President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic will be the first countries eligible under Ukraine’s new multiple citizenship law.
Zelensky unveiled the reform in July, ending decades of requiring Ukrainians and foreigners to give up their original citizenship to obtain another. At the time, it was said that a selected list of countries would be first to enjoy the treatment due to national security concerns.
Zelensky said during Tuesday’s meeting with the Ukrainian World Congress that Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic will be the first to enjoy the treatment, which would later be extended to the US and Canada.
“The meeting also addressed the issue of multiple citizenship. The Ukrainian World Congress representatives expressed gratitude for the adoption of the new law and underlined its importance,” Ukraine’s Presidential Office said in a press release.
Zelensky hailed the decision as “a step toward even greater unity of Ukrainians around the world” in a comment on X following the meeting.
Under the new law, applicants from countries deemed unfriendly to Ukraine still have to renounce their native citizenship within two years, except for refugees, asylum seekers, foreign soldiers and their families, state honorees, those with notable service to Ukraine, victims of persecution due to pro-Ukrainian activities, and relatives of fallen defenders.
Who can have multiple citizenship?
Ukraine legally recognizes multiple citizenship in six main cases:
- Children born to a Ukrainian parent and a foreign parent, acquiring both citizenships at birth
- Ukrainian children adopted by foreign citizens, gaining the adopter’s nationality
- Ukrainians who automatically acquire foreign citizenship through marriage
- Ukrainians who receive foreign citizenship automatically by law, without applying or accepting documents
- Foreign nationals from approved “friendly” states obtaining Ukrainian citizenship via a simplified procedure
- Ukrainians acquiring citizenship of friendly states whose nationals qualify for simplified naturalization in Ukraine
However, anyone with multiple passports is treated solely as a Ukrainian within Ukraine. Civil servants and judges also remain barred from dual citizenship, and applicants from approved countries must still pass tests in language, history and the Constitution.
Currently, military-age men are not allowed to leave the country without special permits, although plans are in place to relax this rule for those aged 18 to 22.