MULTIPLE CITIZENSHIP IN UKRAINE: PRESENT AND PROSPECTS

Abstract

The article highlights the topic of multiple citizenship and the prospects for its development in Ukraine. The author notes that the issue of multiple citizenship has repeatedly become the subject of public debate in Ukraine since independence, however, with the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and the departure of a significant proportion of Ukrainian citizens abroad, this issue has become particularly relevant. Paying tribute to previous attempts to introduce multiple citizenship in Ukraine, the author notes that it was the submission in January 2024 by the President of Ukraine to the Verkhovna Rada of Draft Laws No. 10425 “On Some Issues in the Field of Migration Regarding the Grounds and Procedure for Acquiring and Terminating Citizenship of Ukraine” and No. 11469 “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding Ensuring the Implementation of the Right to Acquire and Preserve Citizenship of Ukraine” that became the basis for generating numerous discussions regarding the expediency and necessity of introducing the institution of multiple citizenship in Ukraine both at the present stage and in the future. Analyzing the provisions of the Draft Law No. 10425, the author notes the presence of a number of conflicts and gaps in it, as well as a number of inconsistencies with the current legislation of Ukraine. As a result of the research conducted, the author concludes that it is inappropriate to adopt the Draft Law No. 10425 in the proposed version. The author also emphasizes the need for a more substantiated analysis of the Draft Law No. 11469, which also has a number of shortcomings. However, while paying tribute to the many advantages of introducing the institution of multiple citizenship in other countries, the author emphasizes the feasibility of introducing the institution of multiple citizenship, namely dual citizenship in Ukraine, but this requires coordinated work of relevant state structures and specialists to develop more effective regulatory support for this institution in Ukraine. The author believes that it is first necessary to analyze the experience of foreign countries in introducing the institution of multiple citizenship, to carefully analyze the current international and national legislation in this area, and only then to begin developing a new draft law that will allow more effectively regulating the institution of multiple citizenship in Ukraine.