The Ukrainian language exam for citizenship: B1, format and fee

The Ukrainian language exam for citizenship is how people seeking Ukrainian citizenship demonstrate their Ukrainian. It is run by the National Commission on State Language Standards, and the Commission's exam page sets out the details: level B1, a pass mark of 70%, and only three cities where you can sit it. This guide explains the parts, the scoring, the fee and the rule that can lock you out for four months. To see how close you are, try our free Ukrainian level test.

Updated November 9, 2026 · 5 min read

What this guide covers, and what it does not

The exam is for people seeking Ukrainian citizenship under part 1 of Article 7 of the law on the state language, as the Commission's page states. Citizenship has other conditions set by law. We could not open the law's text on the day we wrote this, so this guide deals only with the exam. Check the other conditions with the competent Ukrainian authorities before you pay.

The level: B1

A candidate who scores from 70% to 100% receives a state certificate at the intermediate level of the first degree (середній рівень першого ступеня), which is B1. In the Council of Europe's scale, B1 is the first independent level, above the beginner levels A1 and A2. There is no lower pass: below 70% you do not get the level needed for citizenship.

The four parts

The exam is taken on a computer, and it has four parts: Слухання (Listening), Читання (Reading), Письмо (Writing) and Говоріння (Speaking). The written part consists of test tasks and the oral part is a monologue.

That adds up to two hours of working time.

How the scoring works

The Commission says all four parts weigh the same: 25% each. Do not simply add up raw points, then. Speaking has 42 raw points and Writing 33, but each counts for the same quarter of your result. The page does not say how the 43 Listening and Reading tasks divide between those two parts.

The practical lesson is that Listening and Reading are together worth half the exam in a single hour, while the five writing and speaking tasks are worth the other half. You cannot rely on one skill: every part carries as much as the others, so a weak part pulls the total towards the 70% line.

Where you can sit it

Only at designated sites in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Lviv, and the Commission is explicit that the exam cannot be taken online. When you apply, choose місто Київ (the city of Kyiv) or the Lviv or Kharkiv region, then an institution marked ДЛЯ НАБУТТЯ ГРОМАДЯНСТВА (for acquiring citizenship).

What it costs

For foreigners and stateless people the fee is three times the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons set on 1 January of the year, which the Commission states as 9,984 hryvnias. It goes to the state budget and may be paid by the candidate or by another person or organisation. The payment form is available in your personal account once you have access. Because the fee is tied to a yearly figure, expect it to change from one January to the next.

How to register

1. Go to the exam system and sign in through id.gov.ua.
2. Open the exam for acquiring citizenship (для набуття громадянства) and apply.
3. Choose Kyiv, Lviv or Kharkiv and an institution marked for citizenship.
4. Download the payment form from your personal account and pay.
5. Arrive at your chosen site at your chosen time.

After the exam

• Results are set within 15 calendar days of the exam, and the Commission publishes its decision on its website.
• The certificate is electronic: you download it yourself from the Register of State Certificates.
• It is valid indefinitely.
• You may stop the exam at any moment if you need to.

The exam page also links the Commission's rules on cancelling a registration and on retaking the exam, its sample tasks, a candidates' memo, and what to do during an air-raid alert. Read them before you register. For technical problems the address is support@mova.gov.ua.

How to prepare

Take our free Ukrainian level test first (A1–B2, no account). It gives an estimate, is not a certificate and does not test speaking, and speaking is a full quarter of this exam. Then practise each part to time: listening and reading tasks at about 80 seconds each, and a monologue spoken aloud, because the oral part is a monologue given on a computer. If you are working on Polish too, there is a Polish level test and a guide to the Polish B1 certificate.

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