Multiple Citizenship. We Comment on the New Law

Multiple citizenship is the status of a person when he or she is consistently recognized as a citizen of two or more countries according to the laws of those countries.

On July 15, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law regulating the issue of multiple citizenship – “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding Ensuring the Implementation of the Right to Acquire and Maintain Citizenship of Ukraine.” We asked our lawyer, Dmytro Strichenko, to comment.

According to this law, multiple citizenship (nationality) is the simultaneous belonging of a person to the citizenship (nationality) of two or more states.

The law introduces the concept of multiple citizenship, for the first time officially establishing the possibility of being a citizen of Ukraine simultaneously with the citizenship of other countries, under certain conditions. The law comes into force on January 16, 2026.

The main idea of the law is to allow Ukrainians to have another citizenship while retaining their Ukrainian one. The law recognizes that in the modern world, millions of Ukrainians can be integrated into the societies of other countries, but do not lose their connection with Ukraine.

1. Firstly, multiple citizenship with friendly countries is allowed, in particular those that supported Ukraine in the war with the Russian Federation. At the same time, the law clearly prohibits dual citizenship with aggressor states.
2. Secondly, the grounds for acquiring Ukrainian citizenship have been expanded. It will be simplified for ethnic Ukrainians abroad, persons who served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as for those who have suffered political persecution. This is an important gesture of respect for those who support Ukraine not in word but in deed.
3. Thirdly, the law introduces new rules for the loss of citizenship for persons who voluntarily received a passport of an aggressor state or work for the benefit of its regime. But the law also takes into account exceptions for those who found themselves in occupied territories and were forced to obtain another passport – coercion cannot be a basis for punishment.

Thus, the law determines that the presence of a citizen of Ukraine with citizenship (nationality) of another state is recognized in the following cases:

• simultaneous acquisition by a child by birth of citizenship of Ukraine and citizenship (nationality) of another state or states;
• acquisition by a child who is a citizen of Ukraine of the citizenship (nationality) of his adoptive parents as a result of his adoption by foreigners;
• automatic acquisition by a citizen of Ukraine of another citizenship (nationality) 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 (nationality) as a result of the application of the legislation on citizenship of a foreign state, if such a citizen of Ukraine has not received a document confirming the presence of citizenship (nationality) of another state;
• acquisition of citizenship of Ukraine in a simplified manner, provided for by Article 101 of this Law, by foreigners who are citizens (nationals) of states whose citizens (nationals) acquire citizenship of Ukraine in a simplified manner;
• acquisition by a citizen of Ukraine of citizenship (nationality) of states whose citizens (nationals) acquire citizenship of Ukraine in a simplified manner.