The Day After the Decree: Dual Citizenship, Children and the Duties That Come With a Ukrainian Passport

Almost everything written about Ukrainian citizenship stops at the moment of acquisition, as though the decree were the end of the story. For the person holding the new ID card it is the beginning of one. Citizenship is a two-way status: it confers rights that no residence permit can match, and it attaches obligations — registration, tax, and under martial law some real constraints on movement — that apply from the first day and do not care how recently you arrived.

It also changes how your other nationality is treated, which for a long time was the single most consequential question in this area. Ukraine's approach to holding more than one passport shifted in early 2026, and the rules governing dual citizenship and Ukrainian nationality are recent enough that the implementing practice is still forming. Anything you read on the subject, including this article, should be checked against the current position before you act on it.

Questions people ask first

Can I now keep my existing passport? For some nationalities, yes. Legislation permitting multiple citizenship took effect in January 2026 and replaced the blanket expectation of renunciation for the groups it covers, using a declaration mechanism rather than a surrender of the old document. It is not universal — the arrangement operates by reference to defined categories and states, and some are expressly excluded.

Does holding two passports give me any protection inside Ukraine? No. A person with multiple citizenships is treated in Ukraine exclusively as a Ukrainian citizen. You cannot invoke another state's diplomatic protection there, and you cannot claim the treatment given to foreigners.

Will my children automatically become citizens when I do? Not automatically in every case. There is a defined mechanism for minor children of a naturalising parent, and older minors are asked for their own consent.

Can I lose Ukrainian citizenship later? Yes. The statute sets out grounds for loss and for termination, and the 2026 reform added new ones.

Where the multiple-citizenship reform actually landed

The essential shift is procedural as much as philosophical. Under the old approach, a person admitted to citizenship undertook to terminate their previous nationality within a set period, with a declaration available where the home state made renunciation impossible. The new framework instead recognises that many Ukrainians abroad already hold second passports and provides a lawful footing for it, subject to conditions.

Two points recur in the commentary and matter practically. First, exclusions: the arrangement does not extend to the citizenship of the aggressor state, and voluntary acquisition of such a passport became a ground for losing Ukrainian citizenship, with carve-outs for people in occupied territory who had no genuine choice. Second, allegiance: multiple citizenship does not create dual obligations that offset each other. Inside Ukraine, Ukrainian duties apply in full.

Because this is the fastest-moving part of the law, the rule that governed a case decided last year may not govern yours.

Children

Children acquire Ukrainian citizenship most often by birth, where at least one parent held it at the time, with further provisions for birth on Ukrainian territory and for children who would otherwise be stateless. Where a parent naturalises, the child's position is dealt with by a linked application rather than by automatic extension, and the consent of the child is required once they reach the age the law specifies. Adoption and the establishment of parentage are separate grounds again.

Two practical consequences follow:

• Documents for the child — birth certificate, evidence of the parental link, consent where required — must be legalised and translated to the same standard as the parent's.
• Where the parents hold different nationalities or live in different countries, the consent of the other parent is commonly required and is a frequent cause of delay.

Restoration, loss and termination

Former Ukrainian citizens who lost or renounced the status can generally apply for restoration, a distinct ground with lighter evidentiary demands than naturalisation because the previous status is on record. Termination by voluntary renunciation is possible on application, and is normally sought by people who need it for another state's naturalisation rules; it is not granted where it would leave the person stateless. Loss operates differently: it follows from defined events rather than from an application, and the grounds now include the aggressor-state passport rule described above.

Duties that attach immediately

Military registration. Men within the age brackets defined by law are required to register with the territorial recruitment centre. This applies to new citizens exactly as it applies to those born in Ukraine, and it is not conditional on how long you have held the passport or on holding another one. Registration is an administrative duty and is distinct from mobilisation, but non-compliance carries penalties.

Exit rules. Restrictions on leaving the country that apply to male citizens of the relevant ages during martial law apply to newly naturalised citizens too. A second passport does not create an exemption, because Ukraine treats you as its own citizen at its own border. These are emergency measures, amended repeatedly since 2022, and anyone planning to apply while martial law is in force should verify the current rules rather than rely on an account written months earlier.

Tax. Citizenship is not by itself the test of Ukrainian tax residency — residence, centre of vital interests and days of presence are — but citizens with a registered place of residence in Ukraine will often fall within it, with worldwide income in scope. Where another country also claims you, the applicable double tax treaty and its tie-breaker rules become the operative law. Model this before the decree, not after.

The documents that follow

The oath is the practical trigger. After it, the new citizen is entered in the state demographic register and can obtain:

• The ID card — the biometric internal passport, which is the base document for everything else.
• A registered place of residence and a tax number, both prerequisites in practice.
• The biometric passport for travel abroad, applied for once the ID card exists.
• A Diia profile, the state digital services app, which mirrors those documents and is increasingly the everyday interface with the Ukrainian state.

Deal with the obligations in the same order you deal with the documents: register your residence, obtain the tax number, complete military registration if it applies to you, and only then plan travel. Firms such as Bimaris are often asked about the post-decree stage late, once a plan has already been made around assumptions that turned out to be wrong. Citizenship is worth having on its own terms — but it is a status with duties attached, and the duties begin immediately.