Ukraine has abolished the “residence abroad” exception, meaning that men with a special stamp in their passports and permanent residence outside Ukraine have lost the right to cross the border freely. Find out more about the new rules and changes

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Effective June 1, 2024, Ukraine abolished the “residence abroad” exemption for men aged 18 to 60. This applies to those who permanently reside outside of Ukraine and have the appropriate marks in their documents on leaving for permanent residence. Such persons can no longer leave Ukraine, even if they have other citizenship. This information was confirmed by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

New restrictions for those living abroad

Previously, men who permanently reside outside of Ukraine and have the appropriate marks in their documents could travel abroad even during martial law. However, as of June 1, 2024, this option has been limited for them. Now they cannot leave Ukraine, either after being registered with a foreign consular office or if they have dual citizenship.

At the same time, the spokesman for the State Border Guard Service, Andriy Demchenko, emphasized in a comment to Telegraph that dual citizenship is prohibited in Ukraine. “Even if a citizen of Ukraine has a passport of another country, they are considered exclusively as citizens of Ukraine with all the relevant rights and obligations.” He added that such norms had been in place before, and citizens trying to pass themselves off as foreigners at the border had always been brought to justice.

The official website of the US Embassy in Ukraine has also posted relevant warnings for citizens. 

“Ukrainian law does not recognize dual citizenship. Thus, during their stay in Ukraine, American-Ukrainian dual citizens are treated exclusively as citizens of Ukraine and are subject to the rights and obligations of Ukrainian citizens,” the embassy said in a statement.

Thus, the diplomatic mission advises Ukrainian-American citizens who are in Ukraine and cannot leave to stay in place and comply with local regulations. In addition, U.S. citizens aged 18 to 60 who hold Ukrainian citizenship or apply for it are advised to avoid traveling to Ukraine unless they wish to stay in the country indefinitely. After all, “there is an extremely high risk that you will not be allowed to leave even with a US passport.”

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Other military registration requirements for men with permanent residence

At the same time, it is important to understand that the new provisions of the law require men who have been deregistered from the military register due to leaving abroad for permanent residence to come to the TSC in person and register again. In fact, this means that they will not be able to leave Ukraine after fulfilling this requirement.

Remember!  Violation of the procedure for military registration and mobilization is subject to fines. Read more about the amount of fines and other sanctions provided for by law in this article.

We remind you! The new law on mobilization has changed the rules of border crossing for men. Read our previous article to find out which categories of men can freely leave Ukraine and what documents they need to have.

Photo: Reuters

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Ihor Usyk is the Head of Legal Department at Visit Ukraine

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