The Law on Multiple Citizenship in Ukraine

On June 18, 2025, Ukraine adopted a historic law that for the first time recognizes the possibility of holding multiple citizenships. This law outlines who can obtain, restore, and retain Ukrainian citizenship combined with another nationality, establishes limitations for certain groups, and specifies grounds for losing citizenship if acquiring passports from “unfriendly” countries.

Overview of the Legislative Changes in the field of  Multiple Citizenship in Ukraine

The Law on Dual Citizenship in Ukraine: What Will Change and What It Means for You

On June 18, 2025, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted Draft Law No. 11469 in its second reading, which establishes the legal framework for the recognition of multiple citizenship.

This law has been deemed historic — for the first time at the legislative level, the state publicly acknowledges the possibility of combining Ukrainian citizenship with the citizenship of other states. The Law is set to enter into force (contingent upon Presidential signature) six months from the date of its official publication.

Key Changes Introduced by the Law

The Law does not automatically grant all citizens the ability to hold two passports. Instead, it permits:

• The recognition of multiple citizenship in certain, legally defined cases.
• The waiver of the requirement to renounce other citizenship in the simplified procedure for acquiring Ukrainian citizenship (for foreigners from a list of countries to be determined by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (CMU) based on criteria established by the CMU; this list is currently unknown).
• The creation of a mechanism for the restoration of Ukrainian citizenship for diaspora members who lost it due to emigration.

The Law does not apply to citizens of aggressor and occupying countries (specifically Russia and Belarus).

Permitted Instances of Multiple Citizenship

The circumstances under which the fact of multiple citizenship will be permitted include:

1. Simultaneous acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship and the citizenship of another state by a child by birth.
2. Acquisition of the citizenship of their foreign adoptive parents by a child who is a citizen of Ukraine.
3. Automatic acquisition of another citizenship by a citizen of Ukraine due to marriage with a foreigner.
4. Automatic acquisition of another citizenship by a citizen of Ukraine who has reached the age of majority, resulting from the application of the foreign state’s citizenship legislation, provided that the Ukrainian citizen has not obtained a document confirming the possession of the other state’s citizenship.
5. Acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship under a simplified procedure by foreigners who are citizens of states on the CMU’s list.
6. Acquisition of the citizenship of states whose citizens acquire Ukrainian citizenship under the simplified procedure, by a citizen of Ukraine.

Conditions for Acquisition of Citizenship

The grounds for obtaining citizenship remain unchanged:

• Acquisition by birth or territorial origin.
• Acceptance into citizenship subject to five years of continuous residency.
• Restoration of citizenship.

Conditions for both acquisition and acceptance into citizenship are being tightened:

• Acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship by birth is impossible for children of foreigners if both parents are foreigners holding a temporary residence permit.
• Acceptance into citizenship will require five years of continuous residency exclusively based on a permanent residence permit. This effectively extends the overall period of legalisation, as one must first obtain a temporary permit, then a permanent one, and only then begin counting the five years of residency.

Exceptions to the permanent residency requirement for acceptance into citizenship:

• Individuals with significant services to Ukraine.
• Military personnel who have served for three years.
• Being in a marriage with a citizen of Ukraine for three years (under the previous draft law, only two years of marriage were required).
• For those who received an immigration permit based on the status of a foreign Ukrainian and obtained that status more than one year before filing documents — one year of continuous residency.
• For stateless persons, refugees, and persons granted asylum in Ukraine — three years of continuous residency.

Risk of Loss of Citizenship

The new law introduces a significant ground for deprivation of Ukrainian citizenship: the voluntary acquisition of a passport from any country that is NOT included in the list of “friendly” countries approved by the CMU.

ATTENTION: Even if the country is an ally, but is not included in the list, voluntarily obtaining its passport may lead to the loss of Ukrainian citizenship.

Voluntary acquisition of the citizenship of another state is considered all cases where a citizen of Ukraine applied for such acquisition to obtain the citizenship of another state.

Citizenship of an aggressor or occupying state obtained in the temporarily occupied territories (TOT) is not considered voluntarily acquired, even if the acquisition required an application, except in cases where the person’s actions are aimed at propagating war, publicly supporting armed aggression against Ukraine, or creating threats to the national security and/or national interests of Ukraine.

Other grounds for loss include:

• Failure to pass examinations in language, Constitution, and history within three years after obtaining citizenship (for citizens who acquired citizenship under the simplified procedure).
• Establishment of the fact of military service for an aggressor state or occupying state.

Limitations of the Law

What the law does not do:

• It does not amend the Constitution (Article 4 – “single citizenship” remains in force). This legal conflict must be resolved by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (CCU), which has been unable to consider the constitutional petition from 90 Members of Parliament for quite some time. The unconstitutionality of the law may be established even after it enters into force. The implications for those who manage to acquire multiple citizenship in such a case are unknown.
• It does not permit multiple citizenship for civil servants and judges (legislation on civil service, the judiciary, elections, etc., remains in effect).
• It does not resolve issues regarding the legal status of citizens with multiple citizenship in other spheres of law/economics. This means that other legislation, such as norms concerning social/pension security, the tax code, legislation on military duty and mobilisation, etc., remains entirely unchanged.
• It does not establish a final list of countries whose citizens acquire citizenship under the simplified procedure — the CMU is tasked with creating this list.
• It does not create an automatic procedure for the recognition of a second citizenship — detailed implementation in subordinate legislation is required.

Advantages

• Recognition of Reality: Tens of thousands of Ukrainians already hold foreign passports.
• Humanisation of citizenship restoration procedures.
• Strengthening ties with the diaspora and attracting specialists.
• It will promote investments and international partnership.

Conclusion

This Law is only the beginning. Law No. 11469 sends an important signal to the diaspora and international partners. However, it is not an automatic indulgence for dual citizenship. Its full implementation depends on two critical steps:

1.  the CCU’s decision on the constitutionality of the law, and
2.  the development and approval of a series of subordinate normative acts by the government.

You may also be interested in:

Criteria for Dual Citizenship: What You Need to Know

Approved list of countries with which dual citizenship is allowed

Legislative Initiative on Restricting Access to Public Service for Individuals with Dual Citizenship

Multiple Citizenship in Ukraine: FAQ

• Who can acquire multiple citizenship under the new law?
  Only individuals meeting specific cases defined by law — such as birth, adoption, marriage, or acquisition under special CMU lists.

• Does the law apply to Russian or Belarusian citizens?
  No, citizens of aggressor or occupying states are excluded.

• Can you lose Ukrainian citizenship if you get another passport?
  Yes, if you voluntarily acquire the citizenship of a country not on the “friendly countries” list.

• Is dual citizenship automatically allowed for everyone?
  No, most citizens must meet strict requirements and exceptions listed in the law.

• Do civil servants and judges have special restrictions?
  Yes, multiple citizenship is still not allowed for civil servants and judges.

• Does the law change tax, pension, or military service rules?
  No, these areas are not affected by the new law and retain the old regulations.

• How to restore Ukrainian citizenship if you emigrated?
  The law introduces procedures for diaspora members to regain citizenship.

• What is the “friendly countries” list and how is it defined?
  The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine will establish this list in the future.