Ukraine Dual Citizenship Law 2026: Country List Expanded to 25 More States

On May 8, 2026, a short line on the Cabinet’s agenda quietly changed the rules for Ukrainians abroad. Resolution No. 589 pushed 28 countries into the simplified citizenship column in one move: the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Switzerland and more across Europe. If you left after 2022 and are still half‑packed between two homes, this is the moment to look again at your passport options — does your country now sit on that list or not?

What Changed: Cabinet Resolution No. 589, Adopted May 8, 2026

May 8, 2026. Ukraine's Cabinet passes Resolution No. 589. Twenty-eight countries added to the simplified citizenship list in one move. The UK. France. Italy. Spain. Norway, Switzerland. For anyone who spent the last three years rebuilding their life abroad and wondering about their legal status, this is the update that matters. The biggest single shift the Ukraine dual citizenship law of 2026 has seen so far. Before this resolution, only five countries were on the list. Now there are 33.

The resolution is part of a deliberate policy shift. Ukraine's new citizenship legislation had to catch up with where its citizens actually live. And now, to a large extent, it has.

Full Updated List of Countries Eligible for Simplified Ukrainian Citizenship

The updated framework covers 33 countries in total. Here is exactly what changed and what was already in place.

Newly Added Countries

All 28 states below were added under Resolution No. 589, effective May 2026:

• United Kingdom
• France
• Italy
• Spain
• Sweden
• Norway
• Switzerland
• Netherlands
• Finland
• Austria
• Belgium
• Denmark
• Greece
• Ireland
• Portugal
• Luxembourg
• Iceland
• Liechtenstein
• Estonia
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Slovenia
• Slovakia
• Croatia
• Bulgaria
• Romania
• Malta
• Cyprus

That covers most of the EU plus the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. If you hold citizenship or legal residency in any of these states and have Ukrainian origins, the simplified procedure for acquiring second citizenship Ukraine is now open to you.

Countries Previously Included in the List

Before May 2026, five countries were already eligible: the US, Canada, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Nothing changed for them under Resolution No. 589. Already mid-process based on one of those? Your timeline stays the same.

To understand how Ukraine got to this point, step by step, there is a full breakdown of Dual Citizenship in Ukraine worth reading.

Who Benefits From the 2026 Update

The scope of the change is wide, but two groups stand out most clearly.

Ukrainians Residing in the UK, France, Italy, and Other Newly Added States

Think about who actually relocated after February 2022. Someone spending two-plus years in Manchester or Lyon, building a life, holding a valid residence permit, still wanting to stay connected to Ukrainian nationality. That person. This resolution is for them.

The Ukraine dual citizenship news coming out of Kyiv often drowns in policy language. So here it is plainly: if your country of residency was not on the simplified procedure list before, check the list above. It very likely is now. Legal requirements under the simplified route are still real, but the workload is nothing like the standard route under Ukraine dual citizenship law 2026.

Ethnic Ukrainians and Diaspora Members in Eligible Countries

Then there are people who left decades ago. Or whose parents did. They hold British, French, or Italian passports. Their connection to Ukraine is family dinners and stories, not recent paperwork.

For this group, the path to Ukrainian nationality exists, but it needs the right documentation to get started. The Certificate of a Foreign Ukrainian is usually where it begins. That document confirms ethnic or cultural Ukrainian background and feeds directly into the simplified naturalization process.

What the Simplified Procedure Actually Means

"Simplified" does not mean automatic. It means that certain standard obligations are removed or reduced. Knowing the difference matters before you start.

How It Differs From the Standard Citizenship Process

The standard naturalization route in Ukraine has never been quick. It typically involves continuous residency in Ukraine, language requirements, renunciation of foreign nationality, and a multi-year wait. For someone living in Paris or Rome, most of those criteria are simply not achievable.

Here is a side-by-side comparison:

The simplified procedure bypasses several steps. The continuous residency requirement in Ukraine is reduced or removed entirely. The obligation to renounce a foreign passport, which many Ukrainians abroad were unwilling or unable to meet, is treated differently under this framework.

That last point matters more than most people realize. One of the persistent misunderstandings about ukraine dual citizenship law 2026 is that it forces people to choose between passports. It does not, at least not in all cases under the simplified route. Both nationalities can coexist, subject to specific obligations tied to each country's own rules.

Key Conditions Under the New Regulations

The simplified procedure has real eligibility requirements. Generally, applicants must demonstrate:

1. 1
   A qualifying connection: Ukrainian ethnic background, Ukrainian origin, marriage to a Ukrainian citizen, or a recognized contribution to the country
2. 2
   Legal residency or citizenship in one of the 33 listed states
3. 3
   Clean criminal record
4. 4
   Properly certified and translated documents
5. 5
   Compliance with the nationality obligations of both countries involved

The reforms in Ukraine's citizenship system have made the path shorter. Not necessarily easier to walk without preparation. New citizenship legislation always comes with conditions in the fine print, and this case is no different.

How This Update Connects to Ukraine's Broader Dual Citizenship Law

Context helps here. Ukraine did not just wake up in 2026 and decide to expand this list. The 2021 constitutional amendments set the whole thing in motion, creating the legal basis for holding dual passports without automatically losing Ukrainian nationality. That is still the foundation citizenship law Ukraine builds on today. From there, a small list of countries. Then a few more.

Look at which countries were added. UK, France, Italy, Spain, the Nordics, the Baltics. That is exactly where Ukrainians went after February 2022. Not a coincidence. The Ukraine dual citizenship policy 2026 follows the migration map almost precisely.

The reasoning behind it goes beyond administration. Ukraine needs its diasporafinancially, politically, and demographically. The reforms in Ukraine's nationality law are a way of saying, you left, but you do not have to stop being Ukrainian. The legal framework is finally starting to reflect that reality.

Dual Citizenship Legal Support — How Bimaris Can Help

There is a gap between knowing a simpler route exists and actually getting through it. Documents need to be in a precise format. Agencies are not forgiving about errors. One wrong translation certification can push a case back by months.

Bimaris works on Citizenship of Ukraine cases for clients across Europe, including the simplified procedure for all 33 countries on the updated list. The job is always the same: figure out the qualifying grounds, build the document set, and manage everything through the Ukrainian authorities.

Got a specific question about your situation after reading this? Get the answer from someone who handles these cases daily, not from a forum thread that may be six months out of date.