Rada introduces exams for Ukrainian citizenship applicants

The Ukrainian parliament – Verkhovna Rada – adopted a law that makes passing exams a condition for naturalization in Ukraine.

The law, initiated by the Cabinet of Ministers in July 2022 and unanimously supported on Tuesday by all 281 lawmakers present, provides that applicants for Ukrainian citizenship will have to pass exams comprising three tests to prove their knowledge of the Ukrainian language, the history of Ukraine and the Constitution of Ukraine.

When submitting a citizenship application, the applicant will have to attach a written statement assuming an obligation to pass the exams within two years of the citizenship acquisition date, according to MP Iryna Borzova. Default on this obligation entails a loss of citizenship.

She also added that these provisions are only applicable to adults.

“The full-scale invasion of Russia clearly showed that every citizen of Ukraine must know the state language, and two years is quite enough time for this,” Borzova said.