How to check if a person is wanted (MIA)

Sometimes before a deal, hiring an employee, or meeting someone, you want to make sure the police are not looking for that person. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine publishes open information about persons hiding from the authorities, as well as about missing persons. Here is how to use this correctly.

Which wanted databases are publicly available

Persons hiding from the authorities

These are people who have been put on a wanted list in connection with criminal proceedings or evasion of punishment. A record usually includes full name, date of birth, a photo (not always), the article, and the authority that initiated the search.

Missing persons

A separate category is people sought by relatives and the police. Being in this database does not imply any guilt; on the contrary, if you have information about such a person, you should notify the police.

Step-by-step: the official MIA database

1. Open the official MIA resource: https://wanted.mvs.gov.ua.
2. Choose the section you need: persons hiding from the authorities, or missing persons.
3. Enter the surname and first name; the date of birth will help narrow the search.
4. Review the results. Open the record card and carefully compare the date of birth and, if available, the photo.
5. If you believe you have found a wanted person, do not try to act on your own — call 102.

Note: access to wanted.mvs.gov.ua from abroad may be restricted (from our test server the site returned an access denial; it was not checked from Ukraine).

Checking via open data

The MIA publishes datasets on wanted and missing persons on the portal https://data.gov.ua. Find them by searching for “wanted” or “missing persons”. This is convenient for analytics and developers. Remember that a copy of the dataset is current as of its update date, so do the final check of the record on the official MIA website.

How to interpret the result correctly

A matching name does not mean it is the same person

Identical surnames and first names are common. Before drawing a conclusion, always compare the date of birth and other available data. Do not spread guesses or accuse someone based only on a name match — that can cause them serious harm.

Not found in the database

If the person is not found, it only means that at the time of the check there is no record in the open database. This is not a certificate of no criminal record. An official certificate of no criminal record can be obtained through government services.

A person may be removed from the wanted list

Records are updated: a person may be taken off the wanted list, and a missing person may be found. So check the current data at the moment you need them.

What to do if you find a match

• Compare the date of birth and the photo.
• If you have reliable information about the whereabouts of a wanted or missing person — notify the police at 102.
• Do not publish the person’s data on social media and do not enter into a conflict.

A faster way: RiskChek

To check a person across several open datasets at once — MIA wanted list, missing persons, debtor register, traffic fines — you can use the unofficial free service RiskChek https://riskchek.info or the Telegram bot @riskchek_bot https://t.me/riskchek_bot. The bot can also notify you if a person appears on the wanted list or among the missing. Each result includes a link to the primary source. RiskChek is not an MIA service and does not replace official databases.

FAQ

Can I check for free whether a person is wanted?

Yes, the MIA database is open and free.

Does this check replace a certificate of no criminal record?

No. It is only a check of the open wanted database; a certificate of no criminal record is obtained separately through government services.

What should I do if I find myself in the database by mistake?

Compare the date of birth: most often it is a full namesake. If the data match, contact the police authority listed in the record.

How often are the data updated?

The official database is updated by the MIA; copies on data.gov.ua — with the frequency stated in the dataset passport.