diplomatic mission if they are already registered with the consulate.
A separate procedure is provided for Ukrainians who cannot update their information through “Reserve+” due to the lack of a taxpayer identification number. Such citizens may personally contact the nearest Ukrainian embassy or consulate to obtain a taxpayer identification number using the “e-Consul” system.
Thus, the changes do not eliminate the requirement for men aged 18–60 to have a valid military registration document for most consular services, but they significantly simplify the procedure: it is no longer necessary to regenerate the e-VOD specifically within 72 hours before each visit to the consulate.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends checking “Reserve+” before your visit to ensure that your e-VOD is valid and that your personal information is up to date.
Official clarification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine: procedure for verifying military registration documents at Ukrainian consulates and embassies abroad. A similar clarification has been published by Ukrainian embassies and consulates in other countries.
CONSULATE, military registration, MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, reserve, е-ВОД
Ukraine will expand its diplomatic presence around the world in 2025-2026, according to the draft Action Program of the Government in the sphere of responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was made public on Monday.
According to the draft published on Monday, four more Ukrainian embassies and up to nine new consular offices are to open by the end of 2025.
In addition, there are plans to upgrade the status of two existing consulates and approve the decision to establish 10 to 20 honorary consulates of Ukraine.
By the end of 2026, three new diplomatic missions are expected to begin operating in Latin American countries.
Germany is stepping up measures to ensure the safety of its employees in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Saturday, February 12. “I have decided to strengthen the measures already taken to prevent the crisis. At the moment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is holding a meeting with the relevant departments and security agencies to implement these decisions,” the press service of the German Foreign Ministry cited Baerbock’s words on Twitter.
Ukraine’s consulate general has opened in Edmonton, the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta, the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported on Saturday. According to the report, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin took part in the ceremonial events on the occasion of the opening of the consulate.
“This is a landmark event, through which Ukraine recognizes the special role played by the Ukrainian community in the west of Canada and which opens the door for trade and investment contacts,” Klimkin said after a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The province of Alberta is home to more than 350,000 Canadians of Ukrainian descent. The new consulate general of Ukraine will also service other provinces of Western Canada – Saskatchewan, British Columbia, as well as Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
“This is a pragmatic decision. It is based on geography and on the powerful business potential in Alberta. This is also an emotional decision – we are repaying the debt to the Ukrainians of Prairies who, for generations, built Canada, preserving the dream of an independent Ukraine,” Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada Andriy Shevchenko said.
According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, the consulate general in Edmonton became the first consulate opened by Ukraine after the beginning of Russian aggression. Prior to that, Ukraine had the embassy in Ottawa and the consulate in Toronto.
Ukraine will open the Consulate General in Canada’s Edmonton on September 7, Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada Andriy Shevchenko has said. “On September 7 this year, we plan to accept the first citizen of Ukraine in Edmonton and thereby start the work of the Ukrainian Consulate General in Alberta province,” he told Interfax-Ukraine. Shevchenko noted that Ukraine’s presence in the western part of Canada will be ensured in this way.
The ambassador expressed hope that the opening of the consulate will be important for establishing contacts with business.
