Roaming in the EU will not rise in price for Ukrainians by the end of the year – what is known
26 June 08:32
Ukrainian and European mobile operators have preliminarily agreed to extend the Joint Statement on reduced roaming tariffs until December 31, 2025. This was reported by the press service of the National Commission for the State Regulation of Electronic Communications, Radio Frequency Spectrum and Postal Services (NCCS) at the request of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
It is noted that this is especially important for millions of Ukrainians who are forced to stay abroad because of the full-scale war.
Thanks to the agreements enshrined in the Joint Statement, Ukrainians temporarily staying in the EU countries can use mobile roaming services at reduced rates or without additional charges. This brings the conditions closer to the Roam Like at Home (RLAH) model, which operates within the European Union.
The current application will expire on July 9, 2025, and the NCCC, the European Commission and mobile operators are currently working together to extend it until December 31, 2025.
This will help to avoid an increase in the cost of mobile roaming services until Ukraine fully joins the European Roam like at home roaming space on January 1, 2026.
The NCCC reports that Ukrainian operators have already confirmed their readiness for the extension. The European side has also expressed its preliminary readiness to extend the tariff agreement from July to the end of December 2025.
Why it is important for consumers
The NCCC explains that the cost of roaming services depends on a number of factors, including cost, inter-operator settlements, access to infrastructure, and national market characteristics. Therefore, maintaining the current conditions is the key to price stability for Ukrainians abroad.
The initiative has been in place since 2022 thanks to agreements between Ukrainian and European operators, which were first formalized in the form of a Joint Statement.
The prospect of full accession to RLAH
As a reminder, the European Commission has proposed to integrate Ukraine into the EU roaming area as early as January 2026. This will mean that Ukrainians will be able to make calls, send SMS and use the mobile Internet from their Ukrainian numbers in 27 EU countries without additional charges.
Thus, Ukraine will become the first country outside the EU whose citizens will not pay roaming fees.
What does “roaming like at home” mean for Ukrainians?
The introduction of a common roaming space has several important advantages:
Cost savings. Ukrainians will no longer have to spend significant amounts of money on roaming services while in the EU.
Continuous access to communication. You can easily stay online, use messengers, online navigation, mail and banking applications.
Stability and transparency of tariffs. The same tariffs – no “surprises” in payments upon returning home.
The changes apply to such EU countries as Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Romania, and 18 other member states. This means that most of the routes used by Ukrainian tourists, labor migrants, and refugees are now covered.
Read also: Mobile tariffs in Ukraine are among the cheapest in the world – comparison of tariffs
What does the “Roaming like at home” mode provide for?
It works in all 27 EU countries. The EU countries started working on the implementation of the Roaming at Home zone in 2007 and launched it in 2017.
“Roaming at Home covers calls, SMS, and Internet services (except for unlimited data). Calls to emergency services and notifications to subscribers about exceeding the limits of the tariff package consumption are free of charge.
Joining the EU roaming agreement is a complex process that Ukraine, as an EU candidate, is going through at an accelerated pace due to Russia’s full-scale invasion.
In 2024, Ukraine ensured the implementation of EU roaming regulations into national legislation: in particular, last May, the Law on Roaming was adopted, which became the basis for the future implementation of the EU Roam-Like-At-Home (RLAH) policy in Ukraine.
on November 7, 2024, an official notification was submitted to the European Commission and it initiated a comprehensive assessment of Ukraine’s legislation with a view to further obtaining internal market treatment with the EU for roaming.
It is worth recalling that a special Joint Statement between Ukrainian and European operators has been in force since April 2022. It provides for preferential tariffs for Ukrainian citizens and is valid until July 2025.
After Ukraine joins the Roam Like at Home program, Ukrainians in the EU and EU citizens in Ukraine will be able to use home tariffs on a regular basis, not on a preferential basis.
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