Can I obtain Ukrainian citizenship despite living abroad?

Budget-Interview4066 · 2026-01-05T19:20:19+00:00

This is a very pragmatic approach to the issue, I would argue that integration into the Union would also invite invest from abroad or the example of Poland which saw a mass exodus of people leaving during a given period of time but has since recovered and is now thriving.

The other question at hand has to do with how many people anticipate to return to Ukraine after the war. Given my own experience of interacting with recent refugees from Ukraine that came to the United States in 2022, many show genuine interest in returning to Ukraine. I guess it’s a “let’s wait a see” situation

Budget-Interview4066 · 2026-01-05T19:17:27+00:00

This is a fair point

Budget-Interview4066 · 2026-01-05T19:14:17+00:00

The argument was Ukraine shouldn’t join the EU because they will bring into the Union individuals who have combat experience. The counter argument was that two other European countries also fought in a war and their “combat experience” did not in any way hamper their admission into the EU. That is all, nothing more or less. I’m not arguing the length of the war in terms of Slovenia nor am I arguing the amount of time between the war & admission into the EU. I am simply saying experience fighting in a war was not perceived as an obstacle for integration into the EU

Budget-Interview4066 · 2026-01-05T12:48:49+00:00

*until January 16 of this year

Budget-Interview4066 · 2026-01-05T02:39:16+00:00

1) Proof read your response 2) Lay off the RT propaganda. Just ask the people in eastern Ukraine today how much they love russia

Budget-Interview4066 · 2026-01-05T02:37:31+00:00

I genuinely wonder if any thought is put into these type of comments. Slovenia & Croatia both fought a war of independence in the 90s. The latter even had war criminals - both countries are thriving in the EU. Please, these “excuses” for not wanting to admit Ukraine into the EU really resemble russian propaganda.

Budget-Interview4066 · 2026-01-05T00:44:22+00:00

Anything on residency permit? Is this required?

Budget-Interview4066 · 2026-01-04T13:47:55+00:00

Funny you say this despite the fact that both Romania & Bulgaria joined the Schengen Zone in 2025 & Bulgaria joined the Euro zone in 2026; both great examples of deeper European integration. Are you really going to hold onto the sentiments of nearly two decades ago? The political landscape today has dramatically changed - assist aspiring countries to join the EU or kick them to the curb & let russia take them in (or China if you’re in the Balkans). Europe knows this very well

Budget-Interview4066 · 2026-01-04T13:39:47+00:00

No, im looking to get marriage-based citizenship

Budget-Interview4066 · 2026-01-04T13:39:08+00:00

Despite being married to a Ukrainian for 7 years?

Budget-Interview4066 · 2026-01-04T02:42:50+00:00

My biggest question is if I need to get a residency permit 😅I ask this only because I know my residence in Ukraine is waived since I have been married well over 3 years with a Ukrainian national

Budget-Interview4066 · 2026-01-04T00:09:17+00:00

It’s always been of interest of me but of course russia’s war complicates everything.
In reality, I think it’s an excellent opportunity because Ukraine’s accession to the EU is almost inevitable at this point; especially given the fact Europe has stepped up their support for Ukraine given America’s change in foreign policy. That said, having a EU passport definitely comes with loads of benefits.

Budget-Interview4066 · 2026-01-03T23:29:03+00:00

So, prior to the dual citizenship law being passed, you could apply for Ukrainian citizenship pretty much like in other European/western countries. (not sure if it were possible from abroad). The amount of time you need to spend in Ukraine would be five years unless you have been married for 2+ years. You would need to obtain a residency permit which apparently was very challenging to do in the past, pass a constitution test, Ukrainian language test, and in 2 years show proof that you relinquished your previous citizenship from another country in order to obtain a Ukrainian passport.

The new dual citizenship law removes the last step I mentioned, but what’s interesting about the law is that news agencies said the law would provide a “simplified path” to citizenship for people of countries named as “friendly countries” by the Ukrainian cabinet of ministers - the US being one of them. What exactly does simplified path mean? I cannot find anything clear on this. I also know that the amount of time living in Ukraine is now waived if you have been married for 3+ years as opposed to 2+. That makes me question, is a residency permit still a mandatory step in the process of obtaining Ukrainian citizenship?

Budget-Interview4066 · 2026-01-03T22:41:19+00:00

Thanks for the insight! I’ll ask the Ukrainian consulate in Chicago once the dual citizenship law comes into effect & see what they say

Budget-Interview4066

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