Ukraine’s parliament passes bill allowing multiple citizenship

The document provides for the admission of multiple citizenship in the following cases:

• dual citizenship for children born with Ukrainian and foreign citizenship,
• acquisition by a child who is a citizen of Ukraine of the citizenship of their foreign adoptive parents,
• automatic acquisition of another citizenship by a citizen of Ukraine as a result of marriage with a foreigner,
• automatic acquisition by a Ukrainian citizen who has reached the age of majority of another citizenship as a result of the application of the legislation on citizenship of a foreign state, if such a Ukrainian citizen 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 a simplified procedure.

MP Iryna Gerashchenko noted that by the second reading, the working group had "significantly improved" Zelenskyy'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 for countries whose citizens are eligible for Ukrainian citizenship will be determined by the Cabinet of Ministers," she wrote.

Back in 2021, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted five bills to the Verkhovna Rada on multiple citizenship. One of the proposed bills stated that there would be a number of restrictions for Ukrainian citizens who also have other citizenship.

However, all five bills with the above-mentioned clauses were only registered in the Verkhovna Rada and were not considered in the parliamentary hall.