Multiple Citizenship in Ukraine: The Law Has Come into Force, but Israel Is Not on the List Yet

In Ukraine, a law on multiple citizenship has come into effect, changing the rules for millions of citizens inside the country and beyond. The document introduces a new legal regime under which Ukrainians can have two or more passports without losing Ukrainian citizenship. However, the key detail for the Israeli audience is Israel is not currently on the approved list of countries.

This concerns law No. 4502-IX, which was adopted in the summer of 2025 and officially came into force on January 16, 2026. It establishes the possibility of recognizing multiple citizenship, but does so not automatically, but through a list of countries approved by the government. Thus, the norm is already in effect, and its application depends on the decisions of the executive branch.

According to explanations from judicial and legal sources in Ukraine, the institution of multiple citizenship does not apply to all countries. The list of countries is established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, based on considerations of national security, migration policy, and international relations.

Currently, there are only five countries on the official list: the USA, Canada, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Citizenship of these countries can now be held alongside Ukrainian citizenship without any sanctions or obligations to renounce the Ukrainian passport. Meanwhile, Russian and Belarusian citizenship is explicitly prohibited by law.

What is important in practice:

Legally, Ukraine continues to recognize only its own passport. Having a second or third citizenship does not entail punishments, fines, or obligations to report it to the state. The law legalizes the already existing reality for the diaspora and labor migrants but leaves the state control over the framework.

Why exactly these five countries? Ukrainian media explain the choice by the concentration of the largest Ukrainian diasporas and stable legal regimes. It is noteworthy that in the early stages of discussion, an expanded list of more than three dozen countries was mentioned, including Israel. Why it ultimately was not included in the final version — there are no official explanations yet.

In a number of publications, there are assumptions that the issue may be reconsidered later. However, at the moment, no legally significant decisions have been made to include Israel, which means holders of an Israeli passport formally do not fall under the new regime.

The law also opens the way to Ukrainian citizenship for foreigners from countries included in the list. General requirements remain: knowledge of the language, history, and basics of the constitution. Separate, more lenient conditions are provided for foreigners serving in the military under contract during martial law. For them, one year of service is sufficient, and their relatives can expect a simplified procedure.

Practical issues remain a separate block — taxes, pensions, social benefits, and military duty. The law explicitly states that these aspects will be regulated by additional government decisions. In other words, the legal framework has already been created, but its “filling” will occur gradually.

For Israelis of Ukrainian origin, this means a pause, not a closed door. The possibility of multiple citizenship in Ukraine is now enshrined in law, but its geography is still limited. This is why the topic continues to be actively discussed — in Kyiv, in the diaspora, and in the Israeli agenda, which is closely monitored by NAnews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency.