Prawo właściwe dla zawarcia małżeństwa w polsko-ukraińskiej umowie o pomocy prawnej i stosunkach prawnych w sprawach cywilnych i karnych

The law applicable to marriage between Polish and Ukrainian nationals is set out in the 1993 Convention between the Republic of Poland and Ukraine concerning legal aid. The Convention stipulates that that a marriage can be contracted if the prerequisites provided for in the prospective spouses’ national laws are satisfied - determined separately for each of them. The Convention concerns only marriages between Polish and Ukrainian citizens and does not apply to stateless persons. The form of marriage is governed by the law of the State where the marriage was celebrated. The article discusses some issues concerning the prerequisites and scope of application of these regulations, taking into account the differences between the Polish and Ukrainian family law. These differences concern mainly the form of marriage (Ukrainian law does not provide for a religious form and does not allow the marriage by proxy) and some obstacles to marriage (in Ukrainian law the invalidity of marriage results, inter alia, if the marriage in question constitutes a sham or if there occurred a misrepresentation as to the health of a prospective spouse). The reader’s attention is also drawn to a specific ordre public exception contained in Article 58, paragraph 1 of the Ukrainian Law on Private International Law, according to which a marriage between a Ukrainian national and a foreigner concluded under foreign law outside the territory of Ukraine is valid in Ukraine provided that the Ukrainian national complies with the provisions of the Family Code of Ukraine concerning the grounds invalidating the marriage. However, this provision should not be applied if Polish law applies on the basis of the provisions of the Convention. The paper also touches upon the Ukrainian law to the extent it contains a residual regulation concerning engagement.  Under this regulation, the person who refuses to marry despite an earlier engagement must reimburse the other party for the costs incurred in connection with the preparation for the registration of the marriage and the wedding. The study also draws attention to some practical aspects of marriage conclusion - in Poland by a Ukrainian citizen (Ukrainian law does not provide for the possibility of issuing a certificate of capacity to marry) and in Ukraine by a Polish citizen.