Law on multiple citizenship under threat: Razumkov’s group blocks the law
25 June 00:04
Deputies of the inter-factional association Smart Politics have registered three resolutions in the Verkhovna Rada aimed at repealing the bill on multiple citizenship. This law, initiated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, allows Ukrainian citizens to have another citizenship without losing their Ukrainian one, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
Resolutions 11469-P, 11469-P1 and 11469-P2: what is proposed
MPs Dmytro Razumkov, Yevhen Petruniak, and Roman Babiy, members of the inter-factional association “Smart Policy,” have registered three resolutions – 11469-P, 11469-P1 of June 19, 2025, and 11469-P2 of June 20, 2025. These documents are aimed at canceling the Verkhovna Rada’s decision to adopt Law 11469.
The main reason given in the explanatory notes to the resolutions is a violation of the Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. In particular, it refers to non-compliance with the requirements of Article 117(1) of the Rules of Procedure, which obliges MPs to provide the draft law prepared for the second reading, as well as the opinion of the main committee and supporting documents no later than 10 days before the vote.
According to the initiators of the resolutions, the text of the draft law and amendments to it were distributed only on June 13, 2025, i.e. 5 days before the plenary session. This, in their opinion, deprived the MPs of the opportunity to properly familiarize themselves with the document and could have led to the ignoring of some of the amendments.
Why do these resolutions block the law?
The registration of these resolutions actually stops the process of signing the law by the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk and its submission to the President for signature.
According to the Rules of Procedure, such “blocking” resolutions must be considered and rejected by the Parliament before the law can enter into force.
What happens next?
Currently, the Verkhovna Rada has to consider and reject resolutions 11469-P, 11469-P1 and 11469-P2 to unblock the signing of the law.
If this does not happen, the process of implementing multiple citizenship may be delayed.
Under current law, Ukraine does not recognize other citizenships of its citizens. In fact, many Ukrainians currently living abroad have already obtained or plan to obtain citizenship of their host countries in the future.
on January 22, 2024, the President submitted a bill on multiple citizenship to the Verkhovna Rada.
In December 2024, the Rada supported the draft law No. 11469 on multiple citizenship as a basis.
What does the bill provide for?
- The introduction of multiple citizenship and simplification of the acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship for citizens of countries from a special list (established by law)
- Termination of Ukrainian citizenship for persons who have voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the aggressor state or other countries outside the list
- Simplified process for foreigners who fought for Ukraine.
What is multiple citizenship?
Multiple citizenship (multipatriotism) is a citizenship status in which a person is consistently recognized as a citizen of two or more countries under the laws of those countries. It is assumed that states enter into a bilateral agreement with each other in which they mutually recognize the status of a person with two passports, his or her rights and obligations.
In some countries, a distinction is made between a person’s citizenship, which is more related to participation in the domestic political life of the country, and nationality, which refers to the international status of a person. Although multiple citizenship gives certain preferences to its holders, there may be conflicts of law, for example, in the performance of military and other duties under the laws of individual countries.
Multiple citizenship is permitted in most countries, but the rules and conditions may vary considerably. Most European countries recognize multiple citizenship. For example, France, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom allow citizens to hold multiple passports. The exceptions are Austria and Estonia, which have strict restrictions, although there are exceptions in certain circumstances.
America also generally supports dual citizenship. The United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina allow multiple citizenships without significant restrictions.
