Access to evidence: what RD4U rules actually require

Question and method

Research question: which evidence requirements can be explained together, and which must remain category-specific? On 16 September 2026, the complete English RD4U Claims Rules (Rev1), A3.1, A3.6 and A2.2 forms and rules, and the categories’ current official FAQs were compared. The analysis examined mandatory information, permitted explanations for missing evidence, additional materials and later claim updates. ^{[5] [3] [6] [4] [1] [2] [7]}

This is a qualitative analysis of the specified documents. It does not include real submissions, interviews, private case-file review or measurement of rejection rates. Its conclusions do not automatically extend to every RD4U category or Ukrainian compensation programme.

Finding 1. A requirement and a recommendation carry different weight

Article 10 § 2 of the Claims Rules requires forms to distinguish mandatory from additional information and evidence. Article 9 refers to category-specific rules. A guide’s list of useful documents must therefore not become extra filing conditions. An explanation for missing evidence is available where and to the extent the rules permit; it does not replace all required information. ^[5]

Finding 2. A3.1: damage valuation and ownership

For damaged or destroyed housing, an expert valuation is not mandatory. Where damage or value evidence is unavailable, the official FAQ allows a claim with the fullest available information. Ownership must still be established. If title is absent from the State Register of Rights to Immovable Property, the FAQ requires an attempt to register it and, where registration is impossible, evidence of that attempt. Missing an optional valuation differs from missing evidence of ownership. ^{[1] [3]}

Finding 3. A3.6: inaccessible immovable property

For loss of access or control in temporarily occupied territory, the FAQ permits submission without unknown geographic coordinates and without access-loss or value evidence, using the fullest available information. Where unregistered title cannot be registered, the claimant may provide evidence of an attempt or explain why no attempt was made. This A3.6 option must not be transferred to A3.1. A claim must be updated if access or control is restored, under rule 3.3. ^{[2] [6]}

Finding 4. A2.2: a missing immediate family member

“No document means no claim” is also too broad here. The official FAQ does not require a court declaration that the person is missing and permits the missing person’s identity document to be omitted if unavailable. At the review date, however, the disappearance must be recorded in Ukraine’s Unified Register of Persons Missing under Special Circumstances, and the claim requires the extract number and access code. Information on the family relationship and disappearance remains material. ^{[7] [4]}

A2.2 concerns mental pain and anguish caused by an immediate family member’s disappearance. It does not require a personal monetary calculation or expert assessment of that anguish. A truthful account and evidence of the category’s applicable conditions remain necessary. Instruction 5, rules 3.1–3.10 and FAQ. ^{[4] [7]}

Finding 5. Technical quality and procedural status

Under Articles 14 and 17 of the Claims Rules, materials must meet digital technical requirements; identified technical defects are subject to notification and an opportunity for correction. Submission confirmation under Article 13 differs from a recording decision under Article 21. Neither is itself a compensation award, as Article 3’s mandate makes clear. ^[5]

Recommendations from the analysis

• Prepare a separate checklist for the selected category with three labels: “mandatory”, “additional evidence” and “preparation advice”. Identify the rule or FAQ answer behind each requirement.
• For a missing document, record what is missing, why and the alternative allowed by the rules. Do not promise that an explanation universally replaces documents.
• Keep original files, readable copies and a short chronology in your own secure storage. This is organisational advice, not an additional RD4U condition.
• Do not risk your safety to obtain a new photograph or inspection. First check the permitted ways to submit available information. See “Prepare information and evidence for your category” for preparation and “Official sources” for category rules.

The study’s conclusion is that accessible guidance must accurately preserve differences between categories. This removes invented requirements from the guidance itself; the study did not measure effects on actual submissions or claim outcomes.