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Official transliteration of Ukrainian surnames and names into English follows Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers (CMU) No. 55. The key rule: the spelling of your full name in a translation must exactly match your international passport — that version is set by the State Migration Service. If a certificate translation spells your surname differently from your passport, the receiving authority may reject the documents.
Name transliteration checker (Resolution No. 55)
Type a surname and first name in Ukrainian to get the official Latin spelling used in the passport.
This is a guide based on Cabinet Resolution No. 55. The binding spelling is the one in your existing foreign passport (set by the State Migration Service) — we check the name against it before translating so it matches across all your documents.
Source: Transliteration — State Migration Service
Key letters under CMU No. 55
Resolution CMU No. 55 sets a single standard. Remember the letters that cause the most errors: Х → Kh, Ц → Ts, Ч → Ch, Ш → Sh, Щ → Shch. The letter Ж is always rendered as zh (Жук → Zhuk), whereas the combination «зг» becomes zgh, to distinguish it from «ж»: Згурський → Zghurskyi, Розгон → Rozghon.
At the start of a word, the iotated letters take the Y- form: Є → Ye, Ї → Yi, Й → Y, Ю → Yu, Я → Ya. In other positions (mid-word and at the end) they become ie, i, i, iu, ia respectively. The soft sign (ь) and the apostrophe are not reproduced at all in transliteration. For example: «Гаврилюк» → Havryliuk, «Юрій» → Yurii, «Дем'яненко» → Demianenko.
Why the passport, not the table, decides the spelling
While the CMU No. 55 table is the baseline algorithm, your official surname spelling is fixed by the State Migration Service in your international passport. Sometimes it differs from the «machine» transliteration — for instance, due to older rules or a spelling applied at your request based on previously issued documents.
That is why a translator always checks your full name against your valid international passport rather than transliterating from scratch. This ensures the surname in a translated certificate, diploma, or reference is identical to the passport version — so the chain of documents abroad does not break over a single-letter discrepancy.
When a single spelling is critical
A mismatch in transliteration is one of the most common reasons for rejection. If your passport says Tetiana but a marriage certificate translation says Tetyana, a foreign authority may treat them as two different people.
A single spelling is mandatory when you submit a document package together: passport, certificates (birth, marriage), diploma, references. Every translation must carry the surname in one form — the passport form. Before ordering a translation, always send the translator a scan of the passport page with your Latin name so you avoid rework and resubmission.
Need a passport translation with a guaranteed single spelling of your name — order a professional passport translation from the Etalon agency.
Frequently asked questions
How do you correctly transliterate «Щербак» into English?
Under CMU No. 55, «Щербак» → Shcherbak, since Щ is rendered as Shch. But if your international passport uses a different spelling, the translation follows the passport version.
Can the transliteration of a surname in the passport be changed?
Yes. At your request, the State Migration Service can apply a spelling based on previously issued documents (an old passport, your children's documents). This is done when issuing the passport, not by a translator.
Are the apostrophe and soft sign reproduced in transliteration?
No. Under Resolution CMU No. 55, the soft sign (ь) and the apostrophe are not reproduced in Latin transliteration. For example, «Дем'яненко» → Demianenko.
What if older translations spell the surname differently?
Go by your current international passport. If the documents are submitted as one package, order a new translation with the passport spelling so all surnames match.
Transliteration under CMU No. 55 is the standard, but your international passport spelling is decisive. Check your full name against the passport before every translation to avoid rejections.
