Ukrainians will be able to have several passports: Rada passes bill
18 June 11:20
The Verkhovna Rada has supported a bill allowing multiple citizenship in Ukraine. “243 MPs voted in favor of the bill. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the Telegram channels of MPs Yaroslav Zheleznyakand Oleksiy Honcharenko.
“The Parliament has adopted the law on the introduction of multiple citizenship in Ukraine 11469. All amendments were taken into account as they were in the Committee’s version,” Zheleznyak said.
The draft law on the introduction of multiple citizenship in Ukraine was supported by 243 MPs, while 19 voted against. In particular, nine MPs abstained from voting.
In what cases is multiple citizenship allowed?
According to Honcharenko, the document provides for the admission of multiple citizenship in the following cases
- a child acquires Ukrainian citizenship and citizenship of another state at birth;
- acquisition by a child who is a citizen of Ukraine of the citizenship of his or her foreign adoptive parents;
- automatic acquisition of another citizenship by a citizen of Ukraine as a result of marriage to a foreigner;
- automatic acquisition by a citizen of Ukraine who has reached the age of majority of another citizenship as a result of application of the legislation on citizenship of a foreign state, if such a citizen of Ukraine has not received a document confirming the citizenship of another state
- acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship under a simplified procedure for foreigners who are citizens of states included in the list of those who can obtain citizenship under a simplified procedure
- acquisition by a citizen of Ukraine of the citizenship of states from the list of those whose citizens acquire Ukrainian citizenship under the simplified procedure.
MP Iryna Gerashchenko noted that by the second reading, the working group had significantly improved Zelensky’s initiative by adding clauses to the bill about a mandatory exam for knowledge of the Constitution of Ukraine, history, and the Ukrainian language.
“At the same time, the draft law does not contain a direct rule prohibiting simplified obtaining of Ukrainian for Russian citizens. The criteria of countries whose citizens are eligible for Ukrainian citizenship will be determined by the Cabinet of Ministers,” she wrote.
The bill promises to:
- to provide conditions for the return of Ukrainian citizens who were forced to leave the country due to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation and to retain Ukrainian citizenship for such persons; (although no real mechanisms are spelled out in the draft);
- to expand the possibility of acquiring Ukrainian citizenship for certain categories of foreigners and stateless persons who are performing military service under contract in the Armed Forces, the National Guard and other military structures;
- to establish cases of multiple citizenship (nationality);
- to establish the grounds for the loss of Ukrainian citizenship.
Under current law, Ukraine does not recognize other citizenships of its citizens. In fact, many Ukrainians who are currently abroad have already obtained or plan to obtain the citizenship of their host countries in the future.
on January 22, 2024, the President submitted a bill on multiple citizenship to the Verkhovna Rada.
In December 2024, the Rada supported the draft law No. 11469 on multiple citizenship as a basis.
What does the bill provide for?
- The introduction of multiple citizenship and simplification of the acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship for citizens of countries from a special list (established by law)
- Termination of Ukrainian citizenship for persons who have voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the aggressor state or other countries outside the list
- Simplified process for foreigners who fought for Ukraine.
What is multiple citizenship?
Multiple citizenship (multipatriotism) is a citizenship status in which a person is consistently recognized as a citizen of two or more countries under the laws of those countries. It is assumed that states enter into a bilateral agreement with each other in which they mutually recognize the status of a person with two passports, his or her rights and obligations.
In some countries, a distinction is made between a person’s citizenship, which is more related to participation in the domestic political life of the country, and nationality, which refers to the international status of a person. Although multiple citizenship gives certain preferences to its holders, there may be conflicts of law, for example, in the performance of military and other duties under the laws of individual countries.
Multiple citizenship is permitted in most countries, but the rules and conditions may vary considerably. Most European countries recognize multiple citizenship. For example, France, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom allow citizens to hold multiple passports. The exceptions are Austria and Estonia, which have strict restrictions, although there are exceptions in certain circumstances.
America also generally supports dual citizenship. The United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina allow multiple citizenships without significant restrictions.
