The DESS has tightened the requirements for the paperwork needed to book clergy members

The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) has issued an official statement to religious organizations, urging them to take a more responsible approach to the process of preparing documents for reserving clergy members during the mobilization period. Failure to comply with the established formal requirements will result in the rejection of applications.

According to DESS Order No. N-177/11 dated November 10, 2025, all submitted documents must be certified by the handwritten or qualified electronic signature of the head of the religious administration. The agency emphasizes that any documents containing factual errors, corrections, or an illegible format will be automatically rejected without further review.

To ensure successful submission of applications, DESS representatives recommend following a strict procedure: when sending documents via email, they must be certified with a qualified or enhanced electronic signature. If traditional paper-based document flow is used, originals bearing the head’s “handwritten” signature must be sent exclusively to the agency’s official mailing address.

As a reminder, we previously reported that the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) confirmed discrimination against UOC priests regarding the exemption of clergy from mobilization.