Crimean Tatars Find It Easier to Acquire Ukrainian Citizenship

The other day Ukraine officially denounced the Ukraine-Uzbekistan bilateral treaty on the prevention of dual citizenship, which until now did not allow Crimean Tatar repatriants, citizens of Uzbekistan, to acquire Ukrainian citizenship. The point is that, under Uzbek regulations, the cost of waiving Uzbek citizenship exceeds the minimum wage in Ukraine. On the other hand, repatriants who have not yet waived Uzbek citizenship did not have the right to begin acquiring Ukrainian citizenship because Ukrainian laws banned dual citizenship. Now, according to the new law, if Crimean Tatars who have arrived in the Crimea as Uzbek citizens, permanently and legitimately reside on the territory of Ukraine, and are legally entitled to acquire Ukrainian citizenship, intend to become Ukrainian citizens, all they have to do is apply to the local passport-and-visa section under the routine citizenship acquisition procedure stipulated by the Law of Ukraine “On the Citizenship of Ukraine” dated January 16, 2001. They should submit a pledge to terminate the citizenship of Uzbekistan, instead of an expensive certificate for waiving citizenship.