The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a list of five countries with which Ukraine will implement a dual citizenship regime. Citizens of these countries will be able to obtain a Ukrainian passport without renouncing their original citizenship, while Ukrainians can acquire a second passport in these states. This is established by government resolution No. 1412, adopted in accordance with the law on multiple citizenship. The document specifies that the simplified procedure will apply to citizens of Canada, Germany, Poland, the USA, and the Czech Republic, as well as to Ukrainians permanently residing in these countries who wish to legalize their status.
The primary target audience of this decision is the multi-million-strong Ukrainian diaspora. The government focused on countries with the largest Ukrainian communities: in North America, these are descendants of earlier waves of emigration, while in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic, they are mostly forced migrants who left after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The law on multiple citizenship was passed by parliament in June 2025 and came into effect in July. The Cabinet resolution will take effect on January 16, 2026, and from that date, citizens of the five partner countries and Ukrainians residing there will be able to use the new rules.
During discussions of the bill, some lawyers and politicians criticized the idea of multiple passports, citing potential conflicts with the Constitution. The authorities, however, insist that this step is meant to support the diaspora and partners who systematically back Ukraine in the war, while citizens of aggressor states will continue to be barred from obtaining a Ukrainian passport.
