Multiple citizenship: Media highlights key points

Multiple citizenship will become possible after a relevant agreement between two states, establishing the rights and status of a citizen with two passports, as the Ukrainian journalist Olena Cherniakova reported in a story for the We Are Ukraine TV channel.

The draft law specifies the countries with which such agreements are possible. The list includes EU members and G7 countries, such as Canada, Germany, Poland, Austria, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and others. In total, more than 30 countries are included.

“The process of acquiring our citizenship will only begin after international agreements,” says Cherniakova.

A foreigner wishing to obtain Ukrainian citizenship will have to submit a declaration. “Such a person submits a declaration of recognizing themselves as a citizen of Ukraine, and in relations between the state of Ukraine and this citizen, they are considered to have Ukrainian citizenship and corresponding rights,” said Denys Maslov, a Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Legal Policy Committee of the Ukrainian Parliament, in an interview with We Are Ukraine.

Along with rights, holders of Ukrainian citizenship will have responsibilities. However, this list is simplified in Ukraine for bipatrides (citizens of more than one state). In particular, such citizens will not be subject to mobilization.

The draft law on dual citizenship is consistent with the Constitution, although Article 4 of the country’s main document states that there is a single citizenship in Ukraine.

“The Constitution of Ukraine mentions single citizenship in Ukraine – the definition of what is meant by single citizenship in Ukraine, which cannot be citizenship of individual administrative-territorial units within Ukraine,” says Maslov.

The Ukrainian World Congress welcomes the changes to the legislation. “It is crucial to have full participation [of the global Ukrainian community] in Ukraine’s political, economic, and social life. To avoid having two classes of citizens. And that’s why we believe that millions of Ukrainians abroad represent a tremendous intellectual potential for the country’s development, recovery, and economic stability,” said UWC President Paul Grod in a news broadcast.

The bill on multiple citizenship still needs to undergo two readings in the Ukrainian Parliament before it comes into effect.