President signs law on granting citizenship to spouses of the Ukrainian Defense Forces soldiers
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a law on granting citizenship to wives and husbands of servicemen of the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine.
This is stated in the draft law card on the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine website.
The law allows the right to obtain Ukrainian citizenship to be exercised by the spouse of a citizen of Ukraine who participates in the defense of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and inviolability.
The Law also grants the right to submit a declaration of renunciation of foreign citizenship to the spouse of a Ukrainian citizen.
In addition, the document provides for
- Establishment of immigration quotas for foreigners seeking to reunite with Ukrainian military personnel;
- the possibility of restoring Ukrainian citizenship to foreigners who participated in the defense of Ukraine.
The explanatory note states that adopting this draft law will facilitate the realization of the right to citizenship for spouses of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
On January 8, 2025, the draft law was supported by 270 MPs, and after being signed by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, it was sent to the President for signature.
On August 20, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada supported the draft law on the legal status of foreigners and stateless persons fighting for Ukraine.
It was assumed that foreigners or stateless persons would be able to obtain temporary residence permits, immigration permits, or Ukrainian citizenship on the basis of passport documents, even if they had expired.
Their family members will be eligible for a temporary residence permit. Under the new law, they will be able to obtain Ukrainian citizenship.
Certain restrictions on the granting of citizenship remain for former residents or natives of the aggressor countries Russia and Belarus, where the regime controlled by Russia has been established, who have obtained Ukrainian citizenship since February 24, 2020, will have to submit documents renouncing their foreign citizenship within a year after the lifting of martial law.
People who received Ukrainian citizenship during martial law will have the right to take the relevant exams within two years from the termination date or lifting of martial law.
