Zelensky Proposes the Law to Simplify Access to Ukrainian Citizenship for Belarusian Volunteers

The law has been submitted to the Rada for consideration.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has submitted for consideration of the Verkhovna Rada a draft law "On Amendments to Some Laws of Ukraine on Citizenship Issues". It aims to improve the legal framework for the regulation of Ukrainian citizenship issues, Ukrainskaya Pravda reports.

The draft law provides for exemption of certain categories of persons from the requirement to submit an obligation to terminate foreign citizenship upon access to Ukrainian citizenship after pronouncing the oath.

The document proposes to exempt from the obligation to submit an obligation to terminate foreign citizenship when access to Ukrainian citizenship for people who serve (have served) under a contract in the Ukrainian armed forces, assisted in ensuring national security and defence if they submit a declaration of renunciation of foreign citizenship.

It also provides for exemption from the obligation to submit the obligation to terminate the foreign citizenship of persons who are citizens of the aggressor state or occupant state and who have been persecuted in their country, if they submit a declaration of renunciation of foreign citizenship.

The draft law proposes to expand the number of persons who have grounds for access to Ukrainian citizenship by territorial origin; to reduce the list of reasons beyond the control of a person for not receiving a document on termination of foreign citizenship; to revise the grounds for the Ukrainian denationalization; to clarify the grounds for revoking the decision on the registration of access to citizenship, etc.

The President also proposes to amend a number of laws of Ukraine, providing for the submission of a declaration on the absence of foreign citizenship by persons applying for public service, service in local government, law enforcement agencies, etc.