Ukraine Expands Its Dual Citizenship List to 34 Countries

Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved Government Resolution No. 589 on May 8, 2026, expanding the list of countries whose nationals can acquire Ukrainian citizenship through a simplified procedure from five to 34. The move marks the first significant test of how broadly Ukraine intends to apply the dual citizenship framework it introduced in January of this year.

What Changed

When Law 4502-IX came into force on January 16, 2026, the approved country list was deliberately narrow: Canada, the United States, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. The law had always envisioned the list growing over time, but no timeline had been set.

The May 8 decree adds 29 countries in a single move. The expanded list now covers most of Western and Central Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Combined with the original five, that brings the total to 34 states.

The practical effect cuts both ways. Nationals of these countries can now apply for Ukrainian citizenship without being required to renounce their existing passport, submitting a Declaration of Recognition as a Ukrainian citizen. And Ukrainians who have already acquired citizenship in any of these 34 states no longer face the risk of losing their Ukrainian nationality as a result.

Why the Initial List Was So Short

The original five-country rollout was understood as a pilot. The January 2026 framework gave the Cabinet discretion to set and amend the list, with the stated criteria being EU membership, sanctions imposed on Russia, and alignment with Ukrainian national security interests. All 34 countries on the current list meet those criteria.

The narrow start drew some criticism, particularly from countries with large Ukrainian diaspora populations that were left off the initial list. Romania was one of the more prominent omissions, given that it borders Ukraine, has hosted over 217,000 Ukrainians under temporary protection since 2022, and has a Romanian-speaking minority in western Ukraine.

What Has Not Changed

The expansion does not alter the underlying conditions for naturalization. Foreign nationals still need to meet the standard requirements, primarily five years of legal residency in Ukraine, along with language proficiency and other criteria. The only thing removed for approved-country nationals is the obligation to formally renounce their existing citizenship before receiving a Ukrainian passport.

The wartime restrictions also remain fully in force. Under martial law, which has been in continuous effect since February 2022, male Ukrainian citizens between the ages of 18 and 60 are prohibited from leaving the country. That restriction applies to dual citizens without exception. A person who naturalizes as a Ukrainian citizen and then enters Ukraine is subject to all obligations of Ukrainian citizenship, including military registration.

The prohibition on dual citizenship with Russia and other states designated as aggressors or occupying powers is unchanged and unaffected by the expansion.

Context

Ukraine's shift toward dual citizenship is in part a response to the mass displacement caused by the war. An estimated several million Ukrainians have settled abroad since the 2022 invasion and many have obtained, or are in the process of obtaining, citizenship in their host countries. Under the previous legal framework, holding a foreign passport was technically grounds for loss of Ukrainian nationality, putting a large portion of the diaspora in legal limbo.

The expansion to 34 countries covers the overwhelming majority of states where Ukrainian war refugees have settled in significant numbers, which suggests the Cabinet is moving to resolve that situation at scale rather than continuing the incremental approach the January rollout implied.

Whether further expansion follows, and on what timeline, has not been announced.