Cabinet Resolution #573 of May 6, 2026

Who is affected: foreigners and stateless persons who are serving or intend to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the State Special Transport Service; members of their families; the State Migration Service.

Summary:

  • the resolution issues temporary residence permits to foreign service members for the term of their contract plus six months after its completion, without being tied to standard migration regulations;
  • verification of residence addresses for foreign service members is cancelled, taking into account the specifics of service, which make standard registration impossible;
  • foreigners are allowed to submit information about their place of residence abroad without documentary confirmation if their country of nationality is an aggressor state or does not recognize Ukraine’s territorial integrity;
  • foreign service members are exempted from the obligation to have a health insurance policy when applying for or exchanging a residence permit;
  • it is allowed to use an expired passport to obtain a residence permit if, in order to obtain a new document, the person would have to apply to the authorities of an aggressor state or a state that voted against the UN resolution on Ukraine’s territorial integrity;
  • the simplified migration procedure is extended to persons who only intend to conclude a contract, not only to those who are already serving;
  • military units are obliged to notify the State Migration Service of early termination of a contract on grounds that may serve as a basis for reviewing migration status.

What is right:

The resolution removes a real bureaucratic trap in which foreigners ready to fight for Ukraine found themselves: standard migration requirements — registration address, health insurance, a valid passport — were physically impossible to fulfill for a person on the front line or someone unable to contact the embassy of an aggressor state. The logic of “you serve — you get the status” is correct and clear. The six-months permit extension after the end of the contract gives a person time to get their legal status in order after finishing service.

What is wrong:

The resolution is a technical package of amendments to several bylaws and does not answer the broader question: what is the overall legal status of a foreign veteran after completing service, and does such a person have priority in obtaining permanent residence or citizenship? The mechanism requiring a military unit to notify the State Migration Service of contract termination is important, but the resolution does not define the deadline for such notification. This creates legal uncertainty as to the moment from which the period for reviewing migration status starts.

Alternative solution:

The technical changes defined in the resolution are necessary but insufficient. The logical next step should be the adoption of a comprehensive law on the legal status of foreign veterans, which would clearly define: a priority right to permanent residence after a certain period of service; a simplified path to citizenship for those who were wounded or received an award; guarantees of social security, including access to healthcare, rehabilitation, and housing programs on an equal basis with Ukrainian veterans. The status of family members of foreign service members staying in Ukraine should also be regulated separately by law: currently, they remain vulnerable.

What happened:

The resolution is part of the new separate migration procedure for foreigners fighting for Ukraine — a procedure that effectively did not exist before the full-scale invasion.