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legislation

On this page, you can find links to the current legislation of Ukraine in the field of migration law.

Changes in legislation

  • On January 16, 2026, amendments to the legislation will come into effect, allowing Ukrainian citizens to legally hold foreign citizenship and enabling foreigners to obtain Ukrainian citizenship without having to renounce their previous one. Currently, the list of countries where dual citizenship is officially permitted remains quite limited: Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Poland, the United States of America, and the Czech Republic

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  • The validity period of a temporary certificate of a citizen of Ukraine may be extended for the period of martial law in Ukraine +12 months. The deadline for submitting a document on the termination of foreign citizenship is also extended.

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  • The submission and consideration of already submitted applications of citizens of the Russian Federation regarding the acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship shall be suspended until the expiration of 12 months from the date of termination or cancellation of martial law in Ukraine.

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  • The Verkhovna Rada adopted the Law «On the Suspension of the Operation and Withdrawal from the Convention on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family, and Criminal Matters, and the Protocol to the Convention on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family, and Criminal Matters of January 22, 1993» (Draft Law No. 0163) on December 1, 2022.

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  • According to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 107 dated February 4, 2023, «Certain Issues Regarding the Acceptance of Documents Issued by Authorized Bodies of Foreign States on the Territory of Ukraine During Martial Law» during martial law and for 6 months after its termination or cancellation, documents that have been issued or certified on the territory of foreign states by an institution or a specially authorized person within their competence in the established form and sealed with an official stamp are accepted on the territory of Ukraine without special certification (consular legalization, apostille, etc.), provided that as of February 24, 2022, such documents were accepted in Ukraine without special certification.

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  • The processing of applications from citizens of the Russian Federation for immigration permits, issuance of permanent residence permits, issuance (including replacement of lost or stolen ones), and exchange of temporary residence permits has been suspended.

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Information for citizens of Iran, the Republic of Belarus, and the Russian Federation residing in Ukraine.

Since March 2022, the territorial bodies of the State Migration Service have begun applying a presumption of refusal for citizens of Iran, the Republic of Belarus, and the Russian Federation residing in Ukraine who apply for the exchange of a temporary/permanent residence permit.

As a rule, the grounds for such refusals are formal and lack substantiated results of conducted checks. Re-submission of documents or attempts to correct application deficiencies do not lead to a positive outcome.

Judicial appeals against unlawful decisions of the State Migration Service authorities remain, at present, the only effective means of protecting the rights of foreign citizens. At the same time, it should be noted that during the consideration of such disputes, administrative courts often side with the migration service, applying legislation in favor of the position of the state authority.

Important! Regarding refusal of an immigration permit under clause 4 of Article 10 of the Law «On Immigration».

One of the most common grounds for refusal by the State Migration Service to issue an immigration permit or a temporary residence permit is the claim that the applicant has knowingly provided false information about their place of residence. However, in most cases, such refusals are not properly substantiated.

More details about this issue and ways to resolve it are available in the lawyer’s video consultation.

With significant practical experience, we act in a balanced and consistent manner. We do not promise quick solutions; however, systematic work allows us to achieve positive results for our clients.

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